Stockport – Cheadle Children’S Centre Group

Children’s centre report Stockport – Cheadle Children’s Centre Group C/O Cheadle and Gatley Children's Centre, Councillor Lane, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 2LF Inspection date 5–6 March 2014 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Overall effectiveness Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 Requires improvement 3 management Summary of key findings for children and families This children's centre group requires improvement. It is not good because: Not enough children and parents, particularly those in the most deprived areas and from target groups, are registered or actively engaging in the centre group’s services. The centre group does not work closely enough with local schools and childcare providers to improve attainment and narrow the achievement gap between boys and girls by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in the Cheadle and Gatley and Ladybridge Park areas. There are not enough opportunities for adults to access courses which would help to improve their long-term employability, including English, mathematics and computer courses. Adults’ progress in learning and towards employment is not tracked carefully enough. The leadership, governance and management of the centre group are not sufficiently robust. Data are not used effectively to enable leaders to identify key priorities or to analyse and target resources more carefully to engage families in its services. This hinders the effectiveness of the centre’s development plan to inform target-setting to drive the centre group forward. This children’s centre group has the following strengths: The centre group prioritises safeguarding well. The work of the dedicated staff team provides good one-to-one support for the most vulnerable families who engage with the centre group. There is good partnership-working with health colleagues. The Cheadle and Gatley centre ensures that the right information, advice and support are available to families across the group. A strong focus on improving sustained breastfeeding has resulted in the percentage of mothers choosing to do this being well above both the Stockport and national average. Parents appreciate the warm welcome offered by the centre group and the access to good quality resources. Staff are approachable, well-informed and help them to develop their parenting skills and confidence. Inspection report: Stockport - Cheadle Group, 5–6 March 2014 Page 2 of 9 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. The centres that form part of this children’s centre group are Cheadle and Gatley Children’s Centre and Ladybridge Park. This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors held meetings with the centre group manager, the early help and prevention service locality manager, service managers, the family support workers, children’s centre family workers, the parent engagement worker and officers from the local authority. They also held meetings with centre group’s staff, parents, members from the joint advisory board and a number of partners including health, education and children’s social care professionals. The inspectors visited a number of sessions held across both centres and the two satellite centres in the group during the inspection, including, ‘Family Time’, ‘Cook and Taste’, English for Speakers of other Languages class and a crèche. They also involved the children’s centre group manager and the early help and prevention service locality manager in all team meetings. They observed the centre’s work, and looked at a range of relevant documentation, such as the centre group’s self-evaluation, development plan, a sample of case studies, parent evaluations, key policies and the group’s equality and safeguarding procedures, as well as a range of other relevant documentation. Inspection team Tara Street, Lead inspector Additional inspector Susan Walsh Additional inspector Ken Fisher Additional inspector Inspection report: Stockport - Cheadle Group, 5–6 March 2014 Page 3 of 9 Full report Information about the group Stockport–Cheadle Children’s Centre Group formed as a group in July 2013. It consists of two previously stand-alone children’s centres, which are one mile apart and share services, including staff, and one overall leader. Both Cheadle and Gatley and Ladybridge Park Children’s Centres are phase two centres. The group also offers services from two satellite centres based at Heald Green and Cheadle Hulme library. The group meets its core purpose by offering a range of services which include child health services, family play sessions, parenting courses, adult learning and family support. There are approximately 3,323 children under five years old within the area, of which 9% live in the 20-30% most deprived areas in the country. Within the area there are significant issues regarding mental health, isolation, obesity, domestic violence and low levels of literacy and numeracy. The target groups identified by the centre group are minority ethnic communities, particularly those who speak English as an additional language and those families who live in the 20% most deprived areas. A large majority of families within the area served by the centre group is White British. Housing is mostly social or private rental with some areas of affluence and privately owned housing. Levels of unemployment are low, with 11.1% of children living in households dependent upon workless benefits. Most children enter early years provision with knowledge and skills that are above those typical for their age. However, in some of the more disadvantaged communities children enter with skills that are well below those typical for their age. There are 19 local primary schools and childcare is delivered by a range of providers across the area. These are subject to separate inspection arrangements and the reports are available on the Ofsted website at: www.ofsted.gov.uk. Governance of the centre is provided by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, in conjunction with a joint advisory board that includes providers, delivery partners, members of the local community and users that attend the centre group. Inspection report: Stockport - Cheadle Group, 5–6 March 2014 Page 4 of 9 What does the centre/group need to do to improve further? Improve access to services across the centre group by: - increasing the number of children and adults who are registered and use the centre’s services regularly, including those from the most deprived areas and from target groups. Improve the quality and impact of services by: - working with all local schools and childcare providers to improve attainment and narrow the achievement gap between boy and girls by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in the Cheadle and Gatley and Ladybridge Park areas. Extend opportunities for more adults, particularly the unemployed, to enhance their economic stability by: - increasing the promotion of, and participation rates in, adult-learning programmes including English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) courses to aid progression into further education and employment - developing further procedures to track and measure how well adults make progress when they access courses or programmes, and use data gathered to help plan future services. Improve the effectiveness of leadership, governance and management by: - improving the accuracy and use of data so that resources can be targeted more carefully and a more precise analysis of the centre group’s performance can be achieved - improving the centre group’s development plan so that all key priorities are precise, have measurable success criteria and contain well-informed targets. Inspection judgements Access to services by young children and families Requires improvement The majority of families are now registered. However, insufficient families, including those identified as most in need of support and those expecting children, are not yet actively engaged. There is insufficient use of data to monitor the engagement of families who most need the centre’s help, including those who live in the most deprived areas and who are in receipt of early help and intervention services. As a result, the centre does not always deploy its services and resources in the most effective way to meet families’ needs. Staff have an appropriate presence in the community and have visited some areas where families are reluctant to engage in order to promote the services available. However, these initiatives are not effective in increasing the engagement of some hard-to-reach families and thereby helping to reduce any inequalities. Families who use the centres have good access to a range of professional advice, guidance and support from staff and some partner agencies. Imagery used in displays throughout the centre group reflects the commitment to equality and diversity and helps a wide range of people to feel valued and respected, including those from minority ethnic groups. Some parents benefit from courses and activities such as, ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ (ESOL), ‘Family Time’ and ‘Cook and Taste’ that help improve their parenting skills, health and their self-development. The centre group helps

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