Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre

Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre, Albert Road, LONDON, E16 2JB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17/11/2014 19/04/2012

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision requires improvement

 Staff listen to children and show an interest in what they say and do. Consequently, children's self-esteem is promoted well.  Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of the procedures for safeguarding children. This means that they are able to respond swiftly should they be concerned about the welfare of a child in their care.  Staff promote children's independence well. They encourage children to make choices about their play and to manage their self-care skills effectively.  Staff are consistent in how they manage children's behaviour. Consequently, children learn how to behave and play well alongside their friends.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff do not operate a key-person system to fully support children's individual well- being and learning needs.  The organisation of snack time is not well planned by staff at times, so that all children can enjoy a sociable time.  The management team does not use self-evaluation to fully reflect on their current practice and identify targets for improvement to improve outcomes for children further.

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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 club and talked with children and the staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed the areas of the premises and playground used by the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at evidence of suitability of staff working with the children, samples of children's records and a selection of the club's policies.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the management team and spoke with the children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre Out of School Care registered in 2004. It is run by Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre Board of Trustees and is situated in a residential area of Woolwich, in the London Borough of Newham. The centre operates from five rooms, which consist of a large sports hall, cafe, games room, rest/TV room, art room and a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The centre is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 19 children in the early years age range on roll. The out of school centre is open each weekday from 3pm to 6pm, during term-time only and a holiday play scheme is open from 8.30am to 6pm, during school holidays. There are also open access sessions from 10am to 4pm during school holidays. The centre currently supports a number of children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. The centre employs six members of

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Information about the setting

staff who all hold appropriate qualifications.

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must:

 ensure staff implement an effective key-person system so that information is shared between the club, parents and the school in order to further support children's individual welfare and learning needs.

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

 develop further the use of self-evaluation to fully include the views of parents and more clearly identify targets for improvement

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

 review the organisation of daily routines, particularly snack time, so children enjoy it as a pleasant social occasion while learning good social skills.

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who attend

Staff are warm and friendly, and children clearly enjoy the time that they spend at the club. Staff engage appropriately with the children, talking to them about their school day and joining in with their play. Staff offer suitable support and encouragement to the children attending the club. However, despite the role of the key person not being established as required, most staff know the children well and demonstrate a secure understanding of how they play and learn. Therefore, staff are able to provide children with stimulating and interesting activities that mostly incorporate all the areas of learning. Staff ask children questions that encourage them to think for themselves. For example, during a game of cards, staff support younger children to solve problems when dealing the cards to each person playing the game, giving lots of praise when they manage to achieve this.

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who attend

Children are generally happy. They enter the setting confidently and make independent choices about their play based on the suitable range of resources, which is available to them. This results in them being motivated in their play for the majority of time. Children work well together, for example, when putting a selection of animals into a map of the world jigsaw puzzle. This supports their problem-solving skills. Staff engage appropriately with them, talking to them about what they are doing and encouraging them to think about the climates the animals live in. This supports children's communication and literacy skills. Children are able to develop their physical and creative skills as they use blocks to make an airport and aeroplanes. Staff talk to children about where their aeroplanes are going to travel to and the time it will take to get there. This supports children's understanding of the world around.

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who attend

Staff provide children with energetic physical play opportunities out in the fresh air each day. Children enjoy playing in the club playground, running around playing tag games or kicking footballs. Other children enjoy sitting and talking to each other, having a quieter time. This means children's differing needs are met. Staff talk to the teachers about the children when collecting them from the various schools so that the club staff are aware of any issues that may have arisen at school. Partnerships with parents are generally sound. Parents are adequately kept informed about what is going on generally at the club, through regular newsletters, a noticeboard displaying a range of information, the club website and verbal daily updates.

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

Staff demonstrate a caring attitude towards the children. Children are lively and confidently approach staff for support when needed. They generally behave well as staff provide clear boundaries and give them gentle reminders, for example, to keep balls low when playing indoors. They play well together, actively seeking out their friends and hugging each other. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development and shows that they feel settled. However, the club does not operate a key-person system. This means that a member of staff does not take overall responsibility for working more closely with the children, parents and the school to ensure a more consistent and individual approach to meeting children's development and well-being needs. Nevertheless, staff work with parents prior to children attending the club to obtain suitable information about their welfare needs, such as dietary or medical requirements, and what

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

they are interested in. This helps to suitably meet children's needs and supports them to settle in.

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

Children are offered a wide range of nutritious foods at snack time including fruit and hot food that staff freshly prepare for them. However, staff do not organise snack time well. For example, the staggered arrival of the school groups means snack time is not always a social occasion where children can sit and enjoy talking together.

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

Staff implement suitable hygiene procedures to prevent the spread of cross infection. They teach children to follow sensible hygiene routines, including washing their hands before eating. They take turns to enter the bathroom to wash their hands and are developing an understanding of the club rules.

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

Staff ensure the environment is safe for children to use. Children can access resources that staff display, as well as request additional ones if they find something of interest to them. Staff provide adequate resources, which keep children motivated and engaged. Staff keep the entrance door locked and parents have to ring the bell to gain access to the building to collect their children. This means that children can play in a safe and secure area. Children learn about how to keep safe through discussions with staff and by participating in regular fire-drill practice. Staff use robust registration systems to record each child's attendance. Consequently, children have a strong sense of security in the club.

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provision

Children's safety is a priority for the management and staff. They use daily written and visual risk assessments to ensure the environment is safe for children. There are effective procedures to follow if staff have a concern about a child in their care. The manager is the lead practitioner for safeguarding and has attended an appropriate child-protection course. The manager and staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of child-protection procedures and know how to implement them. The club's safeguarding policy includes a clear statement on the use of cameras and mobile phones and the procedure to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff. There is an emergency evacuation procedure that all staff and children are aware of in order to evacuate the building quickly and safely. This means staff and children know how to respond in emergencies.

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provision

Recruitment and vetting procedures ensure all adults working with the children are suitable to do so. All visitors are required to show their identification, and are required to sign in, and out of, the visitors' book. The procedure for the arrival and departure of children is effective in ensuring that children are safe at all times. Staff hold a suitable first-aid certificate, so that if a child or adult were to have an accident they know how to respond. Staff record all accidents and incidents and the management review the record to identify and minimise any repeated risks to children. All such actions contribute to keeping children safe.

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provision

The management team suitably monitors activities to ensure that the club provides a suitable range of learning opportunities for the early years children. Regular staff supervision enables the manager to adequately support staff to develop their practice and ensure children's needs are appropriately met. The club receives support from the local authority early years team to discuss areas for development. The management team has worked hard to ensure that the recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been addressed. This has resulted in staff recording times of arrival and departure on all registers and providing daily self-chosen activities so that children are able to make their own choices and take the initiative in their learning and play. However, further priorities for development are not fully embedded due to an unclear plan for improvement. In addition, although, the club receives informal verbal feedback from parents, they have not

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provision

developed effective procedures to fully take into account their views and use this information to help inform plans to promote and sustain continuous improvement.

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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 EY294015 Local authority Newham Inspection number 843709 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 4 - 8 Total number of places 43 Number of children on roll 19 Name of provider Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre Date of previous inspection 19/04/2012 Telephone number 0207 476 1666

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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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