Nottinghamshire - Bingham/Cotgrave Children’s Centre Group

Nottinghamshire - Bingham/Cotgrave Children’s Centre Group 18a Market Place, Bingham, NG13 8AP

p.1

Inspection dates

Previous inspection date 16–17 December 2014 Not Previously Inspected

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Not applicable 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

p.1

Summary of key findings for children and families

This group of centres is good.  Good leadership, governance and management ensures that families, including those the centre has identified as most in need of its services and support, have good access to a wide range of services.  The centre leader and her staff are ambitious for the community they serve and continuously improve the good quality of services to fully meet the needs of families  Relationships between the children’s centres and other services and organisations, including health and education, are good. Families are safer and healthier and their children are increasingly well prepared for school as a result of this.  Almost every child in the area who is eligible for two-year-old free early education takes up the offer and is provided with good quality learning opportunities.  Staff are skilled and well qualified because of the centre’s positive commitment to their ongoing professional development.

p.1

Summary of key findings for children and families

 Parents, especially those in most need of the centre's support, appreciate the help they receive from the centre staff and their professional partners. 'I think they are fantastic. They have given me my life back,' reflects the views of many parents.

p.1

It is not outstanding because:

 Procedures to track and support adults into employment do not fully identify the skills they gain from parenting, health and similar courses the group run.  Staff do not do not always precisely identify the next steps in children's learning to help them achieve as well as possible.

p.1

What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Build on the already good procedures to accurately record all aspects of adult learning experiences the group provides in order to identify and promote a wide range of learning skills.  Clearly identify precise next steps in children's learning in order to raise achievement further, particularly for those children who are more disadvantaged.

p.2

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.

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 leaders, managers and other centre staff. They met with representatives of the local authority, the Nottinghamshire Children's and Family Partnership and the local advisory board. They also held meetings with health service partners including health visitors, early years providers, a representative of volunteer organisations and adult learning representatives. The inspectors spoke to several parents throughout the inspection.

p.2

Information about this inspection

The inspectors visited the ‘Christmas Messy Play’, ‘Little Gems Group' ‘Bingham Baby Groups' and ‘Baby Clinic’ in the centres and other venues in the area.

p.2

Information about this inspection

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

p.2

Inspection team

Andrew Clark, Lead inspector Additional inspector Ann Taylor Additional inspector Lesley Talbot-Strettle Additional inspector

p.2

Information about the group

Nottingham - Bingham/Cotgrave Children's Centre Group is led and managed by a centre coordinator. Governance of the centre group is provided by Nottinghamshire Children and Family Partnership which was commissioned by the local authority in July 2013. The group consists of Bingham Children's Centre (URN 20305) and Cotgrave Children's Centre (URN 20829) in the grounds of Cotgrave C of E Primary School (URN 122797). The two centres are approximately eight miles apart. The school is subject to a separate inspections and the report is available at www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.3

Information about the group

The area served by the centre consists of urban communities and large rural areas. The group provides a range of family support services, play and learning activities, adult learning and employment, health promotion activities and crèche facilities. The centres also signpost families to other relevant services. Many of the activities are delivered either in the Bingham Children's Centre or at many venues throughout the community including libraries, a rugby club and local businesses. Cotgrave Children's Centre provides administrative support and information services.

p.3

Information about the group

The proportion of children living in households where no one works is about four per cent which is below the national average as is the proportion of families in receipt of benefits. A proportion of these families are in one area. The large majority of children are of white British backgrounds.

p.3

Information about the group

There are approximately 1148 children served by Bingham Children's Centre and 785 by Cotgrave Children's Centre. They generally enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with a range of skills and knowledge which are generally typical for their age.

p.3

Information about the group

The centre has identified the following families most in need of support: those with children under the age of one; those living in rural isolation and families with two-year-old children eligible for free early education places.

p.3

Inspection judgements

Access to services by young children and families Good  Active involvement in the local community, including partnership work with health professionals, social care and schools ensure that the staff are increasingly well-informed of families with young children, including those expecting children. As a result, most families with young children in the area are registered with the group and access the wide range of services that are offered, including the large majority of those considered most in need of the group's support.

p.3

Inspection judgements

 Staff work hard to involve families who do not follow up from the initial contact or who do not participate regularly. In particular, the development of new systems to record and share information with the group's partners alongside imaginative use of different local venues to host services has resulted in increasing numbers of families receiving effective support.

p.3

Inspection judgements

 Staff provide effective support to families with disabled children and children with special educational needs. The good links with speech and language services and the ‘Home Talk’ programme contribute to the development of children's early communication skills.

p.3

Inspection judgements

 Families’ needs are accurately assessed. Multi-agency meetings and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) ensure there is joined up thinking between different partners and this is used well to ensure support is matched carefully to meet families’ needs.

p.3

Inspection judgements

 All staff are well trained and vigilant in supporting families who are suffering from domestic violence and this is reinforced by messages through parenting courses and signage around the group. Parents comment that, 'The centre is the hub of the community' and 'The staff are brilliant. They have given me back my confidence.'

p.3

Inspection judgements

 The group provides well focused support to families with children under one. Many are also in rural isolation and often lack a network of support. Carefully targeted baby and parenting courses and the work of community and family support workers have helped these families build relationships and develop confidence.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Assessment at the age of two is used well to identify children and families who need additional support. Staff work well as a team to make sure that parents are aware of all the help which may be available to them including their children’s entitlement to free early education when relevant.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Arrangements for two-year old children to take up their free early education places in the locality are good and at least 95 percent do so. Parents are signposted to local provision and staff work hard to assist families to manage transport and other issues which sometimes make attendance difficult. This contributes to children's good achievement by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.4

Inspection judgements

The quality of practice and services Good  The group provides a good range of training and guidance on health issues. Positive messages about breastfeeding are reinforced through regular groups, health visits and the work of volunteers. As a result, the proportion of mothers who continue breastfeeding at six-to-eight weeks is above the national average. The proportion of children who are overweight or obese is almost half the national average.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Families, who find themselves in complex and chaotic situations, and some of those living in rural isolation, receive good attention from group staff. Family support workers work closely with key agencies and organisations to effectively provide early help and support to families in times of need.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Case files are maintained to a good standard and the group staff keep detailed records of their work with families. The development of electronic systems to share information with partners such as health mean that the group's work is increasingly effective in, for example, supporting victims of domestic abuse and young and new parents.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 The group provides good support and guidance to early years providers. It acts as a hub for their development through the 'enjoy and achieve' meetings and work with childminders. This contributes to the higher than national level of children achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception. The achievement gap between children who receive free school meals and other children is narrowing year-on-year.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Parents and children play together in enjoyable and well-planned sessions such as ‘Baby Group' and ‘Crawlers and Walkers' focused on young babies. The group monitors children's progress even if they only attend very occasionally. As a result, children make good progress overall.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 Parents particularly enjoy the 'Learning Journeys' which present a photographic and written account of their children's experiences. However, the evaluations of each session do not always identify precisely enough the next steps in children's learning they need to take so everyone achieves as well as they could.

p.4

Inspection judgements

 A good proportion of adults undertake and complete training courses in literacy and numeracy. There are good links with adult education providers and the group tracks their success well during and after participation in these courses. However, the procedures to identify skills such as organisation and time-keeping, which adults gain through parenting and other courses the group runs, are not fully recognised.

p.4

management

 The centre coordinator provides clear and determined leadership. She encourages creative and reflective practice in all aspects of the groups' work. She leads by example. As a result, there is strong team work and shared ambition. This has underpinned increasing effectiveness in meeting the particular needs of the community they serve.

p.5

management

 The group receive effective support from the Nottinghamshire Children and Families Partnership, commissioned by the local authority which is increasingly robust in the data and information it provides. Consequently, all the group's resources are used well to meet the priorities of the local authority and the group itself.

p.5

management

 Performance management and supervision are well-established and systematic. They include direct observation of sessions and regular training days. Staff training and the appraisal process are linked to the group's priorities for development.

p.5

management

 Staff are well qualified and their roles are closely matched to their skills and experience. A strength of the leadership is that they encourage a 'have a go' attitude for all staff but ensure innovations are based on research and effective consultation.

p.5

management

 The centres effectively focus efforts on reducing inequalities, tackling discrimination and improving the well being of the whole community, but especially those families identified as most in need of support.

p.5

management

 Safeguarding policies and procedures are thorough and the Common Assessment Framework processes are used well to assess need and to reduce levels of risk to children. The group provides good support to children looked after by the local authority and their carers as well as those who are subject to a child protection plan and those in need.

p.5

management

 Members of the advisory board have a clear view of group priorities and where improvement is needed. They have regular access to training, so understand their role in supporting and challenging the group. Sharper assessment and recording systems are enabling the board to provide more challenge to ensure the group meets the needs of all its community.

p.5

management

 Leaders are well aware of the areas for further development. They work well with the local authority to set ambitious goals and this has resulted in increased proportions of families most in need of support access services in recent years.

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 80661 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 447602 Managed by Governed and guided by Nottinghamshire Children and Family Partnership, and centres managed by Family Action on behalf of the local authority

p.7

five in the reach area

Centre leader Claire Gore Date of previous inspection Not Previously Inspected Telephone number 01949 863840 Email address claire.gore@nottshc.nhs.uk

p.7

This group consists of the following children’s centres :

 Bingham Children's Centre (URN 20305)  Cotgrave Children's Centre (URN 20829)

p.7

This group consists of the following children’s centres :

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 . 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

p.7

This group consists of the following children’s centres :

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, 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