Mid-Sussex (Burgess Hill) Children’s Centre Group

Mid-Sussex (Burgess Hill) Children’s Centre Group

p.1

c/o Sidney West Children and Family Centre, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 8HS

p.1

Inspection dates

Previous inspection date 18–19 June 2014 Not previously inspected

p.1

This inspection: Requires improvement 3

Previous inspection: Not applicable 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

p.1

Summary of key findings for children and families

This is a centre that requires improvement. It is not good because:  Not enough children and families are benefitting from the centres’ services or taking up the entitlement to free early education places for two-year-old children.  There are insufficient activities provided in convenient locations which meet the different needs of all families in the area.  Too few parents in workless households engage in education and training to improve their employability skills and future employment.  Leaders have not ensured that information held by the group is accurate, especially that relating to the registration and attendance of families. This hampers staff’s effectivenss in using it to plan activities that have a positive impact on the lives of all families in the area.  Families do not have sufficient influence on shaping the work of the centres. It has the following strengths:  Staff in the centres are welcoming and parents speak highly of the activities they attend.

p.1

Summary of key findings for children and families

Activities such as ‘Play and Learn Together’ and ‘Giggles and Wiggles’ are of good quality.  The centres have effective partnerships with health and support services. This means that families in most need receive help and guidance, which improves their well-being.  Activities are planned well across the group and other nearby centres to avoid duplication and make best use of staff expertise and resources.  Children benefit from activities which help to prepare them for school, and parents make new friends and develop confidence in their parenting skills.  The staff team has focused its work well over the last year to successfully increase the number of families using services. This gives the group a good basis for further improvement.

p.1

What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Increase the number of families using the centres services, particularly those in most need, by:  ensuring that activities are run at venues which can be easily reached, particularly in the Sidney West Children and Family Centre area  helping more families to take up their entitlement to free early education places for two-year-old children.  Improve the impact that services have on the lives of families in the area, by:  making sure that there is a balance of activities between those which are open to all families and those specifically planned for families in the greatest need of support  developing a stronger partnership with adult education and training services to ensure more adults follow activities to improve their employability skills.  Improve the impact of leadership, management and governance, by:  making sure that the information used by the group to plan services is up to date so that it gives an accurate picture of the needs of families in the area

p.2

What does the group need to do to improve further?

 getting more parents involved in giving their views about the group’s work and making sure that parents are well represented in the Centre Partnership Group.

p.2

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.

p.2

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with: group staff, including the team manager, the centre coordinator and family outreach workers and family information assistants; representatives from the local authority and partnership group; volunteers and parents; and representatives from health and education, who work in partnership with the group.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The inspectors visited a range of activities held at each of the two centres, including ‘Creating Communicators’, ‘Play and Learn Together’, ‘Giggles and Wiggles’ and the ‘Young Parents Group.’

p.2

Information about this inspection

The inspection covered the following centres: Burgess Hill (The Gattons) Children and Family Centre and Sidney West Children and Family Centre.

p.2

Information about this inspection

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

p.2

Inspection team

Lead inspector, Helen Hutchings Additional inspector Graham Saltmarsh Additional inspector Allan Shaw Additional inspector

p.2

Information about the group

Mid-Sussex (Burgess Hill) Children’s Centre Group comprises two children’s centres which began to work together as a group in October 2011. The group is led by a team manager who oversees five centres, with a centre coordinator who has day-to-day responsibility for three centres in total. All staff work across both centres in the group. There have been significant changes in staffing over the last year, with many staff new to their posts. The group is governed by the local authority supported by a multi-agency advisory group, the Centre Partnership Group.

p.3

Information about the group

The centre group works closely with Haywards Heath Children and Family Centre as part of a cluster. Sidney West Children and Family Centre is based in a community building which is mainly used for sports activities and is adjacent to a newly opened health centre. Burgess Hill (The Gattons) Children and Family Centre is located on the site of The Gattons Infant School (URN 125940). Other centres and schools are subject to separate Ofsted inspections; when inspected, reports are available at www.ofsted.gov.uk.

p.3

Information about the group

The group provides a range of services for parents and children, family support services, adult learning and parenting advice. Midwives and health visitors run clinics and activities at both centres. The Sidney West centre acts as a hub for children with physical disabilities or additional needs.

p.3

Information about the group

The centre group serves a community which includes 1,750 children under five years of age. The large majority of families are from White British backgrounds. The large majority of families live in owner-occupied homes and there are few areas of deprivation. Levels of unemployment are below average. The main priority groups are: young parents, lone parents, those who live in workless households, families and children who speak English as an additional language, and children identified as having additional needs. When they start early years provision, children have skills and knowledge in line with those expected for their age.

p.3

Inspection judgements

Access to services by young children and families Requires improvement

p.3

Inspection judgements

 The centres have effective links with their health partners so that health professionals introduce families to a centre at the earliest possible stage. Consequently, most families (86%) are registered with a children’s centre. However, of these families, only 63% regularly access the centre’s services.  Staff have accurately identified the priority groups. While effective publicity has ensured that the majority of these families are registered with a centre, only a minority engage in activities.  The majority of priority familes attend The Gattons, but the location of Sidney West makes it difficult for some families to attend. Centre leaders have not developed enough activities at venues which are conveniently located for families. Consequently, only a minority of families from the more deprived areas or who live in workless households are supported directly by the Sidney West Centre.  There has been a steady improvement in the numbers attending services over the last two

p.3

Inspection judgements

years as a result of more focused planning of activities with partners. For example, programmes to help parents with their parenting skills have been located in schools, so that the large majority of this group attend regularly.  The number of adults who speak English as an additional language and attend courses to improve their English has increased rapidly when the course was moved to accommodate crèche facilities. Centre staff liaise well with the leaders of the group, drawn from local minority ethnic groups, to ensure that the programmes on offer reflect their requests and needs.  The increased contribution by health professionals running clinics and courses, such as antenatal classes for parents-to-be, is having a positive impact on raising community awareness of the centres’ work.  Sidney West is a local authority hub for children with disabilities, and the weekly ‘Play and Learn Plus’ group is well attended. Children and their parents have good support and

p.4

Inspection judgements

guidance, and for many families, this develops their confidence to attend other services open to all.  Almost all three- and four-year-old children attend free early years provision. However, only 60% of two-year-old children take up their entitlement to free education.

p.4

Inspection judgements

The quality of practice and services Requires improvement

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Families who attend activities greatly value the centres’ services, including the popular toy library. As one parent commented, ‘Whenever I need help they are here for me.’ However, because the centres are not used by almost half of families identified as in greatest need of support, this reduces the impact that their work has on improving children’s life chances and reducing inequalities.  Over the last year, the centres have successfully increased the number of families attending their activities and services. However, because the number of drop-in activities has been reduced in favour of a prior-bookings system, running over a longer period of time, there are relatively few opportunities for families not identified as in need of specific support. This means that, while activities are of good quality, some parents do not have enough opportunities to benefit from informal advice and support at an early stage.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Where such advice is available, for example at ‘Giggles and Wiggles’, parents with young babies reduce their isolation and develop their understanding of their child’s development because of the wide range of stimulating activities set up for children’s play. They gain from the dialogue they have with centre workers and the many focused sessions to give extra help, such as sleeping routines and dental care.  The success of the partnership with health professionals is reflected in health outcomes, such as higher-than-average breastfeeding rates and few young children with dental decay. The uptake of immunisations is above average and the proportion of Reception-aged children who are obese is similar to that found nationally.  While centre staff signpost adults to courses available to support education and skills development, they have not formed strong partnerships with adult education providers. As

p.4

Inspection judgements

a result, too few adults engage in courses or training to develop their employability skills.  The group effectively supports the work of other community providers, including local parent and toddler groups, to increase the impact of local services. Joint activities, some run by community volunteers, in conjunction with Haywards Heath Children and Family Centre increase provision at weekends and during school holidays. The effectiveness of joint working with schools is reflected in the majority of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.4

management

 The many staffing changes over the past year have meant that the overall development of the centres has been too slow. The key priorities were identified by the local authority and the team manager last year and a programme of support was introduced to speed up progress. This has been successful, but staff realise that there is some way to go before the group’s overall effectiveness is good.  Leaders have ensured that morale is high and staff are united in their view of how the centres’ work can be improved. New staff have moved quickly into their roles and bring a range of skills and experience to the group. The current delivery plan has specific targets and timelines to drive the group’s actions to bring about more rapid improvement.  A key factor in slowing progress has been the inaccuracy of information held by the centres. The information recorded on registration has not been checked and updated regularly to

p.5

management

ensure that staff have a clear understanding of the circumstances and needs of all families as the basis for planning future services. For example, the apparent low engagement by lone parents has recently been identified to be a result of inaccurate identification of this priority group, and the true level of engagement is higher than previously thought.  Parents’ views are sought regularly at the end of a series of activities and are used to adjust services. However, the centre has not been successful in involving parents in the decision- making process. Currently, the centre partnership group has very limited parental representation. The centres’ partners are well represented on this advisory group. Members have reviewed comparative performance information provided by the local authority and given support and challenged centre staff in planning its next steps.  Safeguarding and child protection policies and actions are effective in protecting children

p.5

management

and families. The systems for referring families in need of support are clear, and procedures to reduce the risk of harm to children, including the use of the Common Assessment Framework, are implemented consistently.  The supervision of staff is good, giving individuals support to review the impact of their work to ensure children who are looked after, subject to child protection plans, and those deemed to be children in need are well supported. Staff are set targets regularly and training is planned to meet any gaps in skills and to develop additional expertise.  Resources are of good quality and are used flexibly across the group to meet the needs of those attending activities. Staff are deployed effectively, using their strengths well.

p.5

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.

p.6

Group details

Unique reference number 80305 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 445971 Managed by The local authority

p.7

under five in the reach area

Group manager Paloma King Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01444 255493 Email address paloma.king@westsussex.gov.uk

p.7

This group consists of the following children’s centres:

 Burgess Hill (The Gattons) Children and Family Centre  Sidney West Children and Family 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 .

p.7

This group consists of the following children’s centres:

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,

p.8

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. This template is available at www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/130186. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.8

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 No. 130186

p.8