North Yorkshire – North Craven and Upper Wharfedale Group

North Yorkshire – North Craven and Upper Wharfedale Group

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c/o Hellifield Community Primary School, Kendal Road, Hellifield, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4HA

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

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Summary of key findings for children and families

This children's centre group is good.  Carefully focussed outreach by skilled staff has increased the numbers of families registered and using the centre services. The large majority of families in the communities scattered across this wide area now use the centre services. This includes the large majority of families considered to need the most support.  Partners, including midwives and health visitors, share information well with the centre leaders. This enables staff to work well with local families, from pregnancy onwards. The large majority of families most in need continue to use centre services until their needs are met.  Across the area served by this group, more children reached a good level of development last year than was seen nationally or across North Yorkshire. Staff work closely with local schools to show the positive difference that centre staff make to children’s readiness for school.

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Summary of key findings for children and families

 The very large majority of adults using the centre group help to make decisions about the services provided. This includes the majority of families who need to use these services most.  Strong and supportive leadership, governance and management have helped to improve the centre group’s effectiveness rapidly since the last inspection. The local authority leaders constantly check what difference the group is making. They have organised the handover to the new manager well, and she has realistic and manageable plans to improve the group further.

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It is not outstanding because:

 Not enough two-, three- and four-year-old children take up their funded nursery education places.  Although many adults are supported to improve their parenting skills, too few adults take up opportunities to improve other aspects of their personal development or learning needs.  The lack of an independent chair for the advisory board limits the extent to which the board holds the manager to account. Some members have not been trained sufficiently to fulfil their roles.

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

 Improve the governance at local level by:  ensuring that the advisory board has an independent chair to enable the board to offer objective challenge and hold the centre manager more closely to account  providing training for those members who are less secure or knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities, in order to enhance the way that partners hold themselves and the centre manager to account for the impact of their work on improving local lives.

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

 Continue to work with partners to further increase the take-up of funded nursery education places for two-, three- and-four-year-old children.

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

 Work with adult and community learning partners to explore creative and cost-effective ways to increase the numbers of adults accessing and completing adult and community learning courses in order to support the full range of their personal development and learning needs.

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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 Craven Children’s Centre and Upper Wharfedale Children’s Centre.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with the previous manager, who left her post on 31 March 2015, and the newly appointed manager who came into post on 01 April 2015. This report mainly reflects the work of the previous manager, who was present throughout this inspection. The inspectors also spoke to representatives from the local authority, the advisory board and partner agencies such as midwives, health visitors, local headteachers and representatives from the early years providers in the area. They spoke to parents, children and staff.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors observed the centre group’s work, and observed sessions delivered in various locations across this very extensive rural area. The lead inspector visited both centre venues. The inspectors looked at a range of relevant documentation. This included self-evaluation and development plans, analysis of feedback and consultations with service users, and policies and procedures supporting safeguarding practices.

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Inspection team

Linda McLarty, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Priscilla McGuire Additional Inspector Barbara Wearing Additional Inspector

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Information about the group

The North Craven Children’s Centre shares a site with Hellifield Primary School and Hellifield Pre-School. These settings are subject to separate reporting arrangements and their reports are available on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted. This children’s centre was one of the first opened in North Yorkshire in 2006. It merged with the Upper Wharfedale Children’s Centre in 2013. Although this centre ceased operating on 31 March 2015, services are still delivered from the building, which is now mainly used by the adjoining Grassington Primary School. This school’s report is available on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted.

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Information about the group

The group serves a large, sparsely populated, rural community within one of the 70% most affluent areas in the country. It offers a range of services including child health services, family play sessions, parenting courses, adult learning and family support. These services are delivered to families mainly through outreach work in various community venues in the area and through home visits. The current manager has been in post since 01 April 2015, and the previous manager left her post on 31 March 2015.

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Information about the group

There are approximately 800 children aged from birth to five years in the reach area. Only a few families live in areas considered to be of high deprivation. The target groups identified by the centre group are: teenage parents, pregnant teenagers, lone parents and fathers. The staff team also work extensively with families with children who have additional needs.

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Information about the group

At 95%, the very large majority of families within the area served by the centre group are White British. The remaining population is made up mainly of Chinese families in the Giggleswick and Settle areas. Housing is mostly private with small pockets of social housing. Levels of unemployment are low, with few children living in households dependent upon workless benefits.

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Information about the group

Most children enter early years provision with knowledge and skills that are typical for their age. The centres are governed and managed directly by North Yorkshire local authority. More local governance is through a joint advisory board made up of partner agencies, members of the local community and parents.

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Access to services by young children and families Good

 The communities scattered across this large rural area have poor transport links. Consequently, the team has focused its work on reaching out to the families where they live. This has successfully increased the numbers of families registered with, and regularly using, centre services.  All teenage parents and pregnant teenagers in the area are being supported by the staff. This is greatly helped by the good exchange of information from the midwives, so parents are contacted early in their pregnancy. Having health visitors and midwives delivering clinics in the centres has also greatly increased the numbers of families using centre services.  The numbers of fathers and lone parents using the services have also increased, especially those experiencing particular challenges. The team's work with families who have children with additional needs is a success story. Staff forge good relationships with local families, based on trust and respect.

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Access to services by young children and families Good

This further encourages families to work with the team until their needs are met.  However, attendance at some groups is sometimes poor. This is attributed to difficulties with the cost and availability of transport and, sometimes, to problems with parking. Non-attendance at courses is followed up well.  The manager analyses the feedback from parents following consultation and after courses and activities. This helps her to check that the services provided continue to meet families’ needs. Local information is also analysed well to help staff to reach out to families less likely or able to take up services.  The large majority of the small numbers of eligible two-year-olds in the area take up funded places. Most three- and four-year-olds take-up of funded nursery places. However, the proportions are lower than those seen nationally. Staff think this is also linked to transport difficulties, and have made this

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Access to services by young children and families Good

an ongoing improvement target.  Too few parents take up the adult and community learning opportunities provided. This is partly because community learning teams find it is not cost-effective to provide courses for small numbers. It is also linked to the transport challenges in the locality.  Unemployment in the area is very low, which also affects the take up of courses which could lead to increased employability. Despite these factors, the manager and local authority have made it a priority to increase the numbers of adults accessing courses to help their personal development and other learning needs.

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The quality of practice and services Good

 The staff team compares levels on entry to school-based provision of children using centre services and their peers. The staff team uses these findings well to support the specific needs of any groups of children who may be falling behind in specific areas of learning.  Information from tracking shows that children using centre services make good progress from their starting points. The staff also work well with parents to improve their parenting skills, and to help parents support their children’s development and learning at home.  Care, guidance and support are very strong. Data show that this is supporting groups such as pregnant teenagers, lone or teenage parents, or fathers experiencing specific challenges in their lives. Parents report excellent relationships, strong encouragement and significant support from the staff team.  Almost all adults, including the large majority of those in most need, report that centre staff have

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The quality of practice and services Good

improved their parenting skills, and their ability to support their children’s well-being, safety and health.  More children enter Reception Year at a healthy weight than is the case nationally. The group has set itself an ongoing improvement target to increase the numbers of mothers who continue to breastfeed at six-to-eight weeks.  The centre staff work particularly well with health colleagues to support the two-year-old development check. They are improving their contribution to the way the two-year-old progress check is carried out in private childcare settings. Most two-year-olds identified as having additional needs during these checks are supported to access the help they need.  Case files are recorded well and show that the views of parents and children are taken into account. These records confirm that the centre group provides effective support, particularly when crises arise.  The centre at Upper Wharfedale is no longer solely used by the children’s centre group. The premises

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The quality of practice and services Good

at North Craven are under-used. However, well-managed outreach work, and a good balance of open- access and targeted provision, have very successfully increased the numbers of families using centre services. This has improved equality of opportunity for the families who need the centre services most.

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Good

 The centre manager receives good governance and strong leadership from the local authority. The local authority data helps the manager to identify the groups who need the most support. The local authority helps the manager to analyse local information and data in order to set the right targets to improve the lives of local families.  The authority holds the manager closely to account for the group’s progress towards its improvement targets. The manager checks the quality and impact of the services that her team provides directly, and those delivered by partners. This helps to ensure that services remain useful and relevant for families and help reduce inequalities.  However, governance at the local level of the advisory board is weaker. The board has improved since the last inspection, and its members are now offering increasing support and challenge. However, some key partner and parent representatives have not had enough training to help them hold the

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Good

centre closely to account. The new manager has accessed advisory board training recently and has plans in place to deliver this to board members.  There is no independent chair. This means that the manager is guiding the group that holds herself and her team to account for their work. This was a recommendation in the last inspection and remains an area for improvement.  Good performance management arrangements are in place at every level, both formally and informally. They are grounded in highly supportive relationships. The manager holds her own staff closely to account for their contribution towards the centre group’s targets. The manager also supports her team well to achieve their personal development targets.  The main resource, the staff team, contains a good blend of expertise from education, health and social care. Its members focus effectively upon reducing inequalities for those groups who need most

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Good

help. They and their partners offer a sufficiently varied programme of services to attract and to encourage families to use services regularly.  Safeguarding and safer recruitment policies and procedures meet requirements. Through regular meetings and information sharing with social care professionals and other agencies, the centre group helps families to stay safe. Families with children subject to child protection plans, children in need and families with children in the care of the local authority engage well with the centre. Through close working with the police, the needs of families whose lives are affected by domestic violence receive good support.  Information from frequent consultation, using many different methods, shows that parents help to make key decisions about centre services. Feedback and consultation information is also analysed well to identify and remove barriers to accessing services, especially for families who need them the most.

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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 80592 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 455020 Managed by The local authority

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five in the reach area

Centre leader Rachel Copping, Jackie Lincoln Date of previous inspection 22–23 May 2014 Telephone number 01609 532092 Email address jackie.lincoln@northyorks.gov.uk

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This group consists of the following children’s centres:

 22168 North Craven Children’s Centre  23386 Upper Wharfedale 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:

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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