Woodville Primary School

Rainbow Playgroup Inspection report for early years provision

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140447 Unique Reference Number 17 October 2007 Inspection date Anahita Aderianwalla Inspector

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Baptist Church Hall, 2 Dukes Avenue, London, N10 2PT Setting Address

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E-mail

Rainbow Playgroup Parent Management Committee Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional 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 Playgroup is a voluntary committee led organisation that opened in 1979. It is situated in the Muswell Hill area, within easy walking distance of local amenities and local bus routes. It operates from a church hall and has access to a small lobby area, a large hall, kitchen and toilet areas. The playgroup serves the local community and beyond.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 18 children aged from two to under five years on roll, this includes nine funded children. The playgroup opens five days a week, term time only, from 09:30 to 12:00.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are three full time staff who work with the children, all of whom hold Early Years qualifications.

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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 are learning the importance of good personal hygiene through well organised activities and routines. They wash their hands after using the toilet, before and after cooking, and before eating their snack. The children are protected from infection because the practitioners are well informed about children's health care matters. They benefit from staff acting as positive role models, having a good understanding of first aid and the correct administrative procedures to be followed if accidents occur or children need medication. Required documentation, such as emergency treatment, is in place.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children gain understanding of healthy eating through the varied range of nutritious snacks they enjoy whilst in the nursery. Allergies and parental wishes are discussed prior to the child commencing the provision, it is recorded and accommodated. Children are offered regular drinks of water to help them to remain well hydrated so that they can think effectively. Children enjoy making fruit salads, as this helps them to learn about healthy eating through meaningful activities and through the subsequent discussions with their key workers.

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Helping children to be healthy

The needs of all children are well met by adults who have a good understanding of their developmental needs. A good range of large and small equipment inside enables children to develop new physical skills according to their stage of development. Children are learning to listen to their bodies and rest and be active according to their needs. They are able to take a rest in the comfortable book corner if they want to. They are aware of others as they move round the space. They handle small pieces of construction toys competently and expertly use scissors, glue sticks and other tools, developing co-ordination and manipulative dexterity.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play and relax within premises that are clean, well maintained, warm and welcoming to the parents and children. They benefit from the staff having an appropriate, understanding of safety issues and the need to take positive steps to prevent accidents. For example, staff are well deployed and premises are secure, socket covers are fitted to exposed points and toys are checked daily. Children show their knowledge and understanding of personal safety when they talk about what they do at home, for example, ‘you have to be careful when you play in the water'. If you spill it on the kitchen floor you might slip.’ Adults further support children’s learning about safety when they provide ‘road safety’ activities indoors. This helps children to extend their knowledge of personal safety in play situations.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children play with a wide range of safe, age-appropriate, good quality toys. They are well organised in child-height furniture to encourage children to choose and make choices independently. They are kept clean and maintained in good condition.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children’s welfare is safeguarded and promoted by staff who have a sound understanding of child protection procedures, which are in line with those set out by the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Training in child protection is provided for all staff when they start to work at the nursery and a designated person ensures that any concerns are dealt with effectively so that children’s best interests are maintained; their well-being is actively promoted.

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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

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy, confident and enjoy their time at the setting. All children engage eagerly in the range of interesting activities that are provided. For example, they play with water to learn about capacity or with play dough to learn about texture and explore their senses. Children’s experiences are enhanced by the skilful interaction of the qualified members of staff who use their knowledge and understanding of how children learn to plan activities that meet children’s overall developmental needs. They are confident, and demonstrate good self-esteem and show high levels of independence in carrying out tasks, such as tidying up by themselves. They have good social skills, play cooperatively with their peers and realise the need to take turns, for example, when filling up sand in different sized containers. Children have warm relationships with the staff and are forming good friendships with their peer group. Staff make

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

full use of the Birth to three matters framework to monitor the development of the younger children. Children enjoy a very happy and sociable morning at pre school.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Constant chatter between the children during their play and with adults at specific activities provide the children with opportunities to develop their language skills. They are encouraged through open-ended questions to talk about what they are doing. They also model language they have heard in various scenarios during role play. Older children are beginning to attempt to write their own names, as they have lots of opportunities to practice pre-writing and mark making skills, for example, with chalk, free painting, marks in foam, using stencils, tracing, or on magnetic boards. They also recognise some of the letters, usually the initial one of their name in a variety of formats, such as on a keyboard or in a book.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Evidence shows that children express and communicate their ideas, thoughts and feelings by using a widening range of materials, suitable tools, imaginative and role play, movement, designing and making, and a variety of songs and musical instruments. Children really love creative activities, with extended periods particularly spent with dough, foam and paint, cutting and sticking, and sand or water play. They use their imaginations as they engage in role play daily, supported by realistic props and appropriate dressing up clothes, which staff ensure are available to all children. Children also have lots of opportunities to explore and investigate using their senses, for example, they discuss how ants live and make an ant farm with baked mud, filled with an assortment of tubes and pipes to resemble tunnels that ants can crawl through, or try various ways to make models with differing sets of construction.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children use number names during their play and count groups of items reliably. They talk about ‘big, big water’ and ‘little bits’ of paint, using the language of mathematics confidently. They talk about shapes in their physical play as they use different shaped hoops. They use number names and recognise numbers when they press the buttons on the telephone in the role play area.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

All of the staff working with children have a good knowledge and understanding of the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Foundation Stage curriculum and clear plans enable them to know how activities contribute to children’s progress. They plan an interesting range of activities over time so that children access a broad and balanced range of learning opportunities. Key workers monitor children's progress towards the early learning goals and use the stepping stones to track development. The staffing

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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 team is aware of the areas of development covered by planned and spontaneous activities. For example, the children decided to draw gingerbread men after reading a story about the 'Gingerbread men'. They plan and provide a varied programme of suitably challenging activities that cover all aspects of the curriculum and support children's progress towards the early learning goals. Staff regularly evaluate weekly activities and continually seek ways to improve the provision. However, the current procedures for evaluation do not always sufficiently relate to children's individual learning. Consequently, the current system is not consistently effective in helping to identify all children's next steps or further learning needs.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children are generally well motivated and are fully engaged in the ‘free play’ learning experiences provided each day. They show high levels of self-esteem and form very good relationships with others. They work harmoniously together to solve problems and they initiate their own activities choosing from the easily accessible toys and equipment indoors. The staff sensitively help children to respect each other's needs and to share resources. For example, explaining carefully about how to ‘take turns’ when playing at the play dough table together. Children behave well, take responsibility for the nursery by helping to tidy away activities and understand what is expected of them. Staff listen to children and take their conversations seriously so that they feel that they are respected and their ideas are valued.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. They have opportunities to learn about the world they live in and to learn about all members of society. They play with small world figures, look at books and take part in a wide range of cultural and religious celebrations. In addition children talk about what they do at home during circle time so that they learn about each other’s family cultures and beliefs. A sound system is in place to support children with English as an additional language. However, a lack of access to resources hinders the promotion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is very good. It contributes effectively to the progress and well-being of children who receive funded early education. Children benefit from the highly positive relationships between their parents and key workers. Key workers and parents or carers meet each day to discuss children’s progress. As a result, parents are well informed and children’s individual needs are well met. Parents receive very clear information about the nursery, the activities children take part in and details of how these activities contribute to children’s progress towards the early learning goals. They are made aware that the group have an open door policy and are encouraged to spend as much time as they like at the setting. Some parents take the opportunity of talking to staff about their child's achievements and progress daily on arrival or collection. Regular questionnaires provide opportunities for parents’ views about the provision

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Helping children make a positive contribution

to be sought and the nursery responds positively to their comments for developing practice. Parents say that they value the ‘very warm, friendly atmosphere and wonderful staff’ who care for their children.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The leadership and management of the nursery is good. All staff are suitably qualified and experienced in their roles. There are good procedures for recruitment and induction that ensure all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Space indoors is well organised to ensure

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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 children gain fully from all activities. Staff deployment is effective and staff work directly with the children at all times. All regulation documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well-being is in place. Staff work well as a team and clear communication and guidance allows them to provide a stimulating, well-balanced programme. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

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Organisation

The clear aims for the provision reflect the commitment to improving the quality of care and education. There are regular appraisals that identify training needs and staff are encouraged to enrol on relevant courses. This supports staff in their role and ensures they have the latest and the most relevant information available. All records are well maintained and in the process of being updated.

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Organisation

Staff set out a very good range of interesting resources and equipment each day in the premises. As a result, they provide an attractive, stimulating play space with plenty of room for children to move around safely and independently. Children and their families are warmly welcomed into the setting each day by staff who greet them with smiles and encouraging comments. As a result, children are confident members of the nursery community.

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Organisation

The provision meets the range of needs of the children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the provider agreed to update complaints procedure to include the correct details of the regulating body; and to update the Child protection policy, to ensure procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff or volunteer is included in 'your written child'. The provider has updated all policies required. The provider was asked to ensure that the setting acquired an insurance policy and for it to be displayed. The provider has displayed the insurance certificate required. Since the last inspection the provider has improved the organisation and the deployment of staff, when settling children and group children to ensure continuity of care. As a result, the outcomes for children's safety has improved and staff deliver a balanced programme of activities that cover all areas of learning that meets the needs for all children.

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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 children have access to resources that promote disabilities.

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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 ways of recording children's starting points and next steps when planning their progress using the Foundation Stage curriculum

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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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