Shantona Women and Family Services

Shantona Early Years and Playscheme Shantona Women's Centre, Shepherds Lane, LEEDS, LS8 5AW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 14/10/2014 31/01/2011

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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

 Effective planning provides children with a broad range of exciting and stimulating activities that builds on their individual interests and learning needs. As a result, they consistently make good progress in relation to their starting points.  The manager and her staff team demonstrate a strong drive to review and improve their practice. As a result, a good quality setting has been created which reflects the needs and interests of all children.  Children are safeguarded and fully protected from harm. This is because all staff have been checked and are suitable to work with children and fully understand their role and responsibility in protecting children.  Children's needs are quickly identified and very well met through the robust and effective partnerships between parents and external agencies and services.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children's understanding of mathematics is not always extended to the maximum potential, particularly during outdoor activities.  Resources in the outdoor area are not highly stimulating to progress children's learning, creativity and exploration to the maximum potential.

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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 activities in the playroom and the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the nursery and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the provider, managers and spoke with staff and children throughout the inspection.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Shantona Early Years and Playscheme opened in 1998 and is managed by Shantona Women's Centre Limited. It operates from rooms within the women's centre, which is situated in Harehills, a residential area of Leeds. Children have access to a fully enclosed outdoor area. The setting is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, term time only for children in the early years age range. The setting also operates a holiday playscheme for children aged between four years and eight years. The playscheme is open each weekday from 10am to 4pm, during the Easter holidays and for the first two weeks of the summer holidays. The setting also offers a creche service, which operates at various times and days dependent on the needs of the centre and local community. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 22 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are

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Information about the setting

currently 26 on roll; all of whom, are in the early years age range. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. There are 8 members of staff, all of whom hold early years qualifications to at least level 2. Five of the staff have qualifications at level 3.

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

 maximise the opportunities children have to build on their mathematical skills through every day activities, particularly outdoors

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

 provide a highly stimulating range of resources outdoors to progress children's learning, creativity and exploration to the highest potential.

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who attend

Children are happy and settled in this friendly, welcoming setting. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and as a result, children are well supported in their learning and development. Before the children start at the setting, staff take great care to obtain information from parents about the children's preferences and capabilities. Staff also carry out initial assessments by observing children when they first start to attend. This information is then used to plan for children's starting points. Consequently, children settle well into the setting and are provided with activities that interest them from the start. Planning is good and is based on the individual needs and interests of children. Staff provide children with good support to develop their communication skills. They speak to children in their first language and model words and phrases in English to enhance children's speaking skills. Observation, assessment and

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who attend

planning systems are effectively in place and cover all seven areas of learning. All staff commit to planning purposefully for children's next steps and organise activities that challenge them and help them make good progress in their development. Subsequently, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress given their starting points. They develop the skills and positive dispositions, which prepare them well for school and lay the foundation for becoming lifelong, successful learners. Generally, staff support children well as they play. They sit alongside them in the main room to make cakes out of play dough and explore bubbles in the water. They engage in open-ended questioning to support the communication and language development of the children. Additionally, a good range of singing and rhymes further enhance the language skills of children inside

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who attend

the setting. However, the outdoor area is not resourced with a wide and varied range of toys and equipment to support children's all round development, creativity and exploration to the maximum potential.

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who attend

Staff are motivated and committed to ensure each child is offered appropriate care, and supported effectively throughout their time at the setting. As a result, children feel happy, settled and make good progress in their learning and development. They are interested and enthusiastic in their play. Each child has their own development file, which is shared with parents to help them understand how well their child is progressing. Activities and ideas are shared between the key person and parents, encouraging them to build upon experiences in the setting. A clear strength of the practice is the number of languages spoken by the staff. This enables the parents to be actively involved and continue their child's learning experiences at home. Parents are enthusiastic about their children's progress. Children are active learners. They are self-motivated and play with their chosen toys and activities effectively, showing a developing level of independence. Children

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who attend

develop their understanding of mathematics appropriately because staff encourage children to count objects and recognise numbers displayed on jigsaws and in books. However, there is less opportunity for children to see and recognise numbers, or to use resources in activities outdoors that help develop their mathematical skills further. Children have plenty of outdoor play, however, and learn how to negotiate space by controlling wheeled vehicles and running. They have opportunities to climb on a small scale on the ladders of a small slide. This helps to enhance children's physical skills while enjoying the fresh air.

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

Children settle quickly because staff provide toys and resources that they know the children enjoy playing with, while meeting their care and learning needs. This is because staff sensitively discuss and record in detail children's overall needs and starting points with parents. Children form warm and secure attachments with their key person and other staff and are happy and engaged in their play. This helps to promote their emotional well- being. Parents are kept up to date with their child's progress and care needs. This is successfully achieved by daily discussions and access to their child's development file, with opportunities to contribute to information gathering about their child. The setting has developed very good links with the local schools and they liaise with reception staff to support children as they move into school. The transition from setting to school is effectively planned and children receive good support from their key person to help

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

prepare them emotionally with this move. Staff accompany children on visits to the Reception class. This supports children's all round progress well.

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

Staff promote healthy lifestyles well because they plan daily activities and implement policies and procedures that promote healthy eating, drinking and regular physical exercise. They work closely with parents to find out about children's dietary needs and they share their policy about healthy eating to help guide parents who send food from home. Staff ensure that all children have daily access to fresh air and support children to select the equipment they would like to use outside, promoting independence. Children know the routine and wash their hands before sitting together for a snack. They develop a range of skills, which help to promote their understanding of personal hygiene and self- care. They sit in small groups and enjoy snacks and packed lunches that they bring from home. They talk amongst themselves, promoting their socialising skills very well. Staff sit with children at mealtimes, to help children develop an understanding of the importance

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

of healthy eating by talking about the food they are eating.

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

Children play in a calm, relaxed environment and show consideration for one another. Children's behaviour is good because staff constantly praise children's efforts and promote positive reinforcement of clear rules and boundaries. This promotes children's self- confidence and self-esteem. Staff gently remind and support younger children to share toys and to tidy up, offering praise and encouragement for their efforts and achievements. Consequently, children have a willingness to join in, gain positive self-esteem and develop an understanding of responsibility. Children play and learn in a safe environment. They develop their understanding of how to manage risks safely; as they see staff complete daily safety checks of the indoor and outdoor play areas. Staff deploy themselves very well within the indoor and outdoor environments, to ensure that children are supervised and kept safe. Staff follow effective procedures to deal with any accidents appropriately.

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

Robust medication procedures are in place to help staff ensure children are kept protected. All information is recorded and shared with parents in a confidential way.

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provision

The provider, manager and staff team have developed a good quality setting, which is welcoming, stimulating and safe. All staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children and ensure all necessary steps are taken to keep them safe and well. For example, doors leading into the setting room are locked and a buzzer entry system is in operation on the main entrance door. Necessary checks are carried out to ensure all staff and other adults in daily contact with children are suitable to do so and any concerns regarding children's welfare are managed effectively. Effective induction and mentoring arrangements, together with clear written policies and procedures, further protect children and ensure they enjoy their learning experience and grow in confidence. Staff ensure effective risk assessments are carried out daily and that safety measures are in place to minimise hazards to keep children safe from harm. Risk assessments are

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provision

reviewed constantly to ensure that the safety measures remain effective and action is taken, if required, to maintain safety.

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provision

The manager has a good understanding of her role in monitoring the delivery of the educational programmes. She spends time working alongside staff in the main room to support their observations and assessments of children. She gains a good insight into what is working well. As a result, areas for improvement are identified, taking into account the views of parents, staff and children. The recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection have been successfully addressed. Observation, assessment and planning documentation is monitored to make sure it is precise, accurate and displays a clear example of children's skills, abilities and progress. The manager maintains a comprehensive overview of progress tracking documentation. Ongoing staff development is encouraged through well-considered and purposeful staff supervision. Support is given to staff to undertake further training and share new knowledge with their colleagues when

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provision

Partnerships with parents and external agencies are very well-established and make a strong contribution to meeting children's needs. Daily contact with parents enables them to share information, so staff keep updated on any changes. Parents comment that they are very happy with the setting. They feel that children are making progress, are happy and content. The entrance hall area provides good-quality information for parents. This ensures they are kept up-to-date with key events and are effectively sign posted to external agencies and services. The manager and her staff team have been proactive in their approach to share information with other providers when children attend other settings. For example, learning and development information is effectively shared when children move onto school.

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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 501917 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 872275

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 26 Name of provider Shantona Womens Centre Ltd Date of previous inspection 31/01/2011 Telephone number 0113 2497120

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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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