St Thomas More High School for Boys

Rainbow Playgroup

Inspection report for early years provision

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Rainbow Playgroup

Unique Reference Number 115363 Inspection date 23 March 2006 Inspector Judith Harris

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Rainbow Playgroup

Setting Address Committee Room, Community Centre,Falconwood Parade, Welling, Kent, DA16 2ET Telephone number 07815 164184

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E-mail

Registered person The Committee of Rainbow Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional 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 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 Pre- School opened in 1992. It operates from the Falconwood Community Centre. The group has sole use of a small hall, with a kitchen and toilet facilities. A maximum of 15 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. The pre-school is open each weekday from 9:30 to 12:00, term time only. Outside, children use an enclosed, grassed area. The group serves families from the surrounding residential area of Welling and is supported by a parent committee.

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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 There are currently 10 children on role. This includes children in receipt of funding for nursery education. The setting supports children with special needs and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 4 staff; 3 of the staff, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children have good hygiene routines. They are accompanied to the toilet and helped to wash hands in the hand basin. They use wipes in the play-room to clean hands before and after snack. The children are aware of why they need to have clean hands and they help themselves to wipes when they sit down to snack. Tables are cleaned with anti-bacterial spray and staff use good hygiene routines for themselves. Children have a good range of daily physical play in the room and in the garden. Inside, children move freely and safely around the room showing consideration for others. In the garden children play with a wide range of physical play equipment, in a large outdoor area. Children ride bikes and push buggies; they play with balls and develop role play for games in the garden. Staff report that the outdoor area is part of their planning and they use it in all weathers, to ensure the children have regular

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Helping children to be healthy

opportunities to exercise and practise physical skills. Children have a daily snack; they sit at the table and pour drinks for themselves. Children are offered a healthy variety of snacks, which are linked to any festivals they are celebrating or to the themed activities. Children are encouraged to try a variety of different foods and fruit from different countries, the staff talk to the children about where the different foods come from. Details of children's dietary restrictions are kept on children's files.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. The pre-school use a room in a community centre, which is accessed by parents through the garden. Arrivals and departures are carefully monitored and children are not able to leave the room without a member of staff. The levels of supervision are good, children are constantly in sight of staff in the play room and staff give effective levels of supervision in the garden. Children are supported to develop skills that help them to identify risks. An adult talks to children about safety in the garden, she explains to them that she is going out to check the garden area to see that it is safe, she talks to them about not running inside and about being careful of others. Children show that they understand about keeping themselves safe, about not walking around the room carrying scissors or pencils. Children have a good range and balance of toys and equipment. Staff check the toys,

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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 as they put them out everyday and check all equipment as they use it; there are schedules for cleaning toys within the pre-school's routines. Children are provided with a range of resources and toys, which are suitable for their age and levels of understanding. Staff closely monitor the children's choice of toys and support them to use the toys with care and appropriate levels of safety, that do not restrict them to explore and investigate. Regular risk assessments for all areas are carried out and adults check all areas used by the children daily, when they set up the pre-school; the garden is checked before children are allowed outside. There are regular drills for safe evacuation in an emergency and all accident records are up to date and shared with parents. Staff hold current first aid certificates. This means they can give appropriate care if there is

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

an accident. A child protection policy is in place which contains information about how to record and report any concerns. Staff show a good awareness of the procedures and signs and symptoms; however, the policy does not include steps to be taken if allegations are made against staff.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children play in the play-room, where they have areas for different types of play and can move freely from one area to another. They have role play; book corner; drawing and writing area; and math and creative activities. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good; adults have a sound knowledge of the Foundation Stage and plan well for children with a good range and balance of activities. An effective system of observations of individual children’s progress is used, which enables adults to plan for children’s next steps. The children are all very busy and staff engage with them enthusiastically, the levels of interaction are excellent and the children are challenged and extended by the use of open questions. Children clearly feel safe and secure, with a good sense of belonging and very good levels of independence. Children's records are well kept and effectively

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

show how they are progressing. Planning is good; it is concise and clearly links to early learning goals. Planning states what children will do and what learning intentions are; there are extensions for the Birth to three matters framework. A few of the daily observations are not dated. Children use a good range of language and are able to practise writing at a range of activities. They have constant access to the book corner, which they use frequently, telling each other stories and asking an adult to read to them. Children are clearly familiar with the process: at story time, they talk about the book and how it is constructed, the title, the author and they all join in to tell the story. Children use a good range of mathematical language at the rattle snake activity, they talk about more and less and how many more they will need to make the sound. Planning shows maths activities throughout the week and how these are integrated into

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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 themed activities. Children take part in a creative activity; they make the rattle snakes using a broad range of collage materials; an adult sits with them and they are free to choose how they will make the snake and how to decorate it. Children relish the activity; they are animated and enthusiastic, they talk about what they need to make the sound for the rattle snake and what they need to decorate the tubes. Children talk about the size and shape of the collage objects and the colours and feel. The adults talk with the children using an effective range of language, which extends the children and encourages thought processes. Children use imagination to create a role play game; they play a picnic game, they have a blanket and plates and cups for the picnic. Children use a wide range of language and negotiation, to organise the

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

game and decide who will have each role. One child is the "mummy" and when the picnic is then finished the "mummy" says "it's time to go home"; then they say it's raining and they run to collect the picnic stuff. Children play with a range of programmable toys, calculators and phones. They have activities that help them understand about growing things and the natural world. Children learn about the wider world through tasting different foods and looking at festivals from different cultures and religions. Free access to purely creative activities is not available on a daily basis.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The pre-school have an equal opportunities policy, which is effectively used to support children's understanding of different faiths, cultures and the wider world. Staff have good information about a range of festivals including Eid, Dwali and Chinese new year. There is an extensive commitment by all staff, who are proactive in researching information, and positive about promoting equality of opportunity. The pre-school have a special needs co-ordinator (SENCO) who is responsible for attending meetings with the area SENCO, drawing up individual plans and keeping records of any children with special needs. The SENCO shows a good understanding of how to use the plans and records, and the pre-school are committed to effectively including children with special needs. Children are well behaved and there is a comprehensive policy for behaviour management, which is consistently applied by staff. Adults clearly know the children

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Helping children make a positive contribution

well and are aware of any areas that may cause the children to become upset and step in quickly, to defuse any potential problems. Adults use distraction and talk to children about how their behaviour affects others. Children have very good levels of independence; they pour their own drinks at snack time and are free to choose from the range of activities provided for them. Children play well together and the adults consistently support them to share and wait for a turn. The children organise their own play in the role play area without adult intervention. They are able to negotiate who will play which part in the game and take turns for themselves. Adults are vigilant but allow children to find their own solutions wherever possible. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered. Partnership with parents is good; the pre-school have effective systems for sharing

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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 information with parents. At admission, parents are shown the policies and procedures and there is a policy for parental involvement. Parents are given regular information about their children's progress and all records are shared with them. Parents make positive comments about the service.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The staff team is the same as at the last inspection and all staff have completed the necessary checks. The pre-school have suitable systems for checking any new employees and a system for ensuring staff have access to training as required. Children play in a well organised space with good levels of adult support. Adults are well deployed, which clearly supports the children to develop confidence and good levels of safety. The pre-school have a good range of policies and procedures, which are effectively put into practise to best support the children’s care and education. All children's records are present, up to date and shared with parents as required. Leadership and management are good; this is a close knit team of people, who have worked together for a number of years and clearly work very well as a team. The staff team use an effective planning and systems for individual observations. The team are

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Organisation

obviously aware of their strengths and weaknesses and work together to address these. They make best use of training and support form the advisory teacher. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides care and education.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The pre-school have developed a policy for inclusion of children with special needs; a system of risk assessments for all areas, which include possible risks and solutions; permissions for emergency medical treatment are in place.

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Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted 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 records 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

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 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): • review child protection policy to include steps to be taken if an allegation is made against a member of staff.

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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): • review observations of children to ensure they are all dated. • extend opportunities for children have to access to free creative activities that are separate from the themed activity.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements 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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