Rainbow Bicester

Rainbow (Bicester) Hendon Place, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 4YJ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 04/02/2013 17/03/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Staff are caring towards the children and are sensitive to their individual needs. This helps children to feel safe and develop at a pace matched to their ability.  The outdoor area offers children an exciting space where they can explore using their senses. There is a good emphasis on play using natural materials, which suits children who prefer to learn outdoors.  Children are developing confidence and independence, which are skills important for school life. They are well behaved and play sociably with their peers.  Staff forge strong partnerships with others in order to provide consistency in care and early education. As a result, children receive the early intervention and support they require to help them achieve well.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children lack encouragement to help them progress with early writing. For example, staff name their work for them. There are few accessible resources such as envelopes, clipboards or notebooks to prompt writing in play situations.  Displays mainly focus on sharing information for parents. There are few low-level displays of children's artwork and photographs to interest the children and stimulate discussions.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the indoor and outdoor areas.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector had a meeting with two senior staff to discuss managerial issues.  The inspector checked evidence of documentation to support practice.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning sheets.

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Information about the setting

Rainbow (Bicester) is a registered charity managed by a voluntary committee. The setting operates from a single storey building at the rear of the Glory Farm School complex in the town of Bicester. Children have access to an outdoor play area. The intake of children comes from the local residential area and the surrounding villages. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The playgroup registered over 25 years ago and offers care to children between two and five years. It is open during school term times with sessions from 8.50am to 11.20am followed by an optional lunch club until 12.20pm. An afternoon session operates from 12.20pm to 2.50pm. The setting also provides extended services for children aged between four and 11 years. A breakfast club opens during school term times from 7.30am until 8.40am and again to provide after school care between 3.00pm and 5.30pm. A

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Information about the setting

holiday club opens from 8.00am until 5.30pm on weekdays during some school holidays.

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Information about the setting

The playgroup is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. Staff provide support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Support is also provided to children learning English as an additional language. There are currently 73 children on roll who attend the playgroup. There are 54 children on roll using the extended services. The setting employs 12 members of staff and they all have suitable childcare qualifications. There are close links with the children's centre, the primary school and the setting for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which all operate from the same large complex.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 provide children with more resources and opportunities to encourage their early writing so they can begin to learn that their marks can have meaning.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 explore ways of presenting children's creative work and photographs to help them celebrate achievements and talk about familiar people and recent events.

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who attend

Children show encouraging progress with many key skills that they will need for future school life. They behave well, responding to the calm and consistent guidelines from staff. When children come together for large group times they listen attentively and are able to follow simple instructions. Children and staff happily engage in conversations through the day. Staff show them picture and word cards that help them to see what is going to happen next. This helps children feel reassured and many know that the sound of a bell means a change in activity. Children are thoroughly enjoying the outdoor play space and this provides positive messages about active play. They show control and skill at steering toys around a path and some are adept at throwing and catching a small ball. Staff are always in close supervision in both the indoor and outdoor environments to ensure children receive the support they need. Children are learning to take manageable risks as

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who attend

they use scissors safely or negotiate an obstacle course.

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who attend

Children show a keen interest in modern technology as they visit the computer stations. Even at three years old, they demonstrate confident control of a computer mouse to select and operate software. Staff extend the range of technology accessible to children for the extended services out of school. The staff provide interesting displays to encourage the children to handle natural objects such as a bird's nest, shells or fir cones. This type of sensory play develops further outdoors where children take part in digging, planting and watering. They also have visits to a larger space called the 'sensory garden' with the aim of introducing them to the natural world.

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who attend

Children are learning to use mathematics in practical situations. They help staff identify the correct numbers on weighing scales when they make jam tarts together. Children know basic vocabulary when comparing the size of things. Staff encourage children to talk about what they doing, for example, as they combine lard and flour to make pastry. Children know a wide range of action songs and stories. They retell the tale of 'The Three Little Pigs' using models to act out the scenes. Children show an interest in making marks using chalks and paint. Staff do not always encourage the children to name their own pictures and sessions can lack resources to prompt early writing, for example in the role play area. Children are able to express their own ideas and they are free to make choices. They are developing a good attitude to learning since the staff make their pre-school experience fun and interesting.

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who attend

Staff plan the sessions well, offering a good balance of child-initiated play and adult-led activities. They use information about each child's development to note on planning sheets when particular aspects require support. In this way, they are able to meet the children's individual needs effectively. This is particularly apparent for children who have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work well to narrow gaps in achievement and help all children progress. They monitor each child's development regularly and they share this information with parents. There are systems in place ready for staff to prepare the progress check for two-year-olds. Although staff find current systems quite time consuming, the issue is part of their action plan for change. These on- going adjustments to procedures do not detract from the good day-to-day support they offer to the children.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff provide children with many resources that promote a positive attitude to diversity. Children enjoy exploring an interesting basket of musical instruments from different cultures. They listen to songs from around the world and celebrate a wide range of festivals. Children are also learning how to communicate with some of their friends by using their hands to make signs. Staff act as good role models to the children in the way they speak and act. They are experienced in helping children develop their independence but judging when to step in to offer support. This has a positive impact on the children who are developing useful skills for school such as being able to put on outdoor shoes and coats. Children take care of themselves as they visit the bathroom or find their water bottle to quench their thirst. Children eat a good variety of nutritious foods at well- organised snack times. They learn to prepare dishes such as vegetable soup, by taking

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

part in shopping trips and cooking the ingredients.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff demonstrate a caring attitude towards the children. They are good at identifying when a child needs reassurance. When a child arrives at the after school club but is unsure of the routine staff are quick to attend to their needs. Children attending the playgroup sessions and the extended services have access to a wide range of good quality resources. There is a strong focus on making equipment accessible to children so they are free to make their own decisions. The staff ensure the environment is welcoming with colourful displays. However, these are mostly above child-height and do not include many examples of children's artwork to show that this is valued. There are few photographs accessible to the children to encourage them to talk about familiar people or recall recent events.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

There is a good settling in process in place. Families receive invitations to spend time in the setting before all the children return from holiday breaks. Staff adapt routines sensibly to cater for different ages and stages of development. They recognise, for example, that some children are not ready for long story times and separate the children into groups. This means children receive care and support to their learning that matches their current needs.

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provision

This is a well-organised setting where staff demonstrate a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. There are appropriate policies and procedures in place including a comprehensive complaints policy. These are all are available to parents. Staff are clear about their roles in helping the day to run smoothly and they work together as an effective team. The committee and staff also work well together to offer a good standard of care and early education for families in the community. Staff understand their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children and they update their training in how to protect children's welfare. They follow effective strategies to keep children safe. For example, they have good security measures to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises. Staff complete a number of daily sheets to remind them to check indoor and outdoor areas for potential hazards. They follow the same attention to detail to keep the

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provision

premises clean in order to protect children's health. Staff know about children's individual requirements regarding special needs and parental wishes. They follow good hygiene procedures and provide children with nutritious foods. For the extended service after school, this involves the preparation of a hot nourishing meal.

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provision

Staff have a competent understanding of the learning and development requirements. They use their self-evaluation processes effectively to accurately identify areas of strength and aspects for improvement. Staff demonstrate a positive attitude to developing their services to benefit the children. A particularly good example is the way staff responded to an audit of their setting that resulted in ideas for improvement. The very good outdoor play provision is now in place. This is a feature staff are deservedly proud to share with other providers and celebrate in a national magazine. The impact for children is to offer them a stimulating area where they can learn as they play outdoors. Since the last inspection, the team of staff have now all gained recognised childcare qualifications. Their professional development continues with regular appraisals and encouragement to attend training courses. Staff are aware of aspects that are still under development, such as

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provision

Staff provide parents with interesting information about how their children are learning and they invite them take books home for sharing. Staff encourage parents to play an active role in playgroup life and in contributing to their children's records. Parents report on their satisfaction with the standards of care, one stating 'It has been good for both of us'. Staff build up successful partnerships with other professionals in order to support children's individual needs. They have joint planning meetings when children are attending both playgroup and the school nursery. Professionals visiting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities comment on the welcoming attitude of staff. They praise the staff for adapting their practice and finding solutions to enable all children to participate in playgroup life.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 134828 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 902601 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 11 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 127 Name of provider Rainbow (Bicester) Date of previous inspection 17/03/2009 Telephone number 01869 323613

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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