Enfield − Galliard and Forest Group

This inspection: Requires improvement 3

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected Access to services by young children and families Requires improvement 3 The quality of practice and services Requires improvement 3 The effectiveness of leadership, governance and management Requires improvement 3

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This children's centre group requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Registrations are increasing but not enough children and families from all target groups, including those living in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods and those from Black minority ethnic backgrounds, use the group’s services.  The group’s partnership with Jobcentre Plus is not as strong as with other partners, and the work taking place to help priority families improve their chances of employment and enhance their economic well-being is not tracked well enough.  The uneven availability of timely and reliable information specific to the area, coupled with recognised shortcomings in data analysis by leaders, inhibits the group’s ability to plan for the future and measure how well it is doing.  Staff supervision and support take place through the Family Matters whole-team meetings, but opportunities for staff to explore personal and professional needs on a one-to-one basis, or for appraisal targets to be reviewed at appropriate intervals, are too infrequent.

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The children’s centre group has the following strengths:

 The staff are a real asset to the group because they are dedicated to what they do and deliver good quality services, which parents who use the centre value and say make a positive difference to their lives. Parents from many different backgrounds feel welcome and safe at the centre.  High quality work helps families who most need support to overcome personal challenges and get back on track. Some parents benefit from volunteering opportunities, parenting courses and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes, which help increasing numbers to pass the examinations they take and improve their life chances and choices.  Children make good progress at centre sessions, such as Growing Together, which help accelerate their learning and development and prepare them well for school. Virtually all eligible three- and four-year-olds and most two-year-olds take up their free education place at good quality settings,

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Information about this inspection

The inspection of this children’s centre was carried out under Part 3A of the Childcare Act 2006 as amended by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. The centres that form part of this children’s centre group are Galliard and Forest Children's Centres.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with the centre manager, the headteacher of the co-located school, centre staff, local authority officers, partners, parents, centre users and members of the governing body and the group’s advisory board.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors visited a number of activities held at both centres, one jointly with staff.

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Information about this inspection

They observed the centres’ work, and looked at a wide range of relevant documentation.

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Inspection team

Christine Field, Lead Inspector Additional inspector Sarah Mc Dermott Additional inspector Jamie Hussen Additional inspector

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Information about the centre group

Galliard and Forest Children’s Centres form this group, which is located in the east of the London borough of Enfield. The children’s centres have been working in a cluster partnership since 2009. Services to meet the group’s core purpose run from both centres and from clinics and libraries in the group’s reach area.

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Information about the centre group

Galliard Children’s Centre is based on the same site as Galliard Primary School, which is subject to separate inspection arrangements. Galliard Children’s Centre is considered to be the main hub of the group, and Forest Children’s Centre is the satellite, located in Tramway Christian Fellowship Church. The centre manager oversees the group and a team of staff who work across the area. The governing body of the school has management responsibility for the group under a service level agreement with the local authority. An advisory board is in place to assist in governance.

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Information about the centre group

A total of 1,930 children under five years of age live in the reach area. The area is socially and economically mixed; over 56% of the families are from minority ethnic groups, predominantly of Black and African heritage. Mobility in the area is high because a significant number of families are housed in temporary accommodation. Some 30% of children are assessed as living in income deprived homes. Children’s attainment on entry to early years provision is below the level expected for their age.

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Information about the centre group

Target groups have been identified as: families living in the most deprived areas; children and families from Black minority ethnic backgrounds; vulnerable two-year-olds eligible for Terrific Twos funding; and very vulnerable children and families assessed through the single point of entry (SPOE) which is the procedure multi-agency professionals use as part of the early intervention and/or prevention approach to meeting priority children and family needs.

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Information about the centre group

Forest Children’s Centre was inspected in January 2012 as a standalone centre, Galliard Early Years Day Care Provision was inspected in June 2008, Galliard Primary School was inspected in September 2009 and Forest Children’s Centre Community provision was inspected in January 2012. All of these reports are available at www.ofsted.gov.uk

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What does the centre group need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that at least the large majority of the group’s assessed target children and families regularly use its services.  Strengthen the partnership with Jobcentre Plus and move forward together in establishing a comprehensive way of checking on how well parents of young children living in the reach area who use this service meet their personal goals and of establishing what progress they make in improving their employability and economic well-being  With the local authority, move swiftly to ensure that reliable data specific to the area and other information are available at the right time to enable the group to establish robust improvement planning, rigorous performance monitoring and precise target setting to secure good overall effectiveness.  Ensure that staff support and supervision arrangements link more closely to training and appraisal and offer individuals regular opportunities to discuss family support work, take stock of any matters

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What does the centre group need to do to improve further?

arising and explore their own well-being, and make sure that significant information is rigorously recorded.

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Inspection judgements

Access to services by young children and families Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Most children and families are known to the two centres, and the majority are registered with them. This has been achieved by strong partnership work between the centre group and its partners. However, at 51%, the proportion of children living in the most deprived areas who use services regularly is not good enough. Additionally, the centre has yet to specifically target an increase in access of children from Black minority families, which currently stands at 40%.  Health partners are sharing live birth data which staff follow up, for example by inviting parents to the new parents’ group. Outreach workers have a good understanding of community needs and, by attending local clinics, are in contact with the large majority of pregnant teenagers.  At 72%, the take up of additional services offered by the group to particularly vulnerable children and families identified through the SPOE process is positive.

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Inspection judgements

 The vast majority (95%) of eligible three- and four-year-olds are in receipt of free education in good or better quality settings. The group is effective in helping parents of four out of five disadvantaged two-year-olds to take up their free entitlement to early education, and tracking shows that most learn successfully and get off to a good start when they transfer to school.  The group has recently extended its marketing activities by posting fliers through doors, giving out information in supermarkets and displaying information in community venues, in order to increase local awareness of what is on offer, but it is too early to see the impact of this work.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of practice and services Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Although the range of services is generally of good quality, improvements are required to ensure that more children and families use them, especially those from target groups. Not enough focus is being given to tracking the impact of some services, such as those provided by Jobcentre Plus, on reducing inequalities and improving parents’ life chances and choices.  The group is proactive in helping a high number of families who experience complex challenges in their lives to move forward. Case studies are exceptionally well presented and clearly show the progress made by families as a result of the staff’s well-targeted interventions. Early-help procedures are well understood and used effectively to respond to a range of needs, and keep children well protected.  Positive parenting programmes, first aid courses and the home visits undertaken by staff have a tangible impact on parents’ ability to support their children’s well-being. Sessions such as the baby

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Inspection judgements

group enable parents to enjoy time with their babies, whilst groups such as Talkactivity help children with speech and language problems to benefit from early specialist support.  Both centres provide healthy snacks during activities, to raise awareness about the importance of diet; and sessions delivered with partners, such as Physical Play and Jumping Beans, help to promote children’s healthy weights. At over two thirds, the proportion of mothers breastfeeding at six to eight weeks is well above average. A new baby massage group is soon to start in order to support families in building strong and positive relationships.  Following an opportunity to share best practice with an ‘outstanding’ children’s centre, staff have developed better ways of involving parents in their children’s learning and keeping a close eye on how well they are doing. Very effective use is made of tablet computers, for example in Growing

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Inspection judgements

Together sessions, to record children’s experiences and then discuss with parents how they can plan next steps for learning at home through positive play. From a below-average start, the proportion of Reception-age children living in the reach area who achieve a good level of development is now above the local authority and national average.  Parents benefit from a range of volunteering opportunities which enhance their workplace skills, and as a result some have moved into paid work. Well-attended English language classes for speakers of other languages (ESOL) held at Galliard have good retention and success rates, and help parents to progress from basic through to higher levels. Parents told inspectors that having a crèche available enables them to concentrate and have ‘me time’. One mother’s view reflects those of many others, ‘The sessions really help to build my confidence.’  The responses from the most recent user survey show a high level of satisfaction in the quality and

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management

 Leadership and management require improvement because, despite strengths as reflected in the increasing registrations, good quality services and parents’ high levels of satisfaction, managers are not adept at using data to inform the group’s improvement or to set precise targets that those with accountability responsibilities can use to gauge its performance.  The local authority keeps a close check on the budget and undertakes regular monitoring visits, but some of these are more rigorous than others. Significant ongoing changes in local authority personnel have meant that there are inconsistencies in both the approach to, and follow-up of, previous actions. In addition, managers find it difficult to keep a close eye on outcomes and impact because information is not always provided in a timely fashion  The arrangements for staff appraisal and supervision are in place, but there is not enough formality

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management

in recording significant information on individual files; and although staff see value in the Family Matters meetings, which are useful to discuss family support work, they are not receiving regular enough opportunities to talk through things such as professional development requirements with their line manager.  Governance is well established and the Chair of the Governing Body, who also chairs the advisory board, and the Vice Chair are well informed about the board’s role and responsibilities. They have a realistic view of the group’s strengths and priority areas for improvement. A parent co-chairs the advisory board and is ensuring that links with the parents’ forum are strengthening. A breakfast forum meeting is being advertised for next month to build on this work.  Safeguarding is central to all the group does, and practice, policies and procedures demonstrate this. Staff are quick to spot any concerns, such as substance misuse or domestic violence issues. All

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management

children in the local area who are subject to a child protection plan or the Common Assessment Framework are known about, and staff work closely with social care and health partners to give full support, through their active use of ‘early help’ procedures and good levels of participation at relevant meetings, to children in need including those who are looked after.  The centres are well located in the heart of their communities and offer a warm and friendly welcome to all families, many of whom told inspectors how much they appreciate the inclusive ethos. Parents’ views are regularly sought at the conclusion of sessions and courses; ideas to help shape services are written on leaves and tagged onto the ‘tree’, specifically put up for this purpose.  Resources, including staff deployment, are used efficiently to meet an increasing number of young children and families’ needs. An appropriate balance between bespoke services and those open to

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Practice consistently reflects the highest aspirations for children and their families and as a result inequalities are reducing rapidly and gaps are closing. Grade 2 Good Practice enables most children and their families to access good quality services that improve children’s wellbeing and achieve the stated outcomes for families. Grade 3 Requires improvement Performance is not as good as it might reasonably be expected to be in one or more key areas. Grade 4 Inadequate The needs of children and families in its area are not being met and/or the leaders and managers are not providing sufficient challenge to bring about improvement to the quality of services.

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Children’s Centre Group details

Unique reference number 80138 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 424906 Managed by The governing body of Galliard Primary School on behalf of the local authority

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five in the reach area

Group manager Heather Allen Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected as a group Telephone number 020 8804 1818 Email address heather.allen@galliard.enfield.sch.uk

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

 21233 Galliard  21197 Forest guidance ‘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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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

(Ofsted) regulates and inspects to 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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

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

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