Barracudas (Chelmsford)

Barracudas Activity Camp Chelmsford County High School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1RW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 2 April 2015 11 August 2009

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Good 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is outstanding

 The management and the highly-qualified and experienced staff members fully understand the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement them to an exceptionally high standard.  Staff use their expert teaching skills to help children make rapid progress as they provide a rich variety of challenging and stimulating activities, which encourage children to enhance the skills they need for school.  Staff are extremely caring and sensitive to the individual care needs of children. They continually ask children what they would like to do, which ensures children are eager to learn as they feel extremely valued and appreciated.  Staff give high priority to ensuring that children learn about the importance of being healthy and staying fit. Children engage in an excellent range of indoor and outdoor physical activities, either during supervised team games or on their own, using all manner of equipment and apparatus.

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This provision is outstanding

 Staff are extremely positive role models and give consistent guidelines that support children to manage their emotions and to adjust their behaviour around other children.  The managers and staff have an outstanding understanding of their roles in protecting children. The excellent safeguarding procedures are in continual use as staff rigorously check people who collect children, to ensure they are safe to do so.  The camp management has detailed development plans in place to ensure sustained improvement over time to support children's high levels of achievement.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

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

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 inspire children even more to explore and express their talent, flair and creativity, for example, by extending the range of craft materials and fabrics they can use in den building and for making props and resources for the weekly performances.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the early years manager.  The inspector held discussions with the management team, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of the children's records.  The inspector saw evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff, self- evaluation, risk assessments and policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their responses to surveys organised by the activity camp.

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who attend. This is outstanding

The quality of teaching is excellent. The staff are extremely competent in engaging all children in discussions about their activities. They teach children to extend their play by using resources in different ways. Staff also capitalise on unexpected chances for learning, stemming from children's curiosity. For example, when den building with large recycled boxes and cartons, staff and children explore how they can make doors that open and close. Children experiment and successfully find solutions to problems. They have access to a variety of high quality books, puzzles and resources that promote learning in all areas of learning. However, there is room to enhance children's experiences and inspire their creativity even more, for example, by extending the available range of craft materials and fabrics. The staff use excellent strategies to engage parents in their children's play. They keep parents fully informed by email of their child's choices of activities each day. Weekly

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who attend. This is outstanding

reports share information about progress and achievements. In addition, parents are invited to view the weekly talent show when children sing, dance and share their new drama skills.

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outstanding

Children have excellent relationships with key persons and new children settle quickly. They are extremely articulate and confident when talking to visitors and staff. They demonstrate through their attitudes and demeanours that they feel extremely secure at the camp. Children learn to handle equipment safely and know the safety rules when using large physical apparatus, such as the trampoline. They also understand safety issues during swimming activities and frequently practise fire drills. The children are involved in setting the rules for their group. They also have excellent opportunities to learn skills for decision making, taking into account the needs of others. Regular children's meetings are held so that children can discuss the activities they want. Visual timetables are clearly displayed so that children know what they are going to do next.

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provision is outstanding

Children are extremely safe and secure at the camp. Rigorous recruitment procedures and comprehensive background checks ensure that children are always cared for by suitable adults. Barracudas use excellent methods to ensure they regularly engage with staff to promote their professional development. Prior to each activity camp, all the staff meet to complete training, to ensure that they fully understand and fulfil their responsibilities, particularly with regard to child protection. The staffs' ongoing suitability is constantly addressed through regular appraisals, supervision meetings and monitoring spot checks of their performance. Thorough risk assessments and daily safety checks are completed in all areas used by children to ensure that potential hazards are successfully minimised. The educational and sports programme is outstanding. The providers regularly monitor this to ensure the greatest varieties of activities are available to the children to meet their

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Setting details

Unique reference number 203427 Local authority Essex Inspection number 865197 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 146 Number of children on roll 124 Name of provider Young World Leisure Group Limited Date of previous inspection 11 August 2009 Telephone number 0845 123 5299

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Setting details

Barracudas Activity Camp was registered in 1999 and is one of 34 holiday schemes run by Young World Leisure Group Limited. The activity camp employs 20 members of staff. Of these, four staff hold Qualified Teacher Status and two other staff hold early years or teaching assistant qualifications at level 2 and 3. Specialist staff, such as drama teachers, lifeguards and sports instructors, also work with the children. The activity camp opens Monday to Friday, during the school Easter and summer holidays. Opening times are from 8am until 6pm.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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

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