Childcare Inspection Report on

Cylch Meithrin Dolgarrog / Clwb Garrog

Ysgol Dolgarrog Ffordd Conwy Tal y Bont LL32 8QF

Mae’r adroddiad hwn hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg

This report is also available in Welsh

Date of Publication

Thursday, 22 November 2018 Welsh Government © Crown copyright 2018. You may use and re-use the information featured in this publication (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License. You can view the Open Government License, on the National Archives website or you can write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] You must reproduce our material accurately and not use it in a misleading context. Description of the service Cylch Meithrin Dolgarrog / Clwb Garrog is located in Dolgarrog a village situated between Llanrwst and Conwy in the county of Conwy. The service operates from Ysgol Dolgarrog and the responsible individual is Nicola Mills and the person in charge is Tracey Roberts. The service is registered to care for a maximum of 19 children under the age 12 years. The opening hours are Monday – Friday (during term time): Cylch for 2 year olds: 09:30 -11:00; (this is currently not operating owing to a low intake of children. Parents / carers should enquire with leaders first before attending). Cylch Mwy for 3 - 4 year olds: 13:00 – 15:10; Clwb Garrog Out of School Club for 3 -11 year olds: 15:10 -18:00 hours. This is a service which is working towards providing an ‘Active Offer’ of the Welsh language and intends to become a bilingual service. The service offers the early years entitlement provision which means it is also inspected by Estyn.

Summary of our findings

1. Overall assessment

Children are happy, settled and are confident to choose their activities and follow their own interests. Staff are welcoming and have a friendly approach to care giving. The indoor environment is brightly decorated with children’s art work and educative displays. The outdoor environment offers children the opportunities to develop physical and creative play which is suitable for the age ranges of those being cared for. Leaders manage the service appropriately.

2. Improvements

This is the first inspection since registration with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).

Since this inspection leaders have submitted to CIW an improved template to log accident and incidents, child registration and parent contract form for the clwb, a contract of employment has been drawn for a staff member and evidence submitted leaders have made an application to the local food standards agency to register as a food business establishment and are awaiting confirmation. Leaders have also confirmed they are actively collating the required information for the staff files.

3. Requirements and recommendations

We found that the service did not meet legal requirements relating to staff files as they did not contain all the necessary information to meet compliance. Therefore, we have brought these areas for improvement to the attention of the leaders.

We have made recommendations in relation to children’s hydration, providing further opportunities to develop independence, statement of purpose, risk assessments, recording all incidents, promoting the Welsh language for older children; formalising one-to-one supervision and placing the local authority contact numbers in the safeguarding policy for the appropriate department. 1. Well-being Summary Children are confident communicators. They are familiar with the daily routine which makes them feel happy and settled. Children interact positively; they enjoy their learning and have fun through play. Their independence is developing well but further opportunities would support children to build on their self-help skills. Our findings

1.1 To what extent do children have a voice? Children are confident communicators. Children had expressed their views on a display board, highlighting their ideas for activities. This information had been included in the activity planning showing that children are being listened to. They explored their play area, freely making choices and following their own interests. One child spoke to us about the caterpillar they were creating out of play dough, the child named the colours and told us the caterpillar was called “Lowri Lindus”. During snack time children were heard confidently making requests for more fruit and cheese to eat and water to drink, which was given to them without question. Children were engaged during story time and were eager to ask and answer questions about the story. They were provided with this opportunity and were offered time to speak at their own pace. Children are being provided with effective care enabling them to speak up and express themselves with confidence.

1.2 To what extent do children feel safe, happy and valued? Children are familiar with the daily routine and this makes them feel happy and settled. Younger children enjoyed talking to staff during circle time about how they were feeling and were animated as they answered positively. They were praised with positive language throughout their activities and this made them feel good about themselves. For example, children achievements were celebrated by staff as they were able to recognise their names on the place mats before they sat down for snack and as they practiced their hand writing skills on the small black boards. During outdoor play, one of the older children fell as they played football, although upset the child was reassured by staff with a hug, they were soon seen getting up from the floor and continued to play happily with their friends. Children are being provided with responsive care which makes them feel happy, safe and valued. 1.3 How well do children interact? Children interact positively. We heard children being polite and using good manners, for example, during making requests at snack time and while participating in activities. Older children took turns as they played board games and younger children shared the colourful chalks to mark make. During outdoor play there was a disagreement between two children on whose go it was to pedal the tractor; one child became upset as staff were teaching them the importance of waiting for their turn. The child was distracted and spoken to gently by staff to play with another activity as they waited for their turn on the tractor. This worked well as the child enjoyed their new activity and happily rode on the tractor when it was their turn. Children are provided with consistent care and a fair approach in supporting them to interact positively.

1.4 To what extent do children enjoy their play and learning? Children enjoy their learning and have fun. Children had made requests to play with dinosaurs on their ‘Our ideas’ display. They showed us excitedly the exploration table which had been turned into a dinosaur land, with figurines and natural materials such as wood and grass to create a habitat. Children were developing their imagination while playing and they roared as they moved the dinosaurs to create their own story. Other children showed us how they practiced counting and recognising numbers on an interactive tablet. For example, one child held our fingers and showed us how we should trace the number carefully on the tablet so the pictures relating to that number appear. While children rolled out different coloured play dough into tiny balls they sang along to the Welsh songs being sung on the CD player. For children from non- Welsh speaking homes this supported them to become more familiar with the language and to learn new words. Children were practicing to use their senses through touching the leaves, sticks and acorns they had collected from a walk. One child showed us how they used a magnifying glass to explore the detail on the leaves. Photographs of children showed them participating in active storytelling, where they had an opportunity to become part of a story through role play and making props, for example some children had dressed up as pirates and made a pirate ship from a card board box helping them to bring the story to life. Children showed us how they performed their favourite action song about Autumn. They stretched up high, pretending to be trees and used their hands to show us how the leaves fell on the ground. During outdoor play children immersed their hands in the sand tray and filled a variety of containers with sand to experiment with weight and volume. Other children enjoyed scooping twigs, leaves and soil from the sink of the mud kitchen with a cup. They were developing their physical skills in the fresh air and enjoyed playing football, running around and pedalling on a selection of vehicles. Children are provided with good opportunities to develop their learning through play. 1.5 How well do children develop, learn and become independent? Children’s independence is developing but could be developed further. Children showed us how they washed and dried their hands with limited support before snack and after using the toilet. The helper for the day was chosen during circle time and they were given responsibility to lay the table in preparation for snack. Further opportunities could be developed here for children to develop their self-help skills, rather than staff serving them they could serve themselves. Children were confident and happy to play independently and enjoyed facilitating their own activities. They were also able to put on their aprons, with limited support from staff, before participating in messy play. Children are developing their independence with self-confidence further opportunities would enhance their self-help skills. 2. Care and Development Summary Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and healthy. They manage interactions fairly and consistently. Staff facilitate stimulating activities to develop children’s curiosity and sustain their interests. They are responsive to the individual needs of children. Our findings

2.1 How well do practitioners keep children safe and healthy? Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and healthy. Staff told us they are part of the local authority’s healthy pre-school initiative to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles. They understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and healthy and promoted tooth brushing and healthy eating. Drinking water was available at snack time but to ensure children are kept well hydrated throughout the session, staff could provide children with easier access to drinking water. This would enable them to help themselves when they needed a drink. When we questioned staff about procedures they would take if they had concerns about a child in their care, they had appropriate understanding and knowledge of the steps they would take. Staff were also aware, that a member of the committee was the named designated safeguarding lead. They told us they would feel comfortable to approach him and discuss any issues they had. Staff promoted hand washing after children used the toilet and before they had their snack. Staff had a current paediatric first aid qualification which enabled them to appropriately administer emergency first aid or deal with medical issues that may arise. Fire safety checks and fire drills had been conducted regularly and these were recorded, helping children and staff learn what to do if they needed to leave the premises in an emergency. Staff promoted out door play so children could develop their physical and sensory skills while playing in the fresh air. Staff promote healthy eating and lifestyles positively to support children’s health and in keeping them safe.

2.2 How well do practitioners manage interactions? Staff manage interactions fairly and consistently. They managed unwanted interactions with patience and a kind voice. This resulted in children’s disagreements being managed effectively and avoided escalation. Staff praised children for their efforts with positive language and encouraged them to use good manners and to practice saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. They did not hurry children and gave them the opportunity to complete tasks and activities in their own time, being considerate of the children’s ages and stages of development. Staff reassured children with a gentle care giving approach and set realistic boundaries to manage interactions positively. 2.3 How well do practitioners promote children’s play, learning and development and meet their individual needs? Staff facilitate interesting activities to develop children’s curiosity and sustain their interests. They are responsive to the individual needs of children. Staff ensure the daily routine provides children with stability. Busy, active times were interspersed with quieter times so children had time to reflect and rest. For example, we saw children being offered the opportunity to follow their own interests, some of the older children enjoyed practicing their circus skills, spinning plates on a stick while others sat quietly in the restful corner on soft cushions playing a game on their interactive tablet or reading a book. Staff had implemented the principles from the foundation phase curriculum and created defined areas of learning. For example, we saw younger children enjoying exploring their play area choosing the activities of interest to them, some had fun in the construction corner extending the wooden train track for the Thomas the Tank carriages while others enjoyed feeling the different natural objects on the exploration table or listening to a story being read to them. Staff promoted the Welsh language positively with younger children but not so much with older children. They tracked children’s progress appropriately and showed us evidence of how this information and observations were used to plan for the next steps in children’s play and learning. The activity planning showed us how staff had taken account of children’s views and ensured a good balance between child-led and staff- led activities. Staff promote interesting activities to keep children engaged for appropriate amounts of time in accordance with their age and stage of development but the Welsh language requires promoting to all children. 3. Environment Summary Leaders ensure the environment is safe and suitable for purpose. They have ensured toys and resources are of good quality and provide children with interesting play and learning opportunities. Our findings

3.1 How well do leaders ensure the safety of the environment? Leaders ensure the environment is safe. There was a system to manage access into the premises and a record of visitors was kept which helped leaders to identify and track the different visitors who frequent the service. We found the premises to be safe, secure and suitable for purpose. Risk assessments had been completed jointly for both provisions. However, we found these to be too generic and not specific for all areas used by children, for example, the outdoor play area had not been included, to ensure all potential risks had been identified and where possible eliminated. However, leaders had addressed an issue which occurred in January 2018 when a child had re-entered the building during a fire drill practice. Although, the risk assessment had been reviewed after this incident, leaders would benefit from recording all incidents in the accident and incident book of the service also. Leaders ensured staff understood their roles and responsibilities and they supervised children well during indoor and outdoor activities. The environment was clean and suitable.

Leaders make sure the environment is safe and staff are deployed in a suitable way as to provide appropriate supervision to ensure children’s safety but some areas of the premises have not been assessed specifically.

3.2 How well do leaders ensure the suitability of the environment? Leaders have ensured the environment is suitable for those being cared for. Leaders made sure children had space to place their personal belongings which created a sense of belonging. Furniture was appropriate for the age and stages of children’s development and the environment offered a variety of good play opportunities. Storage was at a low level and labelled, this meant children could access toys and resources easily. Leaders ensured children were cared for in a supportive environment which considered children’s interests and their individual needs. It was brightly decorated and child-centred with children’s art work and educative displays. They ensured the outdoor environment was used flexibly to enable children to experience a variety of play opportunities appropriate for their age. Leaders provide a suitable environment to meet the needs of all children being cared for. 3.3 How well do leaders ensure the quality of resources and equipment? Leaders have ensured toys and resources are of good quality and provide children with interesting play and learning opportunities. Leaders had made sure children could move around their environment freely to choose the activities they were interested in. They ensured children could use good quality equipment and toys. The indoor play room was brightly decorated and there were sensory resources to help children practice using their senses. Some toys available reflected our wider society to raise children’s awareness of the world around them. The outdoor play area offered children a variety of activities. For example, we saw children immersed in imaginary play in the play house, dressing up in different costumes and chatting to themselves as they used a selection of containers to pour different volumes of water down the funnels of the water wall. Older children showed us how they could run around and practice their ball skills in the larger play area and cheered as they scored a goal. Resources for both indoor and outdoor play areas were available in sufficient quantity giving children variety and interesting choices.

Leaders make sure children can make interesting choices from a variety of good quality toys and resources on offer. 4. Leadership and Management Summary Leaders manage the service appropriately. They have a system to evaluate the service, as this is the first inspection since registration the review of the quality of care is in progress. Leaders manage staff and resources acceptably and are building positive partnerships with parents, the school and community. Our findings

4.1 How effective is leadership? Leaders manage the service appropriately. Leaders had ensured that both the cylch meithrin and out of school club had the required policies and procedures in place. As this service is registered under one registration we spoke to leaders about creating one set of bi-lingual documentation to incorporate both provisions. A statement of purpose is available which provides a true reflection of what the service offers and provides parents with the information they require to make an informed decision about the care of their child. To further improve this document the direct telephone number for the service should be included Leaders are managing the service suitably.

4.2 How effective is self evaluation and planning for improvement? Leaders have a system to evaluate the service. As this was the first inspection after registration, the review of the quality of care was in progress. Leaders showed us the system they had in place to collate the views from all those using the service to help them identify what the service does well, what requires improvement and by when. We read some comments submitted by parents and these were positive. Leader’s spoke to us about their vision to introduce a key worker system which would enhance support for children. Leaders have a vision and are reviewing the quality of care appropriately in order to incorporate the views of all those using the service to ensure better outcomes for children are achieved.

4.3 How effective is the management of practitioners, staff and other resources? Leaders are supportive but some improvements are required in this area. Leaders had ensured staff training was current and staff told us they felt supported in their roles. We inspected four staff files and found these did not contain all the required information to comply with the regulations. Leaders had a system in place to ensure staff fitness checks had been updated as necessary. Staff informed us supervision is available on an informal basis when needed. Leaders should consider formalising one-to-one supervision so as to record and offer staff an opportunity to discuss their welfare, practice related issues, development, training needs and contribution of ideas to improve delivery of care and activities to children. Most staff had received appraisals and these had been recorded. We inspected four children’s records these contained the required information.

Leaders manage and support staff appropriately but some areas require improvement.

4.4 How effective are partnerships? Leaders are building positive partnerships with parents and community. We spoke to parents and grandparents who told us they were happy with the service. One parent told us how leaders and staff have helped their child with transitioning to school which has resulted in a positive experience for their child. Further comments highlighted how appreciative they were of staff’s approachability and it made them feel at ease to know they could ask them anything especially if they had any concerns about their child. Grandparents told us they are informed about any accident and incidents which they said was reassuring. Leaders showed us photographs of children out and about in their community, for example, having a teddy bears picnic in the local field, participating in a talent show with the school and visiting the ‘Sea Life’ centre with staff and parents. Leaders at Cylch Meithrin Dolgarrog / Clwb Garrog are working positively with parents, the school and community to enrich children’s experiences towards improved well-being. 5. Improvements required and recommended following this inspection

5.1 Areas of non compliance from previous inspections None

Areas of non compliance identified at this inspection:

We informed the responsible individual they were non-compliant with the following regulation:

Regulation 28 of the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010, relating to: Suitability of Workers: the responsible individual could not evidence all the required information was available in the staff files to ascertain staff suitability and meet compliance.

We did not issue a non-compliance notice as we did not find evidence on this occasion this had an impact on the well-being of children. This matter must be addressed. 5.2 Recommendations for improvement

Leaders should consider:

 Producing one set of bi-lingual documentation to incorporate both provisions as the service is under one registration;

 providing children with easy access to drinking water so as to ensure they maintain hydration;

 providing further opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills especially at snack time;

 writing risk assessments specific for all the areas used by children to identify potential hazards and how this risk is managed;

 all incidents are logged and recorded;

 formalising one-to-one supervision, keep records of these discussion with each staff member about their performance, training needs and contribution of ideas to improve delivery of care and activities to children;

 promoting the Welsh language to all children using the service;

 placing the telephone number for the service in the statement of purpose and

 placing the telephone and contact details for the local authority safeguarding team in the safeguarding policy for ease of access for staff. 6. How we undertook this inspection

This was a full unannounced inspection undertaken as part of our normal schedule of inspections.

One inspector visited the service on Tuesday 25 September 2018 from 09:36 – 12:35 and from 13:05 – 17:30 hours;

We,

 Inspected a sample of documentation and policies;

 inspected the areas used, environment, toys and equipment;

 observed practice and completed observations using the SOFI2 tool to capture evidence of children’s engagement and the care being provided by staff;

 spoke to children, two parents, a grandparent, person in charge, three staff members, and

 provided feedback to the responsible individual and person in charge.

Further information about what we do can be found on our website: www.careinspectorate.wales 7. About the service

Type of care provided Children’s Day Care Full Day Care

Responsible Individual Nicola Mills

Person in charge Tracey Roberts

Registered maximum number of 19 places

Age range of children Under 12 years

Opening hours Monday – Friday (during term time):

Cylch Meithrin: for 2 year olds: 09:30 -11:00; (this is currently not operating owing to a low intake of children. Parents / carers should enquire with the service first before attending).

Cylch Mwy: for 3 - 4 year olds: 13:00 – 15:10;

Clwb Garrog: Out of School Club for 3 - 11 year olds: 15:10 - 18:00 hours. Operating Language of the service Bi-lingual

Date of previous Care Inspectorate This is the first inspection since registration. Wales inspection

Dates of this inspection visit(s) 25 September 2018

Is this a Flying Start service? No

Is early years education for three Yes and four year olds provided at the service? Does this service provide the Welsh This is a service which is working towards providing Language active offer? an ‘Active Offer’ of the Welsh language and intends to become a bilingual service.

Additional Information: The service will be inspected by Estyn.