Rainbow Nursery @ Little Forest Children's CentreOfsted inspection, 3 Nov 2010

Rainbow Nursery @ Little Forest Children's Centre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY363173 Inspection date 03/11/2010 Inspector Joanne Wade Barnett

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Setting address Little Forest Childrens Centre, Friars Way, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Kent, TN2 3UA Telephone number 01892 516 677 Email lorraine@rainbownursery.com 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 assesses 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 0300 123 1231, 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.

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T: 0300 123 1231 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

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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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 Nursery was registered in 2007. It operates from a purpose built building in the Children?s Centre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 30 children aged under eight years may attend the setting, all of whom may be in the early years age range, at any one time. Older children can also attend. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. Children come from the local and surrounding areas. There are currently 60 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age range. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. There are 10 members of staff who work with the children and nearly all have appropriate early years qualifications; two

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Description of the setting

members of staff have a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 4 and two have a NVQ at level 3; three staff currently have NVQ at level 2 are working towards a NVQ at level 3. Two members of staff are doing a foundation degree. The nursery liaises with the Children?s Centre and the main school. There is a ramp which facilitates wheelchair access for children who may require it.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy their time at the setting and the positive relationships between staff and parents help children to feel happy here. Children's welfare is not safeguarded as there are insufficient staff to ensure that the needs of all the children are met at all times. Self-evaluation has been used to provide children with a service that meets their needs, although the provider and staff are not using this as a working document to improve nursery organisation. Children's individual interests and skills are observed and assessed and there is a system to plan for their progress covering all areas of learning and development based upon the Early Years Practice Guidance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 comply with the requirements for adult:child ratios at all times (Suitable people) 15/11/2010 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents to promote a shared understanding of children's individual needs and involve parents in practical ways to support their child's learning and development  review the use of self-evaluation to identify strengths and priorities for development that will continuously improve the quality of the provision for all children

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the early years provision

The provider has policies and procedures in place to safeguard children and support their welfare. There is an induction procedure in place which includes focus on child protection and health and safety. The manager takes responsibility for all aspects of the provision. She has recruited staff who are training to meet the required levels of qualifications and all staff are suitably checked. Staff record the children's arrival and departure times on the register. However, they fail to monitor adult to child ratios to ensure that required minimum ratios are maintained at all times. The provider is caring for more children than their conditions of registration allow. A registered provider who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with this requirement, commits an offence. On this occasion the provider did so and Ofsted does not intend to take further action.

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the early years provision

The manager has established the use of appraisals to ensure training needs are recognised and all staff participate in a variety of training, both in house and on external courses which enables them to be aware of children's learning and development needs. The manager has developed systems for monitoring and tackling priorities and these are enabling progress. For example, the manager and staff use their knowledge of the early years curriculum to develop an effective system to observe, assess and plan to meet children's needs. The system of self- evaluation has failed to recognise the weaknesses in their organisation that have resulted in the breaches of Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory requirements.

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the early years provision

Children are able to freely access a variety of resources to extend their learning and development and enable them to explore and investigate. Children benefit from staff who promote their understanding of differences. Sound emphasis is given to promoting equality and eliminating discrimination, supported through the use of posters, books and topics which promote inclusion for all children.

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the early years provision

Children are making progress and parents, as well as records, confirm this progress across the curriculum. There are suitable and available resources and toys organised in low level boxes and units with labels so children can help themselves or request these. Staff welcome parents who contribute their views on the provision. Parents who spoke to the inspector feel that their children are making satisfactory progress at the nursery. Parents feel able to express their views to the staff and receive verbal feedback regularly. However, not all parents have seen the children's learning and development folders and are not encouraged This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to contribute to them. There is a sound partnership with the local school, Children Centre and local agencies to ensure essential information is shared.

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and outcomes for children

Staff are knowledgeable with the areas of learning and development of the Early years Foundation Stage. They carry out observational assessments to identify children?s progress towards the early learning goals. They are currently working to develop a system to ensure that information gathered is used effectively to inform planning, so as to plan for the next steps of children?s individual learning. Staff provide support to enable children to develop their skills through the activities and routines, both planned and spontaneous. Children are mostly happy and enjoy activities that are self-chosen and there is usually some adult initiated play. A range of experiences is available that encourages children to explore, experiment and discover how things work. For example, they use programmable resources and enjoy simple computer games. Children learn to problem-solve, for instance, as they sort and match, and learn

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and outcomes for children

new concepts with sand as they explain which bucket contains more or less. They enjoy plenty of physical play and fresh air even in colder weather when they put on coats and winter attire to play outside. Overall the range of experiences provided helps them to develop the skills necessary for their future learning. Children's health and well being is encouraged though the provision of food which offers them a balanced diet at snack and meal times. Dietary requirements are clearly displayed in the kitchen for staff to refer to so that individual dietary needs are met. Staff make efforts to offer the same types of foods to children with special dietary needs and those without, so that they can all enjoy similar experiences and not be singled out. Drinks of water or milk are available at snack times and water is made available all the time so that children can decide when to have a drink for themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children experience a programme that offers them choices and is varied. For example, they use the outdoor play areas, engage in art and craft activities and participate in imaginative role play. Babies have a large area which adjoins the sleep room and join in with all types of play. Toddlers enjoy playing with dolls, soft toy animals and they push wheeled toys along, such as toy buggies. They access large wooden construction blocks on the floor and various art and craft supplies and engage happily in playing with shaving foam as they experiment with their senses. Older children all enjoy constructing with the wooden blocks, and have opportunities to use the computer for a variety of activities. They are mostly able to choose their activities and these are supplemented by staff suggestions. Children engage in painting, malleable activities and explore and investigate natural resources and learn how to grow plants which they can observe and

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and outcomes for children

sometimes taste vegetables they grow. All children freely access varied suitable books and enjoy the stories that staff read to them, when they look at the text and pictures and discuss the story. A number of festivals, such Diwali and Christmas, are celebrated and several resources reflect meaningful images of gender, disability and ethnicity so the children learn to respect diversity. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Behaviour is good. Staff offer the children clear explanations about why certain actions are unacceptable, which teaches the children right from wrong and supports the development of conscience and consideration for others. Children are not effectively helped to learn to keep themselves and others safe. For example, when adult to child ratios are low, children compromise their safety through their actions, such as, walking around with scissors, because supervision and direction

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and outcomes for children

from staff is poor. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 4 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 4 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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