Birchills Church of England Community Academy

Rainbow Day Nursery

Inspection report for early years provision

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Rainbow Day Nursery

139435 Unique Reference Number 11 December 2006 Inspection date Linda Pressley Inspector

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Rainbow Day Nursery

Torbay Hosptial Annexe, Newton Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7AA Setting Address

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E-mail

South Devon Healthcare Trust 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 is based in a purpose built building set in large gardens on the Annexe site of Torbay Hospital. Owned by South Devon Healthcare Trust, the nursery provides full day care and holiday care for children of staff employed within the South Devon Health Community. The nursery was established in 1988.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 101 children aged from three months to four years on roll; this includes 31 funded three and four-year-olds. The nursery is open from 07:00 to 18:00. Children attend a variety of sessions. The nursery caters for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for children who speak English as an additional language. There are 28 members of staff working within the nursery. It is a policy of the trust that all staff have a childcare qualification.

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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 The setting also runs a holiday club, which is registered for up to 24 children aged from four to eight years. Additional children up to the age of 11 years may also attend. This provision is open for 13 weeks of the year.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Children are grouped according to age and ability with flexibility to meet the needs of individual children. Currently children are grouped in five rooms, two baby rooms, two toddler rooms and the pre-school room. There are separate rooms for sleeping babies and toddlers. The holiday club is accommodated in a building adjacent to the nursery.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The premises are clean throughout. Children are protected from cross infection by anti-bac hand washing dispensers located in the corridors for staff use and children use liquid soap and paper towels when washing their hands. The setting operates a no shoe policy in the baby rooms ensuring a clean, safe environment for crawling babies and toddlers. Individual, clean bedding is provided for each sleeping baby in the baby rooms while sleeping bags for older toddlers are currently shared until new supplies arrive. These are laundered weekly. Sleeping babies are kept safe by the use of baby monitors and regular visual checks. The health and wellbeing of the youngest children is maintained through following home routines for sleep and feeding. Staff are aware of the effective hygiene routines within the setting which are implemented consistently on most occasions.

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Helping children to be healthy

Healthy eating is promoted throughout the setting and children's personal dietary needs are catered for. Healthy food is offered at lunchtimes, with vegetarian options on offer. Snacks, of varied fresh fruit, bread sticks and fresh milk are readily available to the children, which all children eat with enjoyment. Snack times are managed in an age appropriate manner, for example one to two year olds sit on beanbags, older toddlers sit at the table and the pre-school children select their own drinks and snack in a cafeteria style, learning to take turns and share all of which adds to the enjoyment and social aspect of eating. All children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.

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Helping children to be healthy

The health and wellbeing of the children is promoted through a variety of well implemented policies. The accident book is detailed and up to date, prior parental permission is sought to administer any medication and medication is suitably stored. Children's individual needs, and preferences are recorded, for example food allergies or food dislikes. The setting makes good use of the large outdoor area where children engage in regular physical activity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a safe environment. The setting is very welcoming, with a quiet calm atmosphere, whist maintaining good security systems that ensure no one can enter unobserved and no child can leave unnoticed. There is an intercom system linked directly to each room for parents to request entry. Use of a visitors book records times of arrival and departure ensuring any extra

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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 adults on the premises are identified and accounted for. Internal doors to each base room have high level handles and windows are fitted with safety catches which limit the opening of the windows. In all rooms the equipment is in good condition, fit for its purpose and age appropriate, ensuring the children's safety and comfort. Low chairs are used in the baby room at lunch time and teatime, bean bags are used in the older baby room for children to relax on and children in the pre-school room are seated at child size tables on child size chairs. Risk assessments are carried out routinely, both in the setting and on outings. A daily check is made of the outside area for any hazards and is recorded on a checklist. Outings away from the setting are risk assessed through the venues own risk assessment system and an additional assessment is carried

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

out through a staff visit prior to the outing. The children have ample space to move around freely in a safe, clean environment. All toys are easily accessible to the children. The outdoor area is safe, secure and well maintained. Climbing apparatus is age appropriate. Effective procedures are in place for the emergency evacuation of the building, but fire drills are only carried out six monthly. This does not ensure that all staff and children are familiar with the procedures in the event of an emergency.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Child protection policy is in place and all staff are aware of child protection issues. Policy and procedures are clear and unambiguous.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. The children are happy, settled and separate from parents and carers easily and are eager to take part in the wide range of activities offered. The stimulating environments created within the setting arouse the children's interest and curiosity. Soft lighting and fairy lights in the baby room contribute effectively to the calm, appealing atmosphere. A wide range of activities are planned for the youngest children with regard to the Birth to Three Matters guidance. Staff are able to demonstrate a good understanding of the guidance through the activities offered and their interaction with the children, for example all staff are seated on the floor with the youngest babies. Staff react positively to the children's gestures, facial expressions and early attempts to talk, encouraging the building of relationships and early language skills. Even the youngest children engage in messy play on a daily basis, experiencing water play, playing with

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

jelly and exploring corn flour and water mixtures. Older toddling babies move to music with enthusiasm and pleasure, spinning, rolling and chasing hoops, enabling them to develop bodily control and new physical skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children in the toddler rooms demonstrate high levels of concentration and interest in story sessions. The children are invited to contribute ideas and thoughts as the story progresses through skilful practitioner questioning. Some children approaching three years old are able to identify their names and the initial sound of their name. Independence and experimentation are promoted, for example, when gluing children are given freedom to experiment with the glue watching it trickle from the spreader and to decide how much glue they will need.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

When in operation, the holiday club offers a broad range of indoor and outdoor play activities, including art and craft, den making, board games and computer games. The children have access to a separate all weather, outdoor surface and the garden area which is shared with the nursery. The children are also taken out on excursions to local places of interest, ensuring the

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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 children encounter a broad and balanced range of activities which stimulate interest and exploration.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Teaching and learning is good. The children benefit from a bright, stimulating environment. Bright colourful displays, age appropriate, accessible toys and resources stimulate the children to be interested and inquisitive. Print , shape and number are evident throughout the room. Children are encouraged to be independent both in routines of the day and in educational situations, for example self selection of snacks and graduated support to master skills such as cutting out. The children are competent learners with a significant number of children able to write their own names. Children engage in counting activities with enthusiasm and some are able to identify numbers up to 20 and count accurately pointing to each object. The children's sense of belonging and awareness of print is raised through children selecting their names to register their arrival and through interactive group story times. All children are able to sustain

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

good levels of concentration and interest during group activities, for example when planning what they will make for a display about Christmas. The children display high levels confidence through initiating conversation with adults and initiating and sustaining play ideas for significant periods of time, for example setting up a picnic using resources from the home corner.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All the areas of learning included in the Foundation Stage curriculum are covered in the planning cycle and practitioners are able to demonstrate a good level of understanding of how children learn and develop through the wide range of engaging activities offered to the children. Staff observe children at play and relate their observations to the children's individual development in assessment records, but this is not feeding into specific targets to move the children's learning forward more rapidly. This results in some children not receiving enough challenge.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Good use is made of the outdoor area both for physical activity and to cover other areas of learning. Children benefit from outdoor play all year round. They demonstrate control over large body movements, using the adventure playground to engage in climbing, running and jumping activities. In the summer months children have firsthand experience of growing and then eating their own vegetables, contributing to their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Children's individual creativity and expression is nurtured through open ended art activities using a variety of media, for example paint, chalk and crayon. Children develop small muscle movements through the use of construction toys, small world play and experimenting with pens, pencils and crayons to develop early writing skills.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children within the nursery are developing a range of positive dispositions through a variety of interventions and routines implemented by the staff. Children's behaviour across the setting is good. Staff have age appropriate expectations and set consistent boundaries. All children are supported and praised to reach the expected levels of behaviour. The children are polite, able to initiate conversations and maintain positive relationships with peers and staff. Individuality, difference and diversity are acknowledged through displays, resources and policy, for example diverse religious and cultural celebrations are recognised through the display of a

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 festival calendar in the main corridor. The children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Children with special needs are integrated effectively into the nursery and make steady progress. Staff are able to identify special needs and implement appropriate support through discussion with parents, liaison with outside agencies and individual ongoing observations of children. Specific targets are identified for children with special needs but these are not formally recorded to ensure targets are acknowledged and reviewed.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents is good. Parents and carers of children receiving nursery education are kept well informed about the Foundation Stage curriculum through a newly implemented parent and carer group, where discussion can take place and any concerns can be raised. Regular parent evenings are held where parents can view children's work in the context of the nursery environment, talk to staff and gain an understanding of the Foundation Stage and the type of activities the children are engaged in. Each child has a 'Torbay Passport' where progression towards the early learning goals is recorded. Parents are able to view these regularly and make comment relating to the progression their child is making at home, ensuring that all achievements are acknowledged and recorded. This contributes positively to the continuity in learning experienced by the children. An open door policy is practiced where parents and carers can ask

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Helping children make a positive contribution

about their children's progress or voice concerns. News letters are sent out regularly, outlining forthcoming themes and activities. Planned activities are displayed on the wall of the pre-school room and a wealth of information is supplied to parents regarding what their child will be doing.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The relationship with parents and carers of children under three is also good. Parents and carers have a positive attitude towards the service provided to them by the nursery. Good levels of communication are maintained throughout the nursery, for example through the use baby diaries in which parents, carers and staff can record what the babies have done both at home and in the nursery, ensuring continuity of care. Clear jargon free policies and procedures are displayed in the main corridor, increasing accessibility to parents and ensuring that parents are fully informed regarding policy within the nursery. A wide variety of staff, childcare qualifications are also displayed increasing parent confidence and demonstrating the proportion of well qualified staff employed within the setting.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The efficient organisation of the nursery has a positive impact on the smooth running of the provision and meets the needs of the children for whom it provides. Organisation of the rooms into appropriate age groups, the effective use of space within each room and the planning of varied activities all contribute successfully to the learning, care and enjoyment experienced by the children. Staff ratios are maintained throughout the day and over difficult periods, such as lunchtimes through the employment of extra staff. Both the manager and deputy are not included in the daily ratios for childcare so are able to support staff where necessary, for example to help to settle a new a child with special needs, to cover sudden staff absence or to talk to parents. Good practice is generally consistent across the nursery. This is maintained through regular room meetings to discuss children and policy. There are robust systems in place to

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Organisation

ensure all staff working with children are suitable to do so. All staff are checked prior to working with children and no member of staff is left in sole care of children until all checks have been

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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 carried out. The manager adopts a hands on approach and keeps herself fully informed as to what is happening within the nursery, for example she sees the record of any accidents everyday to ensure child safety, to monitor accidents and to be informed if parents need to talk to her. She is proactive in making ongoing improvements to improve the quality of care and education experienced by the children, for example reviewing and updating the procedure for recording medicine administered and facilitating suitable staff training.

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Organisation

Leadership and management are good. The management of the nursery is strong and efficient. Positive leadership is demonstrated through good support of staff and effective liaison with parents. Staff and management work cooperatively with each other. The manager is aware of the needs of the staff, the children and the parents and carers. Staff are well qualified and training is implemented effectively to ensure the children receive good care and education. Monitoring of planning in accordance with the Foundation Stage Curriculum is effective. Observation feeds well into assessment records, but monitoring of target setting is not sufficiently developed to challenge all children.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the nursery was asked to develop staff members knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and to amend the child protection policy. Since the last inspection amendments have been made to the child protection policy, clearly setting out procedures to be taken in the event of an allegation made against a member of staff. All staff are fully aware of the content of the policy which is integrated into daily practice. This has been achieved through yearly refresher training in child protection issues for all members of staff to ensure all children are safeguarded against harm.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection it was also recommended that the nursery should improve planning and assessment to ensure all children receive appropriate challenge. Planning and observation are currently good, but detailed individual targets for all children are not used to ensure appropriate challenge.

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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.

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Complaints since the last inspection

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 AND 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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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): • ensure all staff and children are aware of the evacuation procedure through regular fire drill practice.

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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): • improve assessment and recording procedures for all children to ensure individual learning targets are identified and children's progression through to the early learning goals is tracked.

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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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