Birstall Rainbow Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 23/02/2004 Inspector Name David Spencer

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Full Day Care Setting Name Birstall Rainbow Nursery Setting Address 68 - 74 Wanlip Lane Birstall Leicestershire LE4 4GF

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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ABOUT THE INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality and standard of day care in accordance with the National Standards for Under Eights Day Care and Childminding; and that the nursery education for funded three and four year old children is of an acceptable quality. Inspection of nursery education also identifies strengths and weaknesses so that providers can improve the quality of educational provision and help children to achieve the early learning goals (elgs) by the end of the Foundation Stage. This inspection report must be made available to all parents. If the setting has been inspected previously, an action plan will have been drawn up to tackle issues identified. This inspection, therefore, must also assess what progress has been made in the implementation of this plan.

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Information about the setting

Birstall Rainbow Nursery School is one of a group of nurseries owned by Susan Slipper and is situated in Birstall in Leicestershire. The nursery opened in 1989. It serves the community in Birstall and the surrounding area. Rainbow Nursery operates in three rooms on the ground floor of the premises. They offer full and half day sessions and the nursery is open from 08:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday. There are 18 members of staff employed to care for the children plus support staff. Of the staff group, 11 hold recognised childcare qualifications and the rest are working to obtain them. There are currently 106 children on the register. The nursery is organised into four groups. The under two year olds are in the first room, the two and three year olds in the second. The three and four year old groups share one large room. There is some flexibility in the age ranges within each room. There is a large area for outside play at the rear of the building.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered to receive Nursery Education Funding. There are 27 funded three-year-olds and 15 funded four-year-olds. They have children on the register who have special needs and children with English as an additional language.

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How good is the Day Care?

Birstall Rainbow Nursery, provides satisfactory care for children. The comprehensive operational plan ensures that effective procedures are in place for the care and development of the children. The staff pay careful attention to most aspects of safety. There are appropriate systems in place for the maintenance of high standards of health and hygiene. The nursery provides a cheerful and welcoming environment for the children. There is an organised programme of internal and external staff training in place. There are a wide range of toys, books and materials available for the children so that they can improve their skills, independence and imagination through their play. There is an interesting and varied programme of activities in all the rooms to help the

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How good is the Day 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; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 children learn and widen their knowledge of the world. Resources and activities are provided that promote equality of opportunity and that help the children to appreciate the value of diversity. The staff work to include children with special needs in all activities and to ensure that their needs are met. The staff have a caring approach to the children and their interaction with them is generally good. Parents are kept fully informed of their children's progress through parent's evenings, informal contact, daily care records, termly reports, newsletters and events. The children in the room for babies benefit from the well-organised routines and play opportunities provided. There is no quiet area for the children to sleep. The children

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How good is the Day Care?

in the room for two year olds have a good programme of activities to help the children learn and develop, though space for children to play quietly and relax is limited. The pre-school children have a good combination of educational activity and free play. The use and organisation of space in this room is not always appropriate for children under the age of three.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the nursery agreed to make safe a wire in the children's bathroom; to ensure that the radiators do not present a hazard for children; and that the nappy changing facilities comply with environmental health standards. They also agreed to seek written permission from parents for seeking medical treatment in an emergency and to keep a record of incidents of physical intervention. The wire has been made safe; the radiators are now guarded; and new equipment has been installed in the nappy changing area. Written permission is now obtained for seeking medical treatment in an emergency and an incident record book is in use.

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What is being done well?

• A good range of activities is provided for the children so that they can learn and develop. Staff interact well with the children which helps them to improve their language skills. • There is a wide selection of toys, books and play materials available for the children so that they can play individually and co-operatively. • The nursery provides good quality meals that are cooked on the premises. A balanced and nutritious diet helps the children to stay fit and well. • Appropriate provision is in place to support children who have special needs. The staff work with the parents to ensure that the particular needs of these children are met. • There is good two way communication with parents to help with the children's development and to make sure that the parents are fully aware of the policies and procedures of the nursery.

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What needs to be improved?

• the organisation of space in the room used by the three and four year olds

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What needs to be improved?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 • the sleeping arrangements for the babies • the security of the outside play area • the safety of children under the age of two in high chairs.

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CONDITIONS OF REGISTRATION

All registered persons must comply with all conditions of registration included on his/her certificate of registration. As a result of this inspection conditions of registration have been imposed / varied / removed and a new certificate of registration will be issued.

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 4 Provide a quiet area for babies to enable individual sleep patterns to be facilitated. 6 Make sure that the children are supervised in outside play area with regard to parents entering and leaving the premises. 6 Ensure that, when in high and low chairs, children under two are restrained in safety harnesses. 2 Review the organisation of space within the room that is used by three and four year olds.

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by the time of the next inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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How effective is the nursery education?

The Birstall Rainbow Nursery provides a friendly, welcoming environment where children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The quality of teaching is generally good. Staff provide children with an active learning environment in which they are able to access a range of interesting and stimulating activities. The quality of teaching overall is generally good. Staff's knowledge and understanding of the six areas of learning and stepping-stones towards these is developing. The curriculum is planned using the early learning goals as the targets for activities in the long and medium term plans. The staff are beginning to use the stepping-stones with the short term planning, however, the activities are not planned or evaluated effectively or used to inform future planning. This leads to challenges being set inappropriately for some children. Staff work well as a team and help children to feel secure in their environment. They have high

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How effective is the nursery education?

expectations for children's behaviour, and encourage and praise children for their efforts and achievements, which promotes good behaviour and self-esteem. The leadership and management of the nursery are generally good. The management has a constructive approach to reviewing organisation and to developing improvement for any areas of perceived weakness. Training is sought for all those that require it, and regular meetings and yearly appraisals are in place to ensure that the staff are able to develop their knowledge. The partnership with parents is generally good. Staff have developed positive, constructive relationships with parents who receive good communication from the nursery, including written and verbal information. There are termly newlestters and a formal evening each year to share the records of children's progress. There are also opportunities for parents and carers to take activities home with their children to

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What is being done well?

• There are good opportunities for children to explore number and it's meaning. Staff explore and extend on what children know with regard to number and use in adult led activities. • There are a good range of stimulating activities available for children to develop their hand-eye co-ordination, such as sticking, cutting and construction. • Staff establish a calm and relaxed atmosphere and help children show care and concern for each other and their surroundings by effective use of consistency, explanation and praise.

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What is being done well?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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What needs to be improved?

• Staff's knowledge and understanding of the stepping-stones towards the six areas of learning. • Planning of curriculum so that the learning intentions for children are clear to staff supporting each activity, and ensure that the use of assessment and evaluation is used to inform the future plans to ensure that appropriate targets are set for individual children. • Opportunities for children to mark-make and express themselves in freely chosen craft activities.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

At the last inspection the group were asked to consolidate the planning procedures to ensure they are manageable and provide an effective aid to teaching. Steps have been taken to do this and there are long, medium and short term plans in place that focus on the six areas of learning and the activities needed on a daily basis to ensure these are included. However, the short-term plans do not effectively link to the children's current stage of learning in each of the six development areas and therefore learning intentions for some activities are missed. The group were also asked to ensure that the assessment process is manageable, and used effectively to inform planning for the children's next steps in learning. The staff are beginning to assess children using the early learning profiles which link to the stepping-stones towards the six areas of learning. However, the assessments do not show how these

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What has improved since the last inspection?

steps were made and activities are not yet linked to stepping-stones to ensure that assessments can be completed effectively.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children concentrate and sit quietly when appropriate within both adult led and non-adult led groups. They are interested in the activities that they access, and more able children are confident to try out new things. Children are kind to each other, share and take turns fairly. They are developing an awareness of others needs. Children are developing independence when putting on their coats and aprons, however there are limited opportunities to develop some aspects of personal independance.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Children show enjoyment and interest in stories, songs and rhymes. They use their emerging self-confidence in language to express their experiences, feelings and imagination. Children are developing their language with staff support, and are beginning to link sounds to letters in adult led activities, and occasionally in their play. They are not always able to develop their mark-making skills on a regular basis. They enjoy books and use them well and take books home to share with their parents.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children show curiosity in numbers and use number names accurately in their play. They count from 1 to 10, and more able children are able to count above this. They recognise shapes, follow patterns, and compare quantity and size. Children are able to follow subtraction/addition through relevant songs and rhymes, but they are not always able to extend their knowledge in all activities. They are beginning to use positional language and more able children attempt to solve practical problems.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are beginning to show an awareness of changes in the environment and explore the living world and objects of interest within the setting, however, they do not regularly explore the local environment. They are able to construct with a purpose in mind, and use a variety of techniques in adult led activities. They are not always able to develop these skills freely. Children use the computer well and complete simple functions on it. They explore other cultures in planned activities.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children move confidently and with freedom and pleasure. They are able to run, hop and jump. They move sideways and backwards, as well as forwards and have an awareness of their own space and others. They manipulate materials and objects with control by picking and threading. Children handle tools well such as scissors and rollers, but these are not always available regularly, for free use. They are developing an awareness of their bodies needs and changes through routine and planned activities.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children are able to use their imagination through various activities, including role play art and crafts in adult led activities, however there are few opportunities for them to select and use a wide range of resources to express their own ideas. They are able to recall familiar songs and can remember the actions for each part of a song. Children explore and recognise sounds and use musical instruments to help them. They respond well to what they smell, taste, touch and feel.

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Children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is fostered

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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OUTCOME OF THE INSPECTION

The provision is acceptable and is of good quality overall. Children are making generally good progress towards the early learning goals. The next inspection will take place in three to four years time.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

• Ensure the curriculum planning is developed so that the learning intentions for children are clear to staff supporting each activity, and that the use of assessment and evaluation is used to inform the future plans to ensure that appropriate targets are set for individual child. •• Develop and extend the staff's knowledge and understanding of the differing stages of development towards the six areas of learning. • Increase the opportunities available for children to mark-make on a regular basis, and to express themselves in freely chosen craft activities.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

The provider must draw up an action plan within 40 working days of receipt of this report showing how the key issues detailed above will be addressed. The action plan must be made available to all parents and to the Local Authority if required. An evaluation of the action taken will form part of the next inspection of funded nursery education.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT: THE KEY ISSUES

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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STANDARD 1 - SUITABLE PERSON

Adults providing day care, looking after children or having unsupervised access to them are suitable to do so.

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STANDARD 2 - ORGANISATION

The registered person meets required adult: child ratios, ensures that training and qualifications requirements are met and organises space and resources to meet the children's needs effectively.

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STANDARD 3 - CARE, LEARNING AND PLAY

The registered person meets children's individual needs and promotes their welfare. They plan and provide activities and play opportunities to develop children's emotional, physical, social and intellectual capabilities.

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STANDARD 4 - PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The premises are safe, secure and suitable for their purpose. They provide adequate space in an appropriate location, are welcoming to children and offer access to the necessary facilities for a range of activities which promote their development.

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STANDARD 5 - EQUIPMENT

Furniture, equipment and toys are provided which are appropriate for their purpose and help to create an accessible and stimulating environment. They are of suitable design and condition, well maintained and conform to safety standards.

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STANDARD 6 - SAFETY

The registered person takes positive steps to promote safety within the setting and on outings and ensures proper precautions are taken to prevent accidents.

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STANDARD 7 - HEALTH

The registered person promotes the good health of children and takes positive steps to prevent the spread of infection and appropriate measures when they are ill.

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STANDARD 8 - FOOD AND DRINK

Children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs. Food and drink is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.

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STANDARD 9 - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

The registered person and staff actively promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children.

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

The registered person is aware that some children may have special needs and is

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NEEDS AND DISABILITIES)

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 proactive in ensuring that appropriate action can be taken when such a child is identified or admitted to the provision. Steps are taken to promote the welfare and development of the child within the setting in partnership with the parents and other relevant parties.

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STANDARD 11 - BEHAVIOUR

Adults caring for children in the provision are able to manage a wide range of children's behaviour in a way which promotes their welfare and development.

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STANDARD 12 - WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS AND CARERS

The registered person and staff work in partnership with parents and to meet the needs of the children, both individually and as a group. Information is shared.

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STANDARD 13 - CHILD PROTECTION

The registered person complies with local child protection procedures approved by the Area Child Protection Committee and ensures that all adults working and looking after children in the provision are able to put the procedures into practice.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

Records, policies and procedures which are required for the efficient and safe management of the provision, or to promote the welfare, care and learning of children are maintained. Records about individual children are shared with the child's parent.

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STANDARD 14 - DOCUMENTATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000; and Section 122 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998

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