Starfish Kids Club

Starfish Kids at St Andrews St Andrews Church Hall, Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2AD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 06/11/2014 04/11/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 4 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

 Children enjoy attending the club. Staff respond well to children, which enables them to fully support their individual needs and desires.  Staff create a very welcoming and relaxed out-of-school environment, and children enjoy their time spent at the club.  Staff are good role models as they reinforce appropriate behaviour and provide clear guidance to children. As a result, children's behaviour is good and they understand the expectations of the club.  Strong partnerships have been established with parents.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of snack times does not fully support children's well-being.  The management team have not yet fully developed consistent links with schools. Therefore, there are occasions when staff are not fully aware of how to complement children's learning.

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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 spent time observing staff's practice and children's learning in the hall and outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the coordinator, manager and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a sample of policies and procedures including vetting procedures, staff appraisal, training programme and risk assessments.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took into account the views of the parents spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Starfish Kids at St Andrews registered in 2012. It operates from a large room in St Andrews Church Hall in Hove, East Sussex and provides after school care only. The group opens five days a week during the school term. Sessions are from 3pm to 6pm. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. They also regularly use a nearby school playing field. The group is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently six children attending in the early years age range. The group supports children with English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The group employs five members of staff. The manager has a relevant level 3 play work qualification. Staff hold relevant level 2 and 3 play work qualifications.

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

 review the snack time routine so children do not spent too long lining up to collect their food

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

 develop further partnerships with schools to enable staff to fully complement children's learning experiences

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who attend

Children enjoy attending this after school club. They are provided with a good range of activities, which helps them to make progress across the seven areas of learning. This is because staff take time to get to know children and plan activities they know children will enjoy. Staff gather initial 'All about me' information from parents, which successfully aids the settling-in process and helps staff to establish children's interests. Ongoing observations and assessments are recorded by key persons to enable staff to plan children's next steps in learning. Planning of activities is flexible and often influenced by the children's choices. For example, children write down on clipboards the types of activities they would like and have suggested a talent contest and the purchase of a massive trampoline. Summary reports are emailed to parents each month, and again at the end of the school term. In addition, staff share and exchange information to ensure

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who attend

parents are kept well informed about their children's achievements at the club and school. However, the links between the club and schools are not yet fully developed. Therefore, staff are not always aware of how best to complement the learning experiences children are receiving at school. However, children do make consistently good progress in all areas of learning and enjoy their time at the club.

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who attend

Children are keen to be active after a busy school day. They settle quickly on arrival and confidently choose resources, activities and initiate their own play. They form friendships, share experiences and enjoy working together as part of a group. For example, children play games together, such as bingo. They negotiate taking turns, enjoy turning the rotating drum and confidently call out numbers up to a 100. This improves children's turn taking skills, and how to understand the rules. In addition, children devise and make their own board games of 'cops and robbers'. Staff use effective questions to extend children's knowledge by asking them to explain how their game is played. This successfully enhances their communication and language development. Staff provide children with good opportunities to relax and read books in the cosy, quiet area. Children enjoy reading stories or looking up words in dictionaries. This effectively supports children's ongoing

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who attend

Children enjoy participating in creative activities. They spend long periods of time creating pop up cards. They cut out butterflies using tissue paper and draw colourful pictures of sunsets. Children engage in conversations with staff and each other sharing school and home experiences. Staff help them to write messages in their cards, and write descriptions of their pictures. Children's developing understanding of technology is promoted as they confidently operate the computer. Children enjoy mixing musical sounds together, and dance and move confidently as the music plays. Consequently, children enjoy their time spent at the club and build on their learning experiences from school and home.

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

Children are happy and confident in this friendly after school club. Children have developed close trusting relationships with staff. It is clear they feel safe and secure as they willingly share their experiences with the staff. Children frequently play in mixed age groups; older children readily involve and support the younger children. Staff talk to the children and help them understand the needs of others, and help them manage any disagreements. Children are polite and respectful to staff and their friends. This is because staff are good role models as they reinforce appropriate and clear guidance to the children. As a result, children's behaviour is good and they understand the expectations of the club. Staff are aware of children's levels of confidence and use this knowledge to help them make contributions with which they are comfortable. For example, less confident children know they can approach staff individually outside a group situation.

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

Staff provide a varied selection of resources and activities for the children to independently choose. They deploy themselves well to ensure the safety and welfare of children. Children are learning to keep themselves safe because staff provide meaningful explanations to raise children's awareness. Staff are vigilant when walking children back from school offering explanations on walking sensibly to keep safe. At school pick up, children are reminded that they must walk their scooters back from school. Therefore, children are supervised well and their safety is promoted. Healthy snacks are provided to promote children's well-being. On arrival back from school children help themselves to fruit and water. Staff seek children's views on snack options, and children show their delight when they receive hot chocolate at snack time. Snack times are social occasions as children sit chatting to their friends and staff. For example,

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

children enjoy talking about their school day, which includes sharing what type of musical instrument they play at school. However, the organisation of snacks means that children spent a large amount of time waiting in line to select their tea. Staff encourage children to be independent and develop their self-help skills at snack time. Children follow appropriate hygiene routines and know that they must wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Staff promoted good hygiene by cleaning the activity tables and covering them with plastic tablecloths at snack time.

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

Children enjoy playing outside in the fresh air and they have daily opportunities for energetic play, which aids their continuing good health and well-being. They participate in games, such as football, and skillfully manoeuvre the ball around their opponents. In addition, children can climb on low-level equipment, such as an obstacle course, developing their balancing skills. This allows children to take risks and to recognise their own capabilities and limitations. Staff carry out daily risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor play areas, which enables them to identify, remove or minimise any potential hazards.

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provision

Children are safeguarded through the implementation of recruitment, vetting and induction procedures, which helps to ensure the suitability of staff working with them. For example, senior management obtains enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all members of staff. The management team and staff are clear about their responsibilities towards protecting children from harm and neglect. Staff demonstrate a good understanding about the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about children in their care, or the behaviour of their colleagues. The coordinator is the designated person responsible for child protection, and understands her responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate agencies. Parents sign the register of attendance to confirm their child has been collected. Visitors to the club are also asked for their identification, and asked to sign the visitor's book to safeguard children further. The club

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provision

coordinator is able to take over in the absence of the manager. The management team have developed and updated a good range of written policies and procedures and documentation to support the safe and effective management of the club and to keep children safe. All children's and staff's personal records are stored securely.

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provision

Staff receive on-going support through termly appraisals, supervision sessions and team meetings with the management team. Staff have attended food hygiene, paediatric first aid and child protection training. Induction procedures for staff include all policies and procedures. Therefore, the management team and staff have a good overview of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to guide their practice. The coordinator and manager monitor the delivery of the educational programme to ensure children's individual needs are met. The management team complete, and include staff views in an effective self-evaluation form. They use the local authority to support them in targeting areas for development to drive improvement, and share in the future vision for the club.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents are kept informed through daily discussions with staff about their child's day and receive regular emails on their children's progress and current events. They are very complimentary about the after school club, explaining that their children are happy, supported and participate in a good range of activities. Parents comment that their children have developed very good relationships with the staff team. This ensures that staff and parents work well together to meet children's different needs.

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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 EY449169 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 975413 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 4 - 8 Total number of places 35 Number of children on roll 6 Name of provider Starfish Kids Club Limited Date of previous inspection 04/11/2013 Telephone number 01273719520

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Setting details

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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