Loseley Fields Primary School

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 07/01/2004 Inspector Name Jan Leo

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Rainbow Playgroup Setting Address Hendon Place Bicester Oxfordshire OX26 4YJ

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Rainbow Playgroup 801422

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Rainbow Playgroup Address Hendon Place Bicester Oxfordshire OX26 4YJ

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ORGANISATION 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

Rainbow Playgroup operates from a purpose built, single storey building at the rear of the Glory Farm School complex. It has no specific catchment area but most of the children using the playgroup move on to the school on site. The playgroup is registered for up to 26 children under the age of 8 years and generally takes children from two and a half. One afternoon session is designated to the rising 3's while the other morning and afternoon sessions are solely for the over 3's. Children with special needs are accepted at the playgroup. No overnight care is offered.

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How good is the Day Care?

Rainbow Playgroup provides satisfactory care for children. It is led by a dedicated group of staff who work well as a team and deploy themselves effectively to support all the children. Staff build very good relationships with the children to help them grow in confidence and become more independent. Children are able to choose what to do from a carefully selected range of activities, designed to help them progress through play. Staff join in with play to extend learning but are careful not to take over and impose their own ideas.Most aspects of health and safety are well met but the recruitment process needs to be formalised and strictly followed to safeguard children's welfare, and some improvement could be made in the recording of accidents. Staff and parents work together to ensure children are provided with healthy snacks and these are shared with friends during sociable refreshment breaks. The children interact very well together and are happy to play alone or in

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How good is the Day Care?

groups. They are kept well occupied, are interested in everything on offer, and behave very well.The staff form satisfactory relationships with parents and carers but information about the group is not always up to date or given out selectively. As a result some important information is difficult for parents to obtain. The committee and staff support each other well but individually, the committee need to become more aware of the national standards and regulations, and their responsibility for running the group. Most of the necessary documentation is in place but some minor amendments are needed to fully conform to requirements.

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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

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable. The last inspection was a transitional one.

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What is being done well?

• Staff deploy themselves well to give support as necessary and ensure all children progress.Staff use excellent interaction to help all children grow in confidence and participate fully in the wide range of activities.The staff organise the resources effectively to help children access them independently.Toys, activities and resources are carefully selected to provide stimulation in all areas and promote progress through play.Staff work skilfully with children to ensure they are well occupied and harmony prevails without activities becoming adult led.

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What needs to be improved?

• the recruitment process, to ensure it is consistent and effective in safeguarding children's from unsuitable adults;staff's and committee's knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures, to ensure the correct process can be followed if concerns are raised;information to parents, to ensure they have contact details for Ofsted and other essential, up to date, information made easily accessible to them;documentation, to make sure the policy regarding children being lost covers what to do if children go missing from the group's premises, and children's accident records are not available for other parents to see.

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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 1 Formalise the recruitment process to ensure that there are effective

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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 procedures in place for checking that staff are suitably qualified and/or experienced to work with children and ensure the process is made clear to new committee members. 2 Amend the lost child policy to include the procedure to follow if a child goes missing from the group's premises 7 Improve confidentiality regarding accident records. 12 Make essential information easily available to parents and ensure they know how to contact the regulator (Ofsted) if they have a concern. 13 Develop knowledge and understanding of child protection issues and ensure the procedure can be put into practice.

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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?

Rainbow Playgroup provides a lively and friendly environment where children are making generally good progress towards the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). The staff provide a varied and interesting range of activities and almost all learning is through play. The quality of teaching is very good. Staff develop excellent relationships with the children to create a light hearted, relaxed atmosphere were children are eager to learn. Staff manage children's behaviour effectively without the need for conflict and children feel valued. The planning is very well thought out to provide a well balanced range of learning experiences both in and out doors, to ensure all children can learn from activities that best suit them. Both staff and students on long term placement follow the plans with ease, and skilfully join in play to help all children progress. Some learning opportunities were missed, and planning could be taken a step

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How effective is the nursery education?

further to include future development and different rates of learning.Leadership and management of the setting is generally good. The staff work well together with little direction needed from the committee. Recent staff and committee changes have highlighted the need to formalise some procedures, and the need to draw on individual strengths to monitor and oversee the provision. Both staff and committee are dedicated to maintaining standards and making improvements to assist with the efficient running of the group, and fully support each other to achieve results. The group's partnership with parents and carers shows significant weaknesses. Despite being contented with the information they are given, parents and carers need to be better informed about the ELGs and how well their children are progressing. There are no formal procedures for reporting children's progress and no system in place to ensure parents can be involved with children's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Staff interact well with the children, deploy themselves well, and provide the necessary input to help all children develop through their individual choice of activity.The children are very confident, sociable, independent and eager to learn. They move freely from one friendship group to another with ease and offer coherent contributions at all times.Staff create a relaxed, jovial atmosphere where children feel confident enough to tease staff and voice their opinions. Minor rebellions are manage effectively and behaviour is very good.Planning is well thought out and skilfully put into practice. Staff have a clear understanding of how children learn from everything around them and take the curriculum outside whenever a child wants to go out.Children can negotiate and share ideas with confidence, and they have well developed imaginations.

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What needs to be improved?

• the process by which parents and carers are informed of their children's

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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 progress, and the opportunities for parents and carers to contribute towards their children's learning;the committee's knowledge and understanding of their role and responsibilities to ensure they can fully support the staff and monitor the effectiveness of the group;work with information and communication technology and programmable toys, to ensure children can develop the confidence and skills needed to use modern technology.

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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 are making very good progress in this area. They are confident and sociable, and can independently select what to do and where to play. The children play well alone, but also move freely from one group of friends to another at will, and are accepted and included at all times. The staff deploy themselves well to oversee play and join in to develop ideas when appropriate.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Generally Good Progress in communication, language and literacy is generally good. Children participate enthusiastically, listen well and respond to adults appropriately. They are beginning to organise and negotiate with their peers and successfully voice their thoughts and feelings to adults and children alike. More opportunities could be given to encourage early writing and reading skills throughout the planned activities and role play.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Progress in mathematics is generally good. Children are given numerous opportunities to develop their counting and number recognition skills, and staff join in play to assist learning and make it fun. A wide range of activities is included in the planning to ensure children experience mathematics in its widest context. However, there were missed opportunities to develop addition and subtraction at snack time and select tools themselves for organised activities to help with problem solving.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Generally Good Children are making generally good progress in this area. They learn about the local environment and wider world through topic work which is well supported by resources and interesting learning opportunities. Themes are carried across the curriculum to reinforce learning and visual aids are used effectively to capture children's enthusiasm and interest. Information and communication technology is little used and work in this area should be developed.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Children's progress in the area of physical development is generally good. Children can opt to play outside at any time and staff accommodate these requests making sure that learning continues in the fresh air. Children are given healthy snacks and negotiate with friends for seconds of their favourite foods. They are given a selection of tools for each table top activity but there were some missed opportunities to develop skills in the use of small tools.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

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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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Generally Good Progress in creative development is generally good. Most children know the songs from memory and sing enthusiastically with gusto to ensure they are heard. Children have well developed imaginations and share ideas freely in role play. The children adapt everyday object to provide the missing elements of their games, and are uninhibited when being watched. Musical instruments are not routinely available and more music could be used in other areas of the curriculum.

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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

• improve the process by which parents and carers are informed of their children's progress, and the opportunities for parents and carers to contribute towards their children's learning;develop the committee's knowledge and understanding of their role and responsibilities to ensure they can fully support the staff and monitor the effectiveness of the group;increase work with information and communication technology and programmable toys, to ensure children can develop the confidence and skills needed to use modern technology.

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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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