Rainbow Nursery

INSPECTION DETAILS

Inspection Date 29/11/2004 Inspector Name Janette Elizabeth Owen

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SETTING DETAILS

Day Care Type Sessional Day Care Setting Name Rainbow Nursery Setting Address Scout Corner Eign Road Hereford Herefordshire HR1 2RX

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REGISTERED PROVIDER DETAILS

Name The Committee of Rainbow Nursery Committee

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ORGANISATION DETAILS

Name Rainbow Nursery Committee Address 47 Coniston Walk Hereford Herefordshire HR4 9PP

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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 Nursery opened in 1990. It operates from community premises near the centre of Hereford city. The setting serves the local area. There are currently 13 children from 2 years to under 5 years on roll. This includes 7 funded children. Children attend a variety of sessions; the majority also stay for a lunch club, which is provided. Children accompanied by parents also attend a parent and toddler group alongside the pre-school nursery. The setting supports children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The group is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday term time only. Sessions are from 09:15 to 13:15. There are three members of staff who work with the children and students also work on placements. All the staff have early years qualifications NVQ 2 and 3. The setting receives support from a mentor teacher and the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. The setting is a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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How good is the Day Care?

Rainbow Nursery provides satisfactory care for children. The organisation of staff and resources ensure children are provided with a stimulating learning environment. Staffing ratios are good and all children receive a high level of support, enabling their individual needs to be met. The staff are experienced, hold relevant qualifications and regularly attend further training. Positive steps are taken to address any shortfalls in practice. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure the safety of the children. There are written policies and procedure available to back up work practices. However there are no lost or uncollected child policies; child protection procedures lack detail of current good practice; and information for staff about health and safety is limited. Staff maintain good hygiene procedures but there is no arrangement for monitoring 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 temperature of the premises to ensure children are provided with adequate warmth. Children are provided with nutritious snacks and are learning good social skills during the lunch club. Children respond well to the good interaction with staff, they are developing good communication skills and they enjoy joining in with the sign language used by staff. Children learn new skills and ideas using the good range of activities provided. They respond to the consistent use of behaviour management strategies, and receive praise and encouragement for their achievements and effort. Partnerships with parents are good. Their views are sought on the care of their child and settling in procedures are discussed and agreed. Written information and

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How good is the Day Care?

newsletters are provided and staff make time to talk with parents on a daily basis. There are well set out procedures for the collection of children, which ensures their safety. The complaints procedure lacks information about Ofsted’s role. Parents are encouraged to support their children through involvement as part of the management committee and as regular visitors to the setting.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Not applicable, as there were no actions raised at the previous inspection.

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What is being done well?

• Staff are deployed appropriately to ensure children's needs are met. • Children are provided with a good range of stimulating activities in a well-organised play environment, which are used effectively to aid their development. • Children respond well to the interaction with staff, good staffing ratios enable all children to receive a good level of support. • Staff use consistent behaviour management strategies when managing children's behaviour. • Staff ensure parents are made welcome, there are good systems in place for sharing information and ensuring parents requests are taken into account.

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What needs to be improved?

• the documentation, to include lost and uncollected child policies • the complaints policy, to include current information about how to contact Ofsted and its role of in the investigation of complaints • the child protection policy, to ensure it includes procedures to follow in the event an allegation is made against a member of staff • the systems for monitoring the temperature of the setting • the information for staff regarding information on current health and safety requirements.

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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

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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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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

Std Action Date 2 Review and update procedures to be followed in the event of a child being lost or not collected. 01/01/2005

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The Registered Person must take the following actions by the date shown

13 Ensure the child protection policy is based on national guidance in accordance with Area Child Protection Committee procedures in relation to allegations made against a member of staff. 01/01/2005

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by the time of the next inspection

Std Recommendation 4 Review arrangements to ensure room is maintained at an adequate temperature. 6 Review arrangements for providing staff with information on current health and safety legislation. 12 Review the settings complaints procedure to ensure it reflects current information about Ofsted's role.

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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 Nursery provides very good quality nursery education. The quality of the teaching is very good. Staff have a very good understanding of the Foundation Stage curriculum and use effective teaching methods to enable children to learn. Activities are well planned providing children with a stimulating range of ideas and experiences. Children are encouraged to initiate activities and take an active role in the organisation of activities and tasks. A good range of teaching methods are used, with a good balance between child-initiated and adult directed tasks. Simple and effective methods are used to aid children's learning using visual information, which children easily understand. Children are making progress in all areas of development. Staff are enthusiastic and interact well with the children, helping them to communicate and share experiences. They have a good understanding of children's needs; they observe children and offer

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How effective is the nursery education?

additional support to any child who may require help in a specific area of development. Those children identified with special educational needs receive a good level of support to enable them to fully participate in the activities. Staff are skilful in using methods to monitor children's progress and check that children are able to remember information and skills they have learnt. The leadership and management are very good. The staff work very well as a team, creating a well ordered environment for the children. Staff are well qualified and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. There is an active committee who support the staff and the daily operation of the group. A Quality Assurance scheme has been completed. The partnership with parents is very good. Parents are given a good level of support, staff are friendly and helpful, providing good information on the provisions both

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How effective is the nursery education?

verbally and written. Parents are made welcome and encouraged to take an active part in supporting their child's learning.

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What is being done well?

• Children are making good progress in all areas of their development, they respond well to the teaching methods used by staff and the good range of learning opportunities provided. • Children are encouraged to take an active part in the group, staff use effective strategies, which are easily understood by the children to help them be involved in activities and routine tasks. • Staff are skilful in using methods to monitor children's progress and check that children are able to remember information and skills they have learnt. • The staff work very well as a team, creating a well ordered environment for

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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 the children. • Parents are given a good level of support, staff are friendly and helpful, providing good information on the provisions both verbally and written.

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What needs to be improved?

• opportunities for children to further develop their understanding of information and communication technology.

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What has improved since the last inspection?

Very good progress has been made since the last inspection. Activities and learning opportunities have been reviewed to ensure children have more access to activities relating to cultural and religious events and to be able to select their own resources, materials and equipment during design activities. Children have many opportunities to be independent in selecting and using tools and equipment, which they use with confidence during craft and design activities. Planning has been improved to show clear links to the learning objectives and children are provided with appropriate challenges during activities. More resources have been obtained to increase children's access to a wider range of dressing up clothes, music and cultural objects. Parents are provided with comprehensive information about the educational programme through newsletters, written curriculum plans and regular discussion about their children's progress.

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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: Very Good Children are developing in confidence and becoming independent. They are given many opportunities to use activities to practice their skills in completing tasks for themselves. They are encouraged to be considerate of others and to learn how to make friends. They are helpful and contribute to the organisation of the group by tidying away and helping staff. Children are learning good social skills and how to have personal independence in managing their own personal hygiene.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Judgement: Very Good Children have a good understanding of letter sounds, developed through practical activities and letter games; they enthusiastically offer suggestions of words with the same initial letter. Children respond well to the effective use of questioning used by staff, they are extending their range of vocabulary and confidence in speaking. They regularly use the writing table and are beginning to develop good control using pens and crayons to colour in pictures.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are beginning to develop an awareness of mathematical concepts. They are involved in a wide range of practical activities and opportunities to use numbers, shape and mathematical language in their play. They learn about weight and measurement in cooking activities and messy play. Children see and use a variety of shapes in different sizes during construction activities. Good use was made of a topic on building; children explored ideas relating to numbers, shape and position.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Judgement: Very Good Children use their curiosity to explore and investigating new experiences through a good range of exciting activities. They are encouraged to talk about experiences and recall past events in their lives, they respond well to questions about familiar events and family. They are learning to differentiate between past and present and are able to talk about what they have learnt. Children are able to use simple technology equipment, but have limited opportunities to further develop their skills.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Judgement: Very Good Children are developing their physical skills using large play equipment, they are confident in climbing and balancing. They demonstrate skill in using bikes and wheeled toys, which they pedal, scoot and push along. Children are learning to use a range of tools safely and with competence, they use scissors and hammers to construct and design objects. They learn to use knives to spread jam and butter to make sandwiches in cooking activities and snack time.

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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: Very Good Children explore different media and materials using all their senses, they produce craft items and artwork using a range of materials. They make printings and rubbings of natural materials such as wood, stone and fruit and vegetables. Children enjoy song and rhyme sessions; they are beginning to use sign language to "sign along" to songs and rhymes. They are developing their imagination using the role-play area where they act out their experiences.

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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 high quality. Children are making very 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

There are no significant weaknesses to report, but considerations should be given to improving the following: • There are no significant weaknesses to report, but consideration should be given to improving the following: • increase opportunities to further develop children's understanding of technology and devise methods to encourage the children to learn about the computer.

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WHAT THE SETTING NEEDS TO DO NEXT

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

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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