Rainbow Day Nursery

Rainbow Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Rainbow Day Nursery

218474 Unique Reference Number 04 January 2007 Inspection date Christine Holmes Inspector

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Rainbow Day Nursery

7 Barlow Close, Amington, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 3ES Setting Address

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E-mail

Janice Horton and Peter Horton Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Full day care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Rainbow Day Nursery opened in 1993. It operates from a converted shop situated near Tamworth town centre. The nursery serves the local community and families from the surrounding area.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

A maximum of 42 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 32 children from five months to four years on roll. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery supports children who have special needs.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The nursery opens five days a week all year round. Sessions are from 07:45 to 18:00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are nine staff who work with the children. All have early years qualifications with the exception of one who is currently on a training programme. The nursery receives support from a teacher from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP).

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children take part in a wide range of activities to support their good health. On most days they have two play sessions outdoors where they enjoy the fresh air. This helps to improve their well-being. Each day there are fun activities planned in and outdoors to help them develop control of their bodies. Pulling the parachute up and down and negotiating a path underneath the billowing parachute to change positions with other children, provides great fun for children, as well as developing their awareness of space and developing the co-ordination of their movements. Staff promote imaginative play in the outdoor area. This encourages children to run, bend and twist their bodies, ride scooters, bikes and cars to visit the pretend areas of the garden such as the jungle and the pet shop. This ensures children take part in rigorous activity which supports their good health. Staff caring for younger children make good use of the 'Birth

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Helping children to be healthy

to three matters' framework. They provide appropriate types of activities and levels of support to help develop children's confidence to try out new skills such as pegging clothes on a clothes line. They are always on hand supporting children to set their own limits and know when to ask for help for instance when trying to put on the dressing up clothes or tidying the toys away. These types of activities are contributing to the children making good progress in their development.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's understanding of healthy living is promoted very well. They are cared for in a warm and very clean environment where they learn the importance of good hygiene and personal care. Pictures in the toilet area and ongoing discussions helps them to develop a clear understanding of how to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and regular discussions help children understand why they must wash their hands. This also helps to reduce the risk of cross-infection which further promotes children's good health. Older children are able to talk about how milk helps to build strong bones and teeth and snacks of fresh fruit are provided on most days. Children's awareness is further supported through topics such as, 'what we need to do to keep healthy' and 'personal hygiene’. Staff work very well in partnership with parents to ensure all children's individual dietary needs are met, particularly in relation to the very

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Helping children to be healthy

youngest children in the nursery. Children's meals are cooked on the premises, are well balanced and generally cooked from fresh produce. As a result children are well nourished. Whilst children have regular and sufficient drinks throughout the day which helps to ensure they are hydrated, there is not yet an effective system to ensure children have access to fresh drinking water at all times.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. All areas of the nursery are kept very safe and secure. Children are able to move freely and safely which contributes to developing their independence and confidence. An effective risk assessment system ensures all potential hazards are minimised and that areas which are used by the children are well maintained. Staff are very vigilant and closely supervise the children. Safety equipment such as safety gates and covers for all door openings further reduces the risk of accidental injury.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children are cared for in bright and welcoming rooms which are furnished with good quality equipment and resources. They have access to a good range of toys which are stimulating and interesting and appeal to different age groups. As a result children are occupied and well cared for throughout the day. However, the toilets on the ground floor do not always provide children with sufficient privacy.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are becoming aware of how to keep themselves safe from harm. Older children know that staff count them when they come in from outdoors to make sure no children are left outside and they take part in regular emergency evacuations which helps them to become familiar with the evacuation procedure.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are well protected as staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. They are confident in their roles and responsibilities and know how to implement the nursery child protection policy.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. All children in the nursery are settled and enjoy very positive relationships with staff. This enables them to play happily, develop positive relationships with other children and progress well. Children cheer and greet their friends as they arrive. They show great confidence with visitors, often asking many questions and introducing themselves and other children to the visitor. They show a developing sense of concern for others as they ask staff about children who are not present and take care to be quiet as they pass the baby room in case the babies are sleeping. This sense of belonging contributes to the children developing self-esteem and confidence. All staff place very good emphasis on listening to children and encouraging them to make their needs and wishes known. Younger children are very confident to assert their wishes as to where the books should go. Staff encourage this by asking the children questions

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

and giving children choices, such as asking a very young child if they need help to put on the dressing up clothes, before giving help. This approach helps children develop their communication skills and their independence.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All children spend their time purposefully. They enjoy a wide range of activities which contribute to their overall development. Staff use the 'Birth to three matters' framework effectively to adapt activities to promote children's learning. Monthly projects further promote learning is many areas such as 'Me and my family'. Singing songs and rhymes, looking at books and listening to stories, moving to music, playing with role play and baking are all activities which are enjoyed by the children and are helping them to progress well. Whilst all children enjoy taking part in many craft activities and explore with different textures such as sand, water and dough, these resources are not freely available to the children. This potentially limits children's creativity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

There are effective systems in place for recording children's progress reflecting the 'Birth to three matters' framework. Staff make regular observations of children at play and use this information to make a report of each child's progress on a four weekly basis. Whilst this information helps staff to recognise children's next steps in learning in some areas, it is not yet used comprehensively.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Nursery education

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Staff have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and a good understanding of how young children learn and make progress. Their interactions with children are extremely positive which enables children to build very secure relationships with them and other children. Consequently, children are making good progress towards the early learning goals. Planning links clearly to the stepping stones and provides clear guidance for staff to ensure a wide range of activities and experiences are provided for all children. In most instances this is effectively implemented to extend children's learning. Staff use good methods to gain and then maintain children's interest, sitting with them, asking questions and giving support when needed. Independence is encouraged well with opportunities provided for children to practise self help skills such as zipping up their own coats, giving out

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

cups for drinks and helping to tidy away. Children respond well to challenge as staff successfully question them during activities to make them think. Children's progress is monitored effectively in most instances to inform teaching and planning. The staff know the children well and know what they are capable of. However, all information gained from observations is not comprehensively used to identify children's next stage in their learning. This potentially compromises children's progress. Behaviour is managed extremely well. Staff act as particularly good role models and this results in a calm and caring environment where children show concern for others and develop a clear understanding of right and wrong.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children show an immense sense of belonging as they greet each other on arrival. They demonstrate a positive sense of themselves as they confidently interact with others and their environment. They take the initiative in their play, ask questions and share their views about what takes their interest. They show good levels of respect for themselves and each other as they listen attentively to each other's conversation and co-operate and negotiate their roles in their game of firefighters.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children's language and communication skills are developing extremely well which helps to enhance their learning in all other areas. Children clearly enjoy communicating with each other and staff. They use a wide vocabulary to predict, reflect, and express themselves throughout the day. Children show good levels of progress in recognising the sounds letters make. They are beginning to write recognisable letters and they recognise their own name and in a number of instances other children's names.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are encouraged to develop their skills and interest in early maths. They are able to use their understanding of numbers to solve simple problems like determining what the date is and to talk about how many people are in their families and how old they all are. Mathematical language is introduced through a variety of practical activities, as a result, children use language to describe shape, size, position and capacity.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children are learning to observe, explore, question and gather information which helps them to make sense of the world around them. Topics such as 'me and my family', 'looking around town' and 'weddings around the world' helps children to find out about their immediate and wider community. Children observe the life cycle of a sunflower and find out about mini beast and hibernating animals which increases their curiosity about living things. They demonstrate

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 good levels of investigative behaviour in all activities. This is because staff are very skilful in using open-ended questions that encourage children to seek explanations.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s imagination is successfully inspired by staff. Children become absorbed in imaginative experiences. They reach out and pretend to touch the different birds they find in the jungle, they run from the roaring tiger and lead the group to find a way out of the jungle into the pet shop. Tasting, smelling, moving to music further promotes children’s ability to express themselves.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. They feel a sense of belonging, which helps them to feel confident and settled. All children are greeted warmly by staff and any children feeling insecure are given appropriate support. A key worker system is in place to provide a link with parents and coordinate the planning and record keeping for individual children. Children's individual needs are discussed with parents in detail. Any special requirements or information are discussed and consistent communication and information exchange takes place. Good levels of support ensure that all children are included and receive a great deal of individual attention so that their needs are effectively met. This ensures children develop and make good progress.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are valued and respected as individuals. Staff use praise and encouragement very effectively which develops children’s confidence and self-esteem. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They behave very well and are able to take turns, share play resources and show concern for others. Their view of the wider world is promoted well with activities, topics and images used to aid discussion. This helps children to develop awareness and respect for diversity.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents' views are sought and valued. Discussions with parents demonstrate they feel they are welcome in the setting and they are happy with the quality of care their children receive. A good range of information is available for them. They receive monthly newsletters and policies and children's activities are displayed around the nursery. Parents also receive six weekly written reports regarding their child's progress. However, the setting's complaint procedure has not been updated which potentially compromises children's welfare. Partnership with parents and carers of children who receive nursery education is good. Parents are kept well informed about what their child is learning and how well they are progressing. This regular information helps parents to become involved in their child's learning.

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Organisation

The organisation is satisfactory. Overall children's needs are met. All staff develop very positive relationships with the children which enhances their experiences and well-being. All staff hold an early years qualification with the exception of one member of staff who is currently undertaking training. Staff undertake

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 ongoing training such as the 'Birth to three matters' framework, first aid and child protection which helps to ensure child care practices in the nursery are up-to-date. There are effective recruitment and vetting systems in place and the adult to children ratios are maintained. This helps to ensure children are well protected. Good emphasis is given to monitoring how well the National Standards are being implemented and how improvements could be made. Consequently, most of the outcomes for children are good. All the required documentation which is required for the efficient and safe management of the provision and to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained and up-to-date with the exception of the complaints policy.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management of the nursery education is good. The manager of the setting is enthusiastic and eager to make ongoing improvements. This provides a positive role model for the staff team who work well together and are also eager to make ongoing improvements. Systems are in place to monitor the effectiveness of the education which has resulted in many strengths in the provision, although this is not yet fully comprehensive enough to identify all areas which could be improved.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the setting was asked to ensure that information relating to child protection procedures was available for staff and parents. There is now information on the parents board relating to child protection and the policy is also displayed in other areas around the nursery for staff. This helps to ensure both parents and staff are able to act accordingly if they are concerned about a child's welfare.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 • make drinking water accessible throughout the day • update the written complaints policy • increase children's privacy in the toilet area • make creative materials more accessible.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • continue to develop the system to monitor the effectiveness of the nursery education • identify more comprehensively children's next stage of learning.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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