Rainbow Pre School

Rainbow Pre-School (Kettering) Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 220018 Inspection date 22/11/2010 Inspector Ann Archer

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Setting address Millbrook Centre, Churchill Way, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN15 5BZ Telephone number 07952 384211 Email 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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 Pre-school in Kettering opened in 1974. It is a community provision managed by a committee of parents and operates from a mobile building on the site of the Millbrook Centre, in the Ise Lodge area of Kettering. The pre-school use the main hall, kitchen, toilets and storage areas. Disabled access is available at the side of the building. The pre-school serves the local area and has strong links with the primary schools close by. There is a fully enclosed play area available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Twenty-six children under eight years may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 45 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. The pre-school opens each weekday during school term times. There are two sessions each day between 8.30 and 11.30am and 12.30 and 3.30pm. Children attend a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

The pre-school employs 10 members of staff who all hold relevant childcare qualifications. Parent helpers and students volunteer to support the pre-school. The pre-school is affiliated to the Pre-school Learning Alliance and receives support from the local authority.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children at the pre-school make satisfactory progress in their play, their learning, care and welfare is suitably promoted. Safeguarding systems are appropriate and partnerships with parents are generally positive. Although a number of staff are reasonably new to the setting, they know the children well and on the whole manage their individual needs satisfactorily. The recently appointed supervisor and the committee chairperson show a clear awareness of the pre-school's strengths and of the areas which require further development and they are taking effective steps to bring about improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 consider alternative ways to prevent the spread of infection when children dry their hands if paper towels are not available  continue to explore ways to encourage and enable parents to contribute to their child's ongoing assessment by sharing what they know about their child This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and continue to work on establishing links with the children's other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage  develop further the planning/observation/assessment and evaluation systems to ensure all children's learning needs are identified and next steps planned for at the earliest opportunity  ensure staff support children effectively and develop the use of open ended questioning to challenge and encourage critical thinking  develop the system for recording children's progress towards the early learning goals in the six areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is reliably safeguarded because the adults working at the pre- school have a clear understanding of their responsibilities, in relation to child protection and to keeping children safe. Their knowledge and understanding of potential concerns and how to respond to them depending on their role is secure. Policies and procedures have recently been reviewed and updated to better reflect the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements and a rolling review programme, has been put in place to ensure the continued safeguarding and welfare of the children. Recruitment and induction processes now ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and there are thorough systems in place for the collection of children by appropriate adults and in the unlikely event that a child becomes lost.

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the early years provision

The new management has conducted a full risk assessment on all areas of the pre- school and the equipment and resources that children come into contact with, which will be up-dated when anything changes. Action plans are devised and implemented by staff to reduce the risk of potential hazards. These include a daily health and safety check before children arrive. Staff help children to learn how to keep themselves safe by, for instance, reminding them to hold on to the handrail when negotiating the steps leading to the outdoor play area, to walk not run indoors when all the activities are set up and patiently show children how to hold and use scissors correctly.

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the early years provision

Staff generally take effective steps to promote children's good health and well- being and clear procedures are in place to prevent the spread of infection. However, on the day of inspection, no paper towels were available in the wash room, resulting in all the children sharing one fabric towel to dry their hands before snack time, which may facilitate cross-infection. There are suitable procedures to care for a child who becomes unwell during a session.

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the early years provision

The effectiveness with which the pre-school promotes equality and diversity is satisfactory. The staff care for a number of children for whom English is an additional language and who have additional needs. Management seek ways to source extra resources to support the children. Settling-in sessions and meetings with the child's key worker provide staff with sufficient information to assess new children's starting points and plan appropriate activities. Opportunities to enable parents to have an ongoing contribution to their children's records of achievement are limited. New initiatives are being introduced to encourage partnership working, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 although it is too soon to assess their impact on children's learning.

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the early years provision

Management has recently introduced new recording systems to provide a clearer way for staff to plan more effectively, for individual children's learning needs and to ensure that all staff are fully aware of each child's next steps and so able to support them appropriately during activities. Systems are not yet fully implemented by all staff and do not include details of any evaluations made. Children's records of achievement are not currently linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage and the six areas of learning, so do not clearly reflect children's progress towards the early learning goals.

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the early years provision

Behaviour management strategies within the pre-school are appropriate, take into account children's level of understanding and maturity and are generally implemented consistently by the staff team, ensuring that children learn the pre- school's rules and boundaries and behave well.

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the early years provision

The effectiveness of the pre-school's engagement with parents and carers is satisfactory. Relationships are positive and friendly enabling staff to become aware of children's changing welfare needs. Staff inform parents at the end of each session how their child has been and there are annual meetings to discuss their child's progress. Parents are invited to support the pre-school, and so become more familiar with their children's learning needs, by helping during a session and by joining the management committee. Links with other agencies, such as the local authority, are established and used to support children's additional needs. Liaison with the nearby infant school is good, although links with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage used by the children are less effective in supporting continuity of care and learning.

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the early years provision

The pre-school's premises are suitable for purpose. The playroom is bright with interesting displays and staff strive to maintain a stimulating environment in which children can develop. Equipment, furniture, toys and materials are suitable and safe and maintenance issues are dealt with promptly. The outdoor play area is newly equipped to the benefit of children's physical development.

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the early years provision

The new management team has taken appropriate steps to fully meet the actions made at the previous inspection. The self-evaluation procedures they have introduced, accurately identify areas of strength and those which require more development. Staff induction and training plans have been reintroduced to support ongoing development. The new policies, procedures and practices are working well enabling considerable improvements in children's welfare and potentially in children's learning outcomes. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are divided into two groups. Otters are children who will be starting school in the next academic year and Starfish are the younger children. All children settle well when they arrive at the pre-school. They appear content and are willing to take part in activities. They make sound progress in their learning as they make choices about the activities they participate in. Some adult-led activities reflect individual children's interests and learning needs although mostly children initiate their own play either indoors or in the outside play area.

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and outcomes for children

Children are observed by staff while they play and the information is used to adapt existing activities or to plan an additional activity for the next time that child is present to support their interest or learning need. Occasionally children's learning is limited during activities due to closed questioning and staff not supporting children appropriately, such as when children sit at the computer but are unable to use the mouse, so do not benefit from the activity.

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and outcomes for children

Children quickly learn about health and safety routines within the pre-school and generally need little reminding to wash their hands with soap before snack or help pack away the toys before sitting on the carpet for story time.

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and outcomes for children

Children clearly enjoy the attention of the adults who care for them. They show by their behaviour and mannerisms that they feel safe and seek out a particular adult for support as they need it. Some children are developing friendship groups and like to play together and sit next to each other when participating in table top activities. Children behave well and show by their actions that they know what the pre-school's rules and boundaries are. On the odd occasion when a few children become over-enthusiastic or boisterous during an activity, they accept staff's intervention which ensures that other children's enjoyment of the activity is not spoilt.

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and outcomes for children

Children, apart from the very youngest, speak in sentences to express their needs and enjoyment. They verbalise during their imaginary play, entering into role-play situations with their friends. With support, they are learning to hold crayons and pencils correctly and their mark-making shows clear development in their physical skills. Children are attentive when listening to favourite stories and enjoy trying to join in with action songs and rhymes such as 'Wind the bobbin up'.

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and outcomes for children

Children's creativity is developed as they choose which materials to use when making a picture, as they experiment with musical instruments pretending to be a marching band and as they tackle the ironing or settle the babies into their buggy in the play kitchen. Children are able to develop physical skills and confidence through a range of indoor and outside activities, such as when bouncing on the small trampoline in the play room, or when negotiating the rope ladder or the climbing frame in the new outdoor area. Overall, children are enabled to develop satisfactory skills for the future through the range of activities provided for them in the six areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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 3 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 3 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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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