Newcastle upon Tyne – North

Halewood Avenue, North Kenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 3RX

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected Access to services by young children and families Good 2 The quality of practice and services Good 2 The effectiveness of leadership, governance and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for children and families

This children's centre group is good.  The local authority demonstrates a clear commitment to improving the lives of families with children aged under five years living in the Newcastle North area. Senior managers use data effectively to plan and deliver a range of good quality services. These engage and benefit the large majority of local families, including those identified as most in need.  Parents value the support of staff and there are powerful examples of how this support has changed lives for the better. Family support work is based on good quality assessment and has a significant impact on families. This includes those who have experienced domestic violence.  The group works closely with partners in health and children’s social care to make sure that families that need extra help are identified and supported well. Regular meetings between professionals help to make sure the right families are getting the right service in a timely manner.

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Summary of key findings for children and families

 Leadership and management are good and as a result the centre is improving. Staff are highly qualified and work well together as a team. There are good opportunities for them to develop their skills further and they are well-supported by their managers. Time is made available for staff to meet with managers in order to reflect on the important work they are doing with families.  Safeguarding practice is well-established, ensuring that the safety of children is at the heart of the centres’ work.

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It is not outstanding because:

 Data used to inform the strategic direction of the centre’s work, whilst detailed for individual centres, are not always collated effectively by the local authority. As a result the collective impact of the group’s work, including partners, is not always clearly evident. Consequently, this at times hinders the ability of some members of the partnership boards to offer sufficient challenge.  The progress children aged birth to two years make when they attend some children’s centre activities is not recorded sufficiently well. Planning and delivery of activities for children do not always take sufficient account of how best to support parents, to develop their understanding of their children’s development or how to help them support learning at home.  The quality of assessments and plans for children, called Common Assessment Framework (CAF), on a few occasions is variable. Underpinning action plans identified in a very small number of case files

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It is not outstanding because:

do not always show clear evidence of the impact that the actions of professionals will have on the safety and well-being of young children and families.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection of this children’s centre group 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 North Moor and Northern Villages children’s centre and Gosforth and Parklands children’s centre.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with the local authority lead for children's centres and the Integrated Services Manager for Newcastle upon Tyne - North children's centre group, as well as members of their senior leadership team. Meetings were also held with the early years team, family support workers, parent participation workers, officers from the local authority and local training partners. Inspectors also met health, education and early years partners, parents, volunteers, local schools and representatives from the area partnership. They looked at the centre’s self-evaluation, action plans, a sample of case studies, safeguarding procedures and a range of other relevant documentation. Visits to activities were undertaken jointly with the Integrated Services Manager, family support workers, Early Years play practitioners and parent participation workers. Representatives from the local authority also attended

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Inspection team

Jayne Utting, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Margaret Farrow Her Majesty’s Inspector Tara Street Additional inspector

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Information about the group

Newcastle upon Tyne - North children’s centre group consists of two centres, Sure Start North Moor and Northern Villages Children’s Centre and Sure Start Gosforth and Parklands Children’s Centre. The group is located in the north of Newcastle upon Tyne and includes the Fawdon and Kenton wards, part of the Castle and Blakelaw wards and rural village communities of Brunswick, Hazelrigg, Dinnington, East and West Gosforth and Parklands Wards. The group is overseen by a Sure Start lead who works closely with the Integrated Services Manager, an experienced management team and operational staff based across the group’s sites. The centres are within a radius of circa eight miles, with between three and eight miles between centres. The total reach population is around 3656 children aged from birth to five years with 1175 living in 30% or under wards. Reach in the 30% and under wards is 83% (979 children aged

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Information about the group

from birth to five years). Worklessness in the area is a key issue, with around 35% of households with children aged from birth to five years dependant on benefits. Identified target groups for the area include teenage parents, children with additional needs, children on child protection plans, lone parents and those living in the lowest 30% super output areas. Two specific super output areas in Kenton Bar and Kenton have also been specifically targeted. Whilst the majority of families is of White British heritage, there is an increasing number of families (around 28%) representing a range of Black and Minority Ethnic groups.

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Information about the group

The group is led and managed by the local authority, and there is one area partnership board which oversees the running of this group. Family support work is undertaken by Barnado’s on behalf of the local authority as part of a commission arrangement in the North area. The quality of local parent and toddler groups is overseen on behalf of the group by Newcastle Action for Parent and Toddler Groups Initiative (NAPI).

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Information about the group

Early years provision is provided through a number of early years settings, school nursery classes and childminders located within the locality. Some children enter early education with skills, knowledge and abilities that are below those expected for their age in communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. The proportion of disabled children and those with special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. The primary schools and nearby early years settings were not part of this inspection as they are inspected separately. The reports are available on the Ofsted website at www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

Ensure that leaders:  Implement identified improvements in the planning and tracking of children’s progress across the group’s play and learning activities including the involvement of parents so that the impact of activities on children’s achievement over time, and how well parents enhance their children’s learning, can then be evidenced more accurately.  Make sure assessment and planning in every case file identifies actions to be taken and timescales and measures against which leaders can assess the impact of the work of agencies in supporting the safety and well-being of young children and families.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

Ensure that the Local Authority:  Provides a strategic overview of the area, which shows the collective impact of individual centres so that all members of the partnership board can provide more effective challenge to the children’s centre group about its performance.

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Inspection judgements

Access to services by young children and families Good

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Inspection judgements

 Staff working across this children’s centre group have an in-depth understanding of the needs of local families. This understanding is informed by the centres’ own activities and an accurate analysis of the detailed data provided by the local authority. It is enhanced by effective partnerships with local agencies, particularly health. As a result almost all families in the Sure Start North area are known to the children’s centre group.  The commitment of parent participation workers, family support staff and Early Years play practitioners to undertake work with families in their own home, has been central to ensuring the continued engagement of the large majority of families in activities. Most of these families live in the most deprived wards. Where the need for support from other agencies is identified, partners report that families are often more willing to work with them due to the reassurance and support already

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Inspection judgements

received from the centre team.  Target groups are clearly identified and engage well with the children’s centre group which has a clear picture of attendance figures. The group is performing well overall in engaging their target groups, facilitated by effective communication with partners, including health and social services. Target groups include young parents, those living in areas of high deprivation, families who have children with additional needs and those with children subject to a child protection plan.  Children with additional needs and their parents are well-supported, through good access to a well- resourced sensory room and clear signposting to specialist support groups and services. Some are run directly by the centre such as Rainbows and the oxygen-dependent babies’ group.  Group centre staff are proactive in working with other agencies to promote a joined-up approach to family support work across the area. Regular ‘Sure Start Supporting Families’ meetings ensure that

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Inspection judgements

families at risk are quickly identified and offered support by the most appropriate agency. This, combined with representation on key strategic local groups such as multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARAC), has facilitated the engagement of an increasing number of families, including those experiencing domestic violence and low mood.  Senior leaders work closely with the Performance Monitoring Officer and key partners to review the participation of families across the reach area, including those expecting children regularly. This ensures that target groups remain correctly identified. This has led to the identification of specific wards within the reach area where more work is required to break down remaining barriers to engagement.  The uptake of free entitlement to early education for three- and four-year-olds is high at 96%. The centres have been proactive in identifying those families who are eligible for funding for two-year-

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Inspection judgements

olds. As a result the numbers accessing this have increased significantly over the past twelve months.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of practice and services Good

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Inspection judgements

 Well-established partnerships with services across the city combined with an in-depth understanding of local needs has ensured that the group offers an appropriate balance of good quality and inclusive specialist, targeted and universal provision. This meets the diverse needs of the families in this community.  Virtually all children in the area attend either an early years setting or childminder that has been judged to be good or better in their most recent inspection. With 67% of children achieving a good level of development, their achievement is well above that found nationally in the Gosforth and Parklands area.  The good range of activities provided by the centres enable children to play, learn and develop their skills, particularly in relation to their communication and language skills. Good direct work with children takes place at all sessions and staff are skilled in role-modelling positive interactions with

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Inspection judgements

children. However, the planning and assessment of children’s progress and activities to further promote parents’ understanding of their child’s learning in sessions is less well developed.  Strong partnership working with midwives, health visitors, breast feeding peer supporters and school nurses is making a positive difference. Breast feeding rates are well above average. Activities such as individual one-to-one work with parents and basic cookery courses have also contributed to a significant reduction in obesity rates.  High quality parenting programmes are helping parents to develop positive relationships with their children and improve their skills in keeping them safe. One mum spoke powerfully about how she now had ‘stability’ in her life and was able to enjoy being with her family again.  Effective support is provided for parents and children who have experienced domestic violence. One-to-one counselling is provided and those who are able to also attend group programmes that

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Inspection judgements

help improve their confidence as they take steps to move forward with their life.  Well-qualified family support workers complete in-depth assessments of the families in most need, including those with children who have been subject to a child protection plan or a child in need plan. Assessments include comprehensive information from a range of agencies as well as parents’ views, wishes and feelings. As a result of this good work, a third of children with a child protection plan this year have been successfully supported to have their plans closed.  Parents enjoy a wide range of opportunities to extend their skills, knowledge and confidence and to raise their aspirations. Many parents have accessed and successfully completed training with a strong focus on functional skills and seeking employment. Courses include family learning, English for work, health and social care and specific English and mathematics qualifications. This is

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Inspection judgements

testament to the way staff are instrumental in improving parents’ life chances and reducing inequalities.

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management

 The local authority, managers and staff at all levels have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development within the group. As a result, there are clear priorities identified both for the group as a whole and its individual centres; targets identified in the group’s action plan are ambitious and challenging.  However, the group’s ability to evidence the effectiveness of its work across the reach area as a whole accurately is hindered by the absence of a strategic overview of the collective impact of the work of individual centres and their partners. This has weakened the ability of some partnership members, notably parents, to offer effective challenge.  Staff are highly qualified; opportunities for continuous professional development are encouraged and staff feel well-supported and highly valued. Senior leaders regularly monitor the quality of the group’s activities delivered by their own staff and commissioned services, encouraging an ethos of

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management

reflective practice.  The group is creative in building capacity within their services, staff and partners. Specialists such as the specialist health visitors and speech and language therapists are sharing their skills and expertise across teams. Consequently, more parents can benefit and waiting times for services are being reduced. This ensures the efficient use of resources, prevents duplication and demonstrates the commitment of the senior leadership team to continually improving services.  Parents spoken to throughout the inspection value the work of the group highly. ‘The staff really care. They have helped me turn my life around’ is how one parent summed up their view of the professionals delivering services. There are good examples of parents’ views shaping service delivery and design and the parents’ voice is well-established. The group has recently moved to one area partnership board, with a local parent taking on the role as chair.

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management

 Safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and implemented well. All staff are aware of what to do if there is a concern about a child’s well-being or safety. Strong relations with social services and health colleagues ensure close joint working and information-sharing. A named social worker is in place.  The use of the local common assessment process is well-established in the area. The focus by leaders on improving the quality of this process has had a positive impact. However, plans do not always clearly evidence the identified actions to be taken nor timescales and measures by which leaders can assess the impact of the work of agencies involved.

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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 80143 Local authority Newcastle Upon Tyne Inspection number 433045 Managed by The Local Authority

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five in the reach area

Centre leader Julie Dawson Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0191 213 4100 Email address julie.dawson@newcastle.gov.uk

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

 21277A Sure Start Gosforth and Parklands Children’s Centre  22182A Sure Start North Moor and Northern Villages Children’s Centre 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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