Gateshead - West Area

Gateshead - West Area Shibdon Bank, Bleach Green , Blaydon , Tyne and Wear NE21 5EZ

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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 is a good centre.  A concerted effort has been made by leaders, staff and partners to enable more families from the most disadvantaged areas, and those families identified as in most need of support, to access services to improve their lives, with very successful outcomes. This is due to leaders and staff having ‘a drive for determination to get things done’ with a ‘can do approach and attitude’, as summarised by one partner.  Robust strategies are in place for the local authority, advisory board, centre leaders and staff to: correctly identify the needs of children and their families; develop an appropriate action plan; shape provision accordingly and monitor and demonstrate the positive difference they are making to families. As a result, services and activities are well attended by those who need them most and the centre can evidence that their lives are significantly improving.  Very strong quality-assurance processes and support mechanisms are in place to ensure services

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Summary of key findings for children and families

and activities are well planned and of good quality, including the early years provision in the area.  Children and parents are supported well by the centre to overcome a range of issues, develop their skills and make good progress towards achieving their goals. As a result, children and families are safer, gaps have narrowed and their prospects for the future have significantly improved.

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It is not outstanding because:

 Processes are not fully developed to demonstrate robustly the difference that centre services are making to children’s learning and development and school readiness. This includes how staff are supporting parents to recognise and extend their child’s learning and development both in the centre and at home.  Through their discussions and observations at meetings and visits to the home, staff are not routinely considering and recording in their case file notes the voice of the child and the family. In addition, not enough parents are contributing to the formal decision-making process through attending the advisory board. This is because there is limited training and mentoring provided to support and empower more parents to attend confidently and provide their views.

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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 Blaydon Children’s Centre and Chopwell Children’s Centre.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out by two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one additional inspector.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with parents, staff, partners, the senior leadership team and representatives from the advisory board and local authority.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors visited each of the centres and other venues where services are delivered through outreach.

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Information about this inspection

They observed the centre’s work, and looked at a range of relevant documentation.

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Inspection team

Rachael Flesher Her Majesty’s Inspector Jan Smith Her Majesty’s Inspector Tara Street Additional inspector

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Information about the centre group

Gateshead – West Area children’s centre group covers an area spanning a radius of 36 square miles. The area is a mixture of urban and rural wards including Winlaton and High Spen, Blaydon, Crawcrook and Greenside, Chopwell and Rowlands Gill and Ryton, Crookhill and Stella. It consists of two children’s centres, Blaydon and Chopwell that share services, including staff and centre leaders. The group meets its core purpose by offering a range of services which include health services, family play sessions, parenting courses, adult learning and family support. These services are delivered to families from the children’s centre buildings, community venues in the area and through outreach home visits.

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Information about the centre group

In total, 2,535 children under five years of age live in the area, with the vast majority living within the 20% to 70% most deprived areas in the country. There are approximately 231 lone-parent families. A very large majority of families within the area served by the centre are White British, with a small but increasing number of families from minority ethnic groups. The target groups identified by the centre are teenage parents and pregnant teenagers, lone parents, disabled children, fathers and children of disabled parents.

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Information about the centre group

The centre is managed by Gateshead Council. The group has one advisory board and parents are consulted through a range of forums. Most children enter early years provision with skills, knowledge and abilities below those expected for their age.

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

 Improve processes to demonstrate the difference that centre services are making to children’s learning and development, and school readiness by staff: - observing, monitoring and recording the progress children make from their starting points in sessions - involving parents in this process to demonstrate how they have been supported by staff to recognise and extend their child’s learning and development both in sessions and at home.

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

 Develop the opportunities for parents and children to have a voice and for their views to be fully considered by: - staff gathering their views and making observations during contacts with those children and their families with case files, and recording these in the case notes - supporting and empowering more parents to attend confidently and contribute to advisory board meetings, through the provision of training and mentoring.

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Access to services by young children and families Good

 The centre is provided with a wide range of good quality data and information, from various sources, about the make-up of the area and the families living within it. Leaders and staff use this well to locate families and identify their needs.  Leaders and staff identify any gaps in the provision offered to meet the identified needs of families. Clear plans are put in place to address these swiftly in order to promote the engagement of more families in services that will make a positive difference to their lives.  Staff work hard to ensure that the children’s centres are warm and welcoming to families. As one professional stated, the ‘children’s centres are flexible, accommodating, non-judgemental and provide a safe environment’. This ensures that those less likely to engage feel comfortable coming to the centre to access the services and activities.  Partners and community members are passionate about the difference the centre makes to

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Access to services by young children and families Good

families. They take every opportunity to promote meaningfully the centre services and activities available to families, and encourage them to access these.  Data and information are used well by leaders and staff to identify those families who are not registered or engaged in the centre. Information officers and parent outreach workers are used very effectively to target these families, particularly those they have identified as in most need of support and those living in areas of significant deprivation and not engaged in centre services.  Staff hold community events such as street parties in areas where fewer families are known to the centre to make contact with them, consult on their needs and promote the centre services and activities.  As a result of all this intervention 89% of young children are registered with the centre. 68% of young children living in one of the 20%-30% most deprived areas in the country are engaged in

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Access to services by young children and families Good

centre services. In addition, the centre has successfully engaged with high numbers of children and families identified as in most need of support, including babies and very young children, teenage parents and those from minority ethnic groups.  Almost all three- and four-year-olds, and 86% of eligible two-year-olds are accessing their funded early education place in the range of good and better early years provision in the area. This is due to the concerted effort of centre staff to make contact with these families once they have been notified by the Family Information Service, and their encouragement and support to help them to take up their place.

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The quality of practice and services Good

 The impact assessment tool provides leaders and staff with a clear and robust process to monitor the difference that most services make to families. It also enables them to challenge and address issues accordingly to ensure that they are having the intended outcome and providing value for money. However, the tool does not enable staff to fully identify the impact that services and activities are having on children’s learning and development, and readiness for school.  Staff plan sessions well to motivate young children’s learning. They take account of their ages, interests and any gaps in their development and provide good quality resources and activities to support children to make good progress. However, processes are limited to observing, monitoring and recording children’s progress and to demonstrating how parents have been supported to promote their child’s learning at home.  Provision to support children with disabilities and their parents through the weekly ‘Let’s Start

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The quality of practice and services Good

Learning’ group is excellent. The range of highly skilled professionals helps parents to recognise and value the small but significant steps in their child’s progress and they highly appreciate the emotional support that they provide each other. Robust evidence shows that these children often make exceptional progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities due to this early intervention.  The centre organises a variety of activities in school holidays for the whole family, enabling them to access free leisure and recreational activities that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. This provides respite to parents and much-needed physical and social activities for young and older children to promote their good health and well-being.  A range of family learning and parenting programmes are provided that successfully help parents and carers to develop their parenting skills. As a result families who need this support

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The quality of practice and services Good

and intervention are able to promote the safety and well-being of their children.  The centre provides good opportunities for adults, many of whom are local parents, to become volunteers, develop their employability skills and support families in the community. Due to the good links between the employment and volunteer coordinator, other agencies such as local businesses, and local colleges, many have moved onto work or further education.  A good number of adults are progressing through a range of adult learning opportunities. This is due to the effective strategic planning and the promotion of family learning provision in collaboration with Gateshead council’s adult learning service to identify and provide for learners’ needs.  Centre staff work extremely well with partners to provide good care, guidance and support to families, particularly those identified as in most need. Case files show support and

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The quality of practice and services Good

interventions are appropriate and timely, and demonstrate the difference this has made to families. As one parent stated, ‘I cannot praise the staff enough, they are friendly and supportive. I know if I get stuck I can just pick up the phone and they are there. They give me confidence to know I am doing things right.’

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Good

 A good range of activities and services are provided by centre staff and partners, often jointly delivered from one place to meet the needs of families. Participation rates and parent and staff evaluations are closely monitored by leaders to ensure the activities and services are what families need, are fully utilised and providing good value for money.  Very thorough performance management arrangements are in place to ensure that all concerned are held accountable at all levels. Robust rationales and success criteria ensure progress against both local authority and reach area targets can be sharply evidenced and monitored. Leaders use this well to demonstrate the difference they are making to families and how any gaps are closing.  Very strong arrangements are in place for leaders to support, monitor and challenge staff performance. Leaders ensure that staff are clear about the centre’s priorities for improvement

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Good

and how these will be addressed, monitored and evaluated. As staff stated, ‘We are more involved and have a much clearer understanding about why we are doing something and the difference it makes.’  Staff have access to a range of training and courses to support them in their work. Good opportunities are in place for staff and partners to share and utilise their combined professional expertise. A culture of reflective practice and continuous improvement is embedded.  The advisory board Chair is very committed, passionate and dedicated to the role. Advisory board members have a good knowledge of the local area and needs of families, and share this well. The board is provided with a range of performance data and information by the centre and this is used to support and challenge the centre in its drive to be even better.  Parents have many opportunities to contribute their ideas and views which are used to shape

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Good

services and inform decisions. A few parents sit on the advisory board. However, this role is not always clearly understood, and training and mentoring to support them in this role are limited. This is preventing parents from participating.  Case files show evidence of regular professional supervision and quality assurance, and that safeguarding policies and procedures are followed appropriately. They are generally well maintained. However, staff do not routinely evidence that the voice of the child and family is fully considered and recorded in the case notes.  Strong partnership working, and clear and effective policies and procedures, ensure that the centre is working collaboratively to support looked-after-children, children identified as in need and children subject to child protection plans and Common Assessment Framework processes. This reduces the risk of harm to children.  Premises are child- and family-friendly, inviting and welcoming. Families, staff and partners are

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Good

safe and secure when using the services, and activities and risks are assessed and minimised. A range of information is available and notices are displayed to further promote the safety and welfare of users.

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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 80360 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 424755 Managed by The local authority

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five in the reach area

Centre leader Kerry Taylor /Angela Young Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0191 433 5577 Email address kerrytaylor@gateshead.gov.uk

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

 Blaydon Children’s Centre  Chopwell 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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