Warwickshire - Mancetter and Coleshill Cluster

Warwickshire - Mancetter and Coleshill Cluster c/o Atherstone Early Years Centre, Kings Avenue, Atherstone, CV9 1JZ

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Inspection dates

Previous inspection date 18–19 November 2014 Not Previously Inspected

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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 Good 2

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This group of centres requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Not enough children and families from priority groups sustain their engagement in appropriate children’s centre group services.  The take up by priority groups of the good quality, well-resourced sessions run by the centre group is not being checked closely enough.  Children’s school-readiness is not being given sufficient attention. There is high take up of free early education by young children, but overall achievement is well below the level seen nationally when they start school. Some of the information routinely provided to the centre by the local authority lacks detail and this impedes leaders’ and the advisory board’s ability to target improvement more precisely.  Checks on parents’ progress when they attend further education or skills training are under- developed. This restricts otherwise good work to increase parents’ employability and financial health.  The proportion of mothers continuing to breastfeed their babies is below county and national

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This group of centres requires improvement. It is not good because:

averages. Health partners have different information to that provided by the local authority and this confusion inhibits effective improvement.

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It has the following strengths:

 Effective leadership has ensured good quality services, particularly in the communities where there is the greatest need, during a time of challenging organisational change. Staff show strong determination to do their best for children and families.  The very strong health partnership and the availability of information about new births help the centre group to make early contact with children. As a result registrations are rising.  Well-focussed support for families facing personal challenges helps them to build resilience and get back on track. Frequent meetings between key partners enable close checks on those most at risk.  Parents benefit from specific programmes and staff expertise, so they build more confident parenting skills. Good work takes place to support positive behaviour management.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Increase the level of contact by all priority groups, so that at least the large majority of families access appropriate services until their needs are met. Make sure that the attendance of priority groups at sessions run by the centre group is more closely tracked.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Enhance children’s school-readiness by: - making contact with early years settings, particular those whose effectiveness is not yet good, and working with them to ensure the children in danger of falling behind receive the right package of support to maximise their achievement - tracking how well target children progress in their learning and development during the centre group activities they attend regularly, and planning appropriately for their next steps - seeking more detailed information from the local authority about the eligibility and placement of two year-olds, together with data to show how well children who have accessed the group’s services achieve when they move on.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the work to increase parents’ employability and financial well-being by: - establishing a robust system to get feedback from partners about how well parents progress when they undertake courses or training - using information about retention and success rates to help shape future services - re-establishing links with Jobcentre Plus and Citizen’s Advice Bureau - developing the volunteering programme.

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What does the group need to do to improve further?

 Use the head of centre’s evaluation of why some mothers are not breastfeeding, and capitalise on the effective work with health partners, to target increases in sustained breastfeeding and drive more rapid improvement. Ensure that all partners work from the same data set to support this aspect of work.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection of this group of children’s centres was carried out under Part 3A of the Childcare Act 2006 as amended by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out by three Additional inspectors.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors held meetings with the group’s head of centre, staff, a senior leader from Barnardo’s, local authority officers, partner agencies, volunteers and representatives from the advisory board.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors observed a range of activities at Coleshill and in community venues in the Mancetter area including a ‘Nosh’ session observed jointly with the head of centre.

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Information about this inspection

They observed the centre group’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation. The head of centre and a Barnardo’s senior leader attended all the team meetings.

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Inspection team

Lead inspector, Christine Field Additional inspector Anne Ashworth Additional inspector Mary Dudley Additional inspector

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Information about the centre group

The group consists of two children’s centres: Mancetter Children’s Centre and Coleshill Children’s Centre. A range of services is provided; some services are provided in partnership with other providers to help meet local needs. The group serves a socially and economically mixed community that includes a number of rural villages. There are 17 distinct communities across the reach area, three of which, located in the Mancetter area, fall into the 10-20% least advantaged nationally. Mancetter Children’s Centre operates all services from outreach community buildings. The centre was inspected previously in 2012, when it had standalone status. Coleshill Children’s Centre is located in a separate purpose-built building on Coleshill CofE Primary School site. The school is inspected under separate arrangements. The schools and previous children’s centre inspection reports are available at www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Information about the centre group

The group has been managed by Barnardo’s on behalf of Warwickshire County Council since September 2014. Each centre previously had its own advisory board; a new board is being formed and has met once to plan the changes agreed. Staffing levels have reduced over the last year from ten to four. The team currently comprises a full time head of centre, two part time development workers and administrative support. Staff are in the midst of re-structuring in readiness for a new centre grouping model that is due to become fully operational in January 2015.

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Information about the centre group

There are 1,357 children under five years of age living in the reach area. Most families are White British. Rural isolation is flagged as a barrier to some families’ access to services. Most children start in early education with skills and abilities below the level expected for their age.

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Information about the centre group

The main priority groups are identified as: lone parents, children living in the least advantaged areas, and workless families.

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Inspection judgements

Access to services by young children and families Requires improvement  Some 57% of children have had one or more contacts with the centre group in the last year. However, only a minority of lone parents and children living in the least advantaged areas use the group’s services frequently. Information shows that the large majority of workless families access both centres’ services but the group cannot demonstrate what impact this has on improving parents’ economic-well-being.

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Inspection judgements

 The centre group works effectively to run services in community venues to widen access to those at risk of isolation. Good work takes place, particularly with health and social care partners, to ensure that children and families most in need of support receive timely access to effective help.  Centre group staff visit antenatal clinics and run sessions such as ‘Bumps and Babes’ with health partners. This work helps them get to know about expectant parents and follow up any concerns quickly. Live birth data has come on stream in the last two years; this helps the group to register children in much greater numbers than previously, and follow up where there are gaps. Overall, registrations currently stand at 93%.

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Inspection judgements

 Local authority data show that there is high take up of free education by eligible two-year-olds. However, the centre group is not clear about where they access places or how well they are doing. In the recent past, visits were made to all early year’s settings, and a ‘Nurture Nursery’ group was set up to provide additional support to young children in danger of under-achieving. Reduced staffing has curtailed this aspect of the group’s work currently. The quality of practice and services Requires improvement  The centre group has managed to deliver good quality services during the protracted re- commissioning process, but the range of services requires improvement to fully meet local needs.

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Inspection judgements

 Insufficient focus is being given to supporting children’s preparation for school or to help workless families improve their employment chances. The group’s work to track the impact of services on reducing inequalities is not good enough.

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Inspection judgements

 The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results for children living in the local area show that 49% achieved a good level of development this year. This is well below the 60% seen nationally. Information is not being captured to show how well children who have accessed the children’s centre group achieve at the end of their Reception year in the adjacent school at Coleshill or any others. Additionally, there is no consistent way of checking the progress of priority children or in planning their next steps when they attend centre group services such as the crèche.

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Inspection judgements

 Adult Community Learning partners work with the centre group to run various events aimed at improving parents’ education and skills. An English level two course is currently running; all participants who completed ‘Fun with Numbers’ enjoyed the course very much, and flagged what they would like to do next. However, there is no systematic approach to meeting needs or in planning a clear pathway towards employability, especially for those who are workless.

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Inspection judgements

 Links with Jobcentre Plus and Citizens Advice Bureau have weakened this year. Centre group staff’s support for volunteering has helped parents to enhance their skills and gain paid work in the past, but there are no volunteers currently.

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Inspection judgements

 Good information sharing between partners ensures that staff know and work well with the small number of children who have social care supervision. Support for families facing particular challenges is highly effective in helping them get back on track. Case files are maintained to a good standard and discussed in regular supervision meetings led by the head of centre.

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Inspection judgements

 The ‘Nosh’, a five week accredited course focussing on preparing nutritious meals, is part of the centre’s work with partners to keep children and families healthy. Childhood obesity rates are much more positive than seen nationally. However, sustained breastfeeding rates remain stubbornly low. The head of centre has undertaken a detailed evaluation of what the barriers are to better outcomes but has yet to use this to assist targeted improvement. Health and centre group data shows that 22% of mothers continue to breastfeed at six to eight weeks but the local authority data suggest 38%.

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Inspection judgements

 Sessions such as ‘Baby Massage’ and first aid courses are well attended and raise parents’ awareness about how to ensure their children’s well-being. Over 30 parents have participated in parenting courses, with staff facilitating additional discussion groups about specific concerns such as behaviour management. Parents told inspectors how much they value the staff who they describe as ‘just like friends - always there for you’.

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management

 The head of centre is working determinedly to ensure it is ‘business as usual’ for families during a time of great change. Re-organisation in one form or another has been part of daily life for over a year. Staffing has reduced during this time and there is uncertainty about jobs in going forward. The upbeat morale and high level of professionalism of the small staff team is recognised by parents who appreciate the services they receive. The rising registration is one indicator of the effective leadership.  The local authority effectively monitors the group’s service delivery and overall performance through its annual conversation visits, checks on registration and professional support meetings with the head of centre. Targets were set to assist development until September when the new provider, Barnados, took over. Comprehensive induction arrangements are currently in full swing and include new targets for the future.

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management

 Governance is well–embedded. The advisory board is well informed and has played a significant role in managing the change process positively. Board members are clear about the centre group’s priorities and have kept abreast of how well it is doing as tight resources become further stretched. There is evident challenge in the board’s decision-making, but recently the focus has been on providing support to ensure the centre group maintains its effectiveness.

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management

 Safeguarding is central to the work of the group. Policy and procedures, including staff vetting, meet current requirements. Effective use of agreed protocols reduces the risk of harm to young children, including those in care, subject to a child protection plan or in need. Integrated, multi- agency working, supported by bi-monthly meetings and timely information sharing, are positive features of safeguarding practice.

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management

 Parents express good levels of satisfaction with the services they receive, especially specialist help such as for children’s speech and language development. Grandparents highlight the value of the session held at Arley which helps them to support their grandchildren’s learning. Some parents told inspectors how much they miss the sessions for their older children, such as ‘Play and Learn’, which are currently not running. The parents’ forum helps shape services, and parents who serve on the advisory board are active and contribute to strategic decision-making.

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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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Centre Group details

Unique reference number 80217 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 447610 Managed by Barnardo’s on behalf of the local authority

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five in the reach area

Centre leader Cherylynne Harrison Date of previous inspection Not Previously Inspected Telephone number 01827 718723 Email address cherylynne.harrison@Barnardo’s.org.uk

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This group consists of the following children’s centres :

 Coleshill Children’s Centre (URN 20793)  Mancetter Children’s Centre (URN 21905)

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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

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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’.

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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 No. 130186

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