Rainbow Day Nursery

Rainbow Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY404659 Inspection date 17/09/2010 Inspector Margaret Barnsley

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Setting address Old Station Masters House, Castle Station, Great North Road, NEWARK, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1BL Telephone number 01636 611603 Email jacqui@jacquib.wanadoo.co.uk 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 is a privately owned provision that has been operating under the current proprietor for three years. It was recently re-registered in March 2010. It is a full day care setting, which also offers before and after school care for children over five years. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the setting

The setting receives funding for early education. It is registered to care for a maximum of 37 children aged under eight years of whom no more than six may be aged under two years at any one time. There are currently 30 children on roll within this age range. The setting makes provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those who speak English as an additional language. The nursery operates between the hours of 7.30am and 6pm all year round with the exception of Christmas week and bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery building is the former Station Master's house adjacent to the Newark Castle train station. There is ample parking available and access to the premises is at ground level with a small step to the front door. The premises is on two floors with the pre-school room and the before and after school club accessed by a flight of stairs. There are four main playrooms and an enclosed outdoor area. The setting has a town centre location and is near to local amenities such as the park, library, shops and market.

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Description of the setting

In addition to the owner who is also the manager, the nursery employs four qualified staff who work directly with the children. Two students who are undertaking training also work with the children under the guidance of the qualified staff. The nursery employs a cook who plans and prepares home-cooked meals each day. The nursery 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

This is a warm and welcoming setting where staff respect children's uniqueness and encourage them to contribute positively to their day. Systems, polices and procedures are mostly well established. The organisation of children's individual care, activities and play ensure that children are happy, safe and secure in their environment and make steady progress towards the early learning goals. Partnerships are firmly established and are used to support the needs of children. Self-evaluation is starting to be used to monitor the quality of the setting and steady progress is being made to drive forward identified areas for improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure that more detail of identified risks and the date by whom checks were made is added to the risk assessments (Suitable premises, environment and equipment). 01/10/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 carry out regular staff appraisals to identify the training needs of staff and apply a programme of continuing professional development so that these needs are met  ensure that observations and assessment are used effectively to show how the needs of young children are being met and the progress they make towards the early learning goals  undertake regular checks to ensure that children have a sufficient supply and range of resources in the outdoor area to promote their creativity and support their interest in early writing.

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded effectively as all the staff have a comprehensive understanding of their duty and responsibility to protect children from harm. Most staff have completed safeguarding training and all staff are fully conversant with the safeguarding policies and procedures of the setting. Security and safety measures are effective and the environment and resources are safe and free from hazards. However, although risk assessments are in place for all areas of the nursery, outings and trips, they do not include all the necessary information as required. For example, they do not show the nature of the risk, how this has been made safe and by whom and when the check was made. In spite of this the staff are very aware of safety. They complete and record daily safety checks of all areas of the nursery to ensure the continued safety of the children. Staff supervise children well and are attentive and aware of their needs. The recruitment and

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the early years provision

induction of new staff is efficient and effectively ensures that all adults who work with children or have regular contact with them, are suitable and have appropriate qualifications for their role. All staff have a current first aid qualification, which enables them to act appropriately if there is an accident.

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the early years provision

The nursery is mostly organised well with staff being deployed well to maintain the correct ratios to support children. However, some systems and documentation is less well organised at the moment as the manager has placed focus on working in the rooms alongside staff, to support them in practice. Currently children's observations and assessments do not clearly show the progress individual children are making towards the early learning goals. Observations are not dated and are not always transferred to children's assessments, to demonstrate the achievement that has been ticked as achieved. Staff know their key children well and can say what each child enjoys and can describe their preferred learning style. Staff gather useful information from parents about their children and use this well to assist with This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 supporting children's natural interests. Staff have completed a range of training

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the early years provision

courses such as the Early Years Foundation Stage training, safeguarding and outdoor play. The staff team is friendly, motivated and proactive. The owner seeks training that all staff can participate in and staff comment that they feel well supported. Appraisal forms have been devised to use for identifying the ongoing developmental needs of staff, but these have not yet been implemented. The setting demonstrates a satisfactory capacity to improve and to identify and drive forward priorities. Self-evaluation has started to be used to reflect on the quality of service being provided, with some areas for improvement translated into an improvement plan. The owner is confident that the staff are now secure in their roles and with her expectations for practice and she now feels more able to focus on these other aspects.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents, other professionals and the wider community are well established in this nursery. Advice and training is sought from the local authority and regular meetings are arranged, to address any concerns the nursery may have at an early stage. Links are in place with the two schools that are attended by the children, who use the before and after school club facility. Although no children currently attend who have special educational need and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language, the staff have experience in this area. Positive inroads have been established with the town's resident traveller community and families are starting to use the nursery for the care of their children. Staff have completed training about the traveller community and culture to ensure that the needs of the families and children are met. Promoting equality and diversity is a strength is this setting. The majority of learning that takes place

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the early years provision

is child-led and all children are treated as unique individuals. Parents are kept well informed about their child's day, both verbally and through liaison books. Feedback about children's progress is delivered to parents through daily chats or through organised parents evenings that are arranged twice yearly. For those parents who are unable to attend, the nursery operates an open-door policy and parents can have informal chats with staff at short notice. Information boards and regular news letters keep parents informed about nursery matters. Questionnaires are sent to parents to seek their views about the quality of service being provided and random samples of these show that parents are happy. Parents spoken to also commented favourably about the care their children receive and feel that the staff are very kind, caring and accommodating and that 'they go the extra mile'.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, outgoing and participate in their learning. They make choices about how they wish to spend their time and contribute to organising their day. They spend a great deal of time outdoors engaging in all aspects of play, which is where the majority of children are most happy. Children make steady progress in their learning however, systems for linking assessment to planning do not clearly identify the next steps of learning. Children enjoy dance, singing, walks out and about in the community, numbers, letters, books, and computers and technology. Staff interact well with children and support their learning through these play This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 experiences, picking up on children's conversations and lead. Children ride bikes and use climbing apparatus well, which promotes their physical skills. They show an interest in drawing and mark making in the creative shelter outdoors. However,

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and outcomes for children

the amount and range of resources available in this area is limited and does not fully promote children s creativity or extend and challenge then sufficiently well.. They use books well and enjoy stories. Babies sit on the laps of staff and snuggle while looking at books or singing or having chats. Babies receive lots of cuddles from their carer, which ensures that they form strong attachments and feel safe and secure. Staff follow care plans, which have been provided by parents and work closely with them to establish new routines as developmental needs change. Children communicate and express themselves well and some children are excellent initiators of conversation. Conversations take place about computers, trains going to Lincoln, counting how long it takes from the whistle blowing to the train arriving at the station. They use their imaginations well by making dishes of yoghurt out of sand and saying it is good for you, which demonstrates an early

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and outcomes for children

Children have two growing areas in the garden, one for herbs and one for vegetables. They plant, tend and harvest the food and then the cook uses this to make their meals. The manager comments on how this has helped some children to eat vegetables that they would never normally eat and also how much enjoyment and satisfaction children derive from the whole process of planting to eating. Children are well nourished and have plenty to drink throughout the day. They have a lovely outdoor area with shade and open spaces so that they can move around safely in the sun. They understand that too much sun is not good for them and that is why they wear hats and sun cream. Children are developing an understanding of safety as they ask if the pretend yoghurt is hot and if it will burn them if they touch it. They behave well and are responsive to staff, following simple safety rules and corrections about behaviour. Children are helpful as

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and outcomes for children

demonstrated through a spill of squash on the snack table. The child immediately got up from the table and independently went and got some paper towels to clear up the mess. Another child followed to help the first child, which shows that children are developing friendships and a sense of caring towards each other. Children are cooperative and demonstrate a sense of belonging and security. Due to the consistent routine they have each day they are becoming increasingly independent and able to take responsibility for aspects of their own care. They are developing skills for their future and preparing well for their transition to school. 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 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 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 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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