Lamesley Childcare@ Harlow Green

Lamesley Childcare at Harlow Green Community Primary School Harlow Green Junior School, Harlow Green Lane, GATESHEAD, Tyne and Wear, NE9 7TB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 08/10/2014 24/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The children make good progress in their learning. This is because the practitioners plan and deliver activities that are stimulating and fun which motivates the children to learn.  All children develop close relationships with practitioners. This means that they settle quickly and feel comfortable in the setting.  Practitioners work hard to develop good relationships with parents and the school. This ensures that children's continuing care and learning needs are well met.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Not all children are able to benefit from routine access to a range of natural, open- ended resources that challenge their thinking and support them to develop new ideas and skills.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed a number of children and groups involved in play activities in the indoor learning environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed policies and procedures and the monitoring and assessment procedures.  The inspector met with the management team and spoke with staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and comments evidenced on children's records.  The inspector reviewed children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of practitioners working with the children and discussed the performance management system and process.

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Information about the setting

Lamesley Childcare at Harlow Green is run by Lamesley Childcare which is an organisation with charitable status. They operate several out of school provisions in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The group use the main hall, dance studio, learning zone and the room attached to this, in Harlow Green Community School, Harlow Green, Gateshead. The group have use of an enclosed outdoor area and multi purpose games area for outdoor play. Children attending come from the school in which the out of school provision is based and a wider area. The group operates from 07.35 to 08.55 and 15.15 to 18.00. There are 45 children on roll, 7 of whom are in the early years range. There are four staff working with the children, including the manager, all of whom hold a relevant qualification.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 ensure that all children are able to benefit from access to a range of open-ended, natural resources which will help them work together to further develop their ideas and skills.

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who attend

Children benefit from a range of enjoyable and exciting activities supported by playful and engaging practitioners. Many activities require children to work together to solve problems and this collaborative working means that children develop confidence in working with others and in their own ability. For example, children building with large, flat tiles negotiate with each other to solve problems, while the practitioner skilfully scaffolds their learning by posing problems such as how to move the construction and how to get it through the door. The children work together quickly and skilfully discussing possible solutions as they go. This means that the children are fully engaged in their learning and acquire the necessary skills, attributes and behaviours which help them to move on to the next stage.

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who attend

Practitioners support children's learning well by providing open-ended resources which can be used, moved and combined in many different ways. This helps them to become deeply involved and to make good progress. For example, a group relish playing in compost, chatting excitedly as they add water and watch how it changes colour and texture. They each choose resources to add to their mud, some choosing super-heroes and others dinosaurs, before burying them or setting off on an incredible adventure. Practitioners are playful in their approach and join in with the children in a natural and seamless way, which means that children are motivated to take part in the play and remain fully engaged. While some children are able to regularly access this type of play, it is not always available during the morning sessions and as a result, not all children can benefit from it.

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who attend

Practitioners provide a warm, welcoming environment with a range of resources to reflect children's interests and learning needs and they work closely with parents and the school to ensure that the next steps in children's learning are supported. For example, children are supported well with developing their concentration skills so that they know how to listen in class. Practitioners achieve this by telling children their favourite story, making puppets of the characters and helping the children to act out the story. The children are supported to listen and concentrate to make sure their puppets are introduced at the right time in the story and speak their lines as accurately as possible. This means that the children are able to concentrate and focus on what they are doing and make a meaningful contribution to the activity, increasing their confidence as their listening skills develop and enhancing their motivation to learn.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children benefit from having a warm and close relationship with their key person. Children and families are helped to settle by a combination of short, relaxed visits and close links with the school. The children are given a buddy to help them to settle and become familiar with the setting and the routine and this helps children to feel comfortable and happy in the setting. All practitioners work closely with parents to get to know the children well and this partnership is used effectively to share information and to help children feel confident. Practitioners work hard to ensure that all children are fully involved in the life of the setting and there are lots of ways that children can contribute their views and wishes, which are then used to shape the activities and experiences on offer. For example, all children complete questionnaires each term, older children write about their views and the little ones being helped to draw their favourites. Children and practitioners meet weekly

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

for a praise and grumbles session, where children can share what they have particularly enjoyed about the setting that week and discuss how to improve some activities to make them more appealing. This means that children feel valued as they develop confidence in social situations and have a better awareness of the views and feelings of others.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The children learn to develop a healthy lifestyle, for example, they enjoy a range of healthy food and drinks and before school they help themselves to a choice of cereals and milk before tucking in to warm crumpets, pancakes and toast with butter and jam. Staff are kind and caring in their approach and obviously know children very well, playfully teasing them about their choices and pretending that they don't know their favourites. Children's work takes pride of place on the walls and shelves and children proudly show off what they have made. For example, they explain in detail how they made a healthy lifestyles board to show that they understand about the importance of eating a balanced diet and taking regular physical exercise. The children benefit from taking part in physical activities each day and particularly enjoy traditional games such as 'British Bulldog' and 'Queenie Queenie', which are supported by enthusiastic and playful practitioners. Children

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

laugh and squeal to their friends as they race around, trying hard not be caught and practitioners play alongside the children enthusiastically, helping the little ones to 'escape' and making sure everyone gets a turn. This sociable and friendly approach is a particular feature of the setting and children are very much 'at home' in the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. The children regularly take photographs which they keep in scrapbooks, clearly labelled in their own words to help them remember past experiences. They enjoy looking through them, recalling the fun they had and what they describe as their 'lovely memories' of friends and staff. These activities help the children to feel valued and to feel pride in their achievements and this equips them well emotionally for future learning and experiences.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The children's behaviour is very good and it is evident that high expectations, excellent strategies and good role modelling by practitioners play a significant part in this. For example, when children disagree, practitioners speak quietly to them about how they might manage the situation while ensuring consideration for others. When disputes break out over popular toys and equipment, practitioners use egg timers of different sizes, a large one for the older children and a small one for the younger ones, to show children how much longer they need to wait for their turn and this helps the children to be patient and to consider the needs of others. Children develop a good understanding of how to manage their own health and safety because practitioners ensure that health and hygiene routines are practiced. For example, when washing hands before breakfast, the degree of support provided is determined by the age of the child and the level of need which

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

promotes children's independence. The setting is safe and secure for the children and practitioners work closely with the school to keep the children safe. For example, they communicate any changes to collection arrangements to make sure that only those who are allowed to have access to the children are able to do so. Children learn about how to keep themselves safe and there is a range of information available for them such as posters and leaflets for the older children and activities and discussions for the little ones. The children regularly practice how to leave the building urgently and this means that they know how to safely evacuate the building in the event of a fire or other emergency.

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provision

The leadership and management of the setting is good and the management team understand their role in delivering the learning and development and safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The management team meet regularly to evaluate the activities offered to children to ensure that they continue to meet individual needs. They review comments and suggestions from children and families to ensure that they are reflected in the programme. Practitioners routinely observe children and work closely with teaching staff and other professionals to ensure that individual needs are met. For example, if children are lacking confidence and struggle to join in, the two teams work together to provide activities which encourage children to work collaboratively, which results in children making friends and settling more easily.

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provision

Children are effectively protected and safeguarded because the procedures for recruiting and vetting practitioners and the confirmation of their suitability to work with children are robust. The staff team are aware of their responsibilities to keep children safe and are supported in their safeguarding role by clear policies and appropriate challenge from senior management. All staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare and are confident to do so. The space used by the children is clean, safe and secure and practitioners carry out regular risk assessments to identify and minimise any hazards. They work closely with the children to support them to develop an awareness of health and safety. For example, children are helped to put away activities before playing with others to keep the environment safe for everyone. Staff keep detailed records of children who attend and work closely with the school to make sure that children are kept

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provision

safe during their transitions between home, the setting and school. Practitioners value partnership working with parents and families. They work hard to get to know them well and understand individual needs and as a result, children's learning and care needs are well met. For example, staff work hard to ensure that information relating to allergies, medication and health needs is shared appropriately with the school. This means that parents are confident that everyone on site has the correct information and children will be safe.

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provision

The management team regularly monitor adherence to all policies through observations and discussions with practitioners and by sharing them with children and families. For example, they have a 'policy of the month' system which enables parents to discuss individual policies with their children at home in order to fully understand them and to make any suggestions for improvements. All staff receive regular supervision and appraisals which are used to identify training needs and to monitor the impact of their performance on outcomes for children. The management team meet regularly to reflect on ways to improve the provision, discussing the impact of any changes before agreeing priorities for the future. This ensures the setting is regularly reviewing and updating its practice in order to meet needs of children and families.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or

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Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY360603 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 857608

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 45 Name of provider Lamesley Childcare Date of previous inspection 24/11/2008 Telephone number 0191 4876303

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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