Rainbow Day Nursery

Rainbow Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY309816 Inspection date 03/09/2009 Inspector Anna Davies

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Setting address Former Village School, Grantchester Road, Trumpington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 9LH Telephone number 01223 847444 Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Rainbow Day Nursery was registered in 2006 and is privately owned and managed. It operates from a former village school in the Trumpington area of Cambridge. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens each weekday from 8.00am until 6.00pm for 51 weeks of the year. Access into and out of the nursery is at ground level and there are disabled toilet facilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 43 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 80 children aged from three months to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 10 members of staff, seven of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2. The Proprietor/Manager holds a Level 6 qualification and Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) and the Deputy holds a Level 5 qualification. Two staff are working towards recognised qualifications. The setting provides funded early education for three and four-year-olds.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They make suitable progress in their learning and development through the provision of an appropriate range of activities, although, assessment procedures are not yet fully effective in ensuring that individual children's learning potential is fulfilled. Most policies, procedures and records are used effectively to underpin arrangements to safeguard children's health and welfare. The setting works hard to provide an inclusive environment, respecting children's backgrounds and individual needs. Partnerships with parents and other settings are strong which ensures that children receive a continuity of care and learning.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Some formal and informal systems are in place to monitor and evaluate the provision and these help the manager and staff to identify areas for improvement and development.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 obtain information about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and welfare). 03/10/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 ensure that children's next steps specifically relate to the aspects of learning to be promoted and are linked to the planning of activities in order to promote highly individualised learning opportunities  develop the system of risk assessments to cover anything with which a child may come into contact, this specifically relates to the outside garden areas  ensure that arrangements for the preparation of food and babies feeds are suitable, this specifically relates to the organisation and hygiene of the main kitchen.

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the early years provision

Robust recruitment procedures ensure that children are cared for by suitable staff. Staff are appropriately deployed in relation to maintaining ratios and meeting children's needs. Support is given to the ongoing training and professional development of staff and these needs are monitored through regular appraisals. Staff have a sound awareness of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child in their care. Risk assessments for the most part, are detailed enough to ensure that children are cared for in a safe environment. There is an annual and daily risk assessment conducted for the outdoor areas. However, these are not detailed enough to cover everything with which a child may come into contact when playing in this area. As a result, not all potential hazards are identified and action taken to minimise risks to children. For example, an outside storage box containing unsuitable items for

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the early years provision

children to play with, is insecure when the wind blows the lid opens. The premises are secure, children are unable to leave the premises unsupervised and visitors are required to ring the door bell to gain access.

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the early years provision

The manager has a clear vision about what it is she wants to achieve, a 'home from home' environment where staff, children and parents form a genuine bond. Regular staff meetings are used to discuss ideas about how to further develop the nursery and staffs ideas are valued. As a result, there is generally effective and efficient use of staff skills, resources and the environment to promote children's wellbeing, learning and development. Most policies and procedures are up-to-date and in line with requirements and these are accessible for parents. The setting has established firm partnerships with parents and other settings that children also attend. Good information is obtained from parents when children start to enable staff to get to know children quickly. However, the setting does not obtain information about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. This is a breach of a requirement of the Early Years

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the early years provision

Parents receive good information about all aspects of the setting through a detailed prospectus and welcome pack, regular newsletters and informative parents area in the hallway. They have devised good ideas to encourage parents to become involved in their child's learning, for example, 'Pooh Bear' is able to go home or go on travels with the children to provide a link between the nursery and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 home and parents are welcomed into the setting to share family experiences such as a new baby as well as different culture and languages spoken. 'All about me' sheets are completed by parents every six months to enable them to share information about their child's learning and interests at home. Parents receive good information about their child's progress through biannual parents evenings and daily communication books. The setting is proactive at seeking parents views

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the early years provision

on the provision, for example, through informal chats at coffee mornings, through the suggestion box or more formally in questionnaires. The setting have established good systems for sharing information with other provisions that the children attend, ensuring a consistency of care and learning.

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the early years provision

The setting promotes equality of opportunity and has a positive attitude towards working with parents and other agencies in order to support and meet children's individual needs. All children and families are valued by staff who take the time to talk to children about their personal experiences such as starting school or their younger siblings. This, together with displays of children's work and some in different languages gives children and families a sense of belonging and of being valued.

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the early years provision

The setting have worked with their Early Years Advisor to self-evaluate the provision and staff have been able to put forward their own ideas and suggestions for further development such as the reorganisation of the baby room to make best use of available space and to ensure a good range of toys and resources are easily accessible to the youngest children to promote independence. Plans for the future include obtaining a grant which has been applied for, to further develop the outdoor environment which will increase the learning opportunities offered to the children in the settings outdoor areas.

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and outcomes for children

Staff ensure that children enjoy a suitable range of activities across all areas of learning which take account of their interests and topic themes. Rooms are appropriately organised and resourced, providing children with opportunities to self-select toys, resources and materials to support their play ideas. Free flow play opportunities at certain times of the day enable toddlers and pre-school aged children to mix which please some children as they are able to spend time with their siblings. Assessment files in the form of 'Learning journey's' are in place for each child which contain regular observations of children's learning and summaries of their progress each term. Whilst some next steps are being identified, the link between assessment and planning is not secure in ensuring each child is able to fully reach their learning potential because the next steps are not specific to the aspect learning that is needing to be promoted and does not link to the planned

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and outcomes for children

activities to ensure that highly individualised learning opportunities are offered.

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and outcomes for children

Staff spend their time with the children, sitting at their level and interacting appropriately. For example, they sing favourite songs with younger children such as 'wind the bobbin up' and 'wheels on the bus', helping them to experiment and investigate paint or dry pasta. Staff working with the younger children are aware This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of promoting babies and toddlers sensory and exploratory development as they enjoy activities such as investigating baked beans, flour and mashed potato. Children have formed warm relationships with staff and those settling in demonstrate their key attachments and feelings of security, for example, by preferring their key worker to feed and comfort them. Children are appropriately supported to develop their skills for their future economic wellbeing. For example, they enjoy books and snuggle together with staff in 'Christopher Robins Reading

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and outcomes for children

House' and older children begin to understand about sounds and letters as they take items from a bag and think about what sound it begins with and confidently state 'I've got 2 A's in my name'. Some older children are able to write their names and other simple words with the letters formed accurately. Children are encouraged to problem solve, for example, as they come in they count the number of children and grown ups and add the two numbers together. Children enjoy the outdoor environment and have opportunities here to develop their physical skills on play equipment or moving and running in the space available. They learn about the world around them for example, as older children study the life cycle of the frog or babies sit in a tray of oats, watching as the mixture falls through their fingers. Children learn to appreciate the diverse society in which they live through sensitive discussions about similarities and differences in people, celebrations of

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and outcomes for children

multicultural festivals, the suitable range of resources that reflect diversity and the display of different languages around the nursery. Themed role play areas in each room enable children to develop their imaginations, for example, as they play 'doctors'. Children behave well, they are suitably engaged in activities and show consideration for others. Behaviour management strategies are discussed at staff meetings, focussing on positive reinforcement.

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and outcomes for children

Children demonstrate a sense of security in the setting. They confidently speak to staff and settle readily, even when they have only attended the nursery for a short amount of time. They are encouraged to understand about their own safety with reminders to sit on chairs properly in case they fall. They demonstrate a good understanding of the importance of good hygiene and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through discussions and displays such as healthy and non healthy foods and personal hygiene. Accident and medication records are maintained appropriately and all staff hold valid first aid qualifications to ensure they are able to deal effectively with minor accidents. Parents are asked to provide main meals for their children and the setting provides fresh fruit for snacks and a light tea if required. Parents are given clear guidance on healthy packed lunch contents and this is effective in ensuring that children receive a balanced diet across the nursery

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and outcomes for children

day. Food brought in from home is generally stored in the fridges in each of the children's room and these are clean and hygienic. The main kitchen is used for preparing the light tea and the heating of babies milk feeds and food in the microwave. However, this area is cluttered and disorganised and the microwave is not clean which does not promote children's good health. Suitable systems to ensure that drinks are available to children at all times are in place in all rooms. Children's specific dietary requirements are appropriately documented to ensure that they are respected. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 3

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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