Rainbow Nursery

Rainbow Nursery and After School Club Rock Road, Middlestone Moor, County Durham, DL16 7DA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 20/03/2013 17/06/2009

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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

 The well-established key person system helps children form secure attachments and promotes their overall well-being efficiently.  Extremely effective partnership with parents means there is a united approach to meeting individual children's needs, ensuring that they make good progress.  Children are happy and eager to learn. Their behaviour is good and they make independent choices about their play. This supports them in developing a positive attitude to school and future learning.  Children's language and communication skills are well promoted. Children who use English as an additional language are well supported in developing and extending their vocabulary and in making good progress in their overall development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The organisation of snack times within the three-year-old room does not always enable the children to eat and drink in a comfortable environment in order to promote their very good health.  Resources that promote information and communication technology are not always available for the youngest children to further develop their growing understanding of this area.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 viewed all areas of the premises and equipment, and observed activities in all of the playrooms and the outside play areas.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation form and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings and completed a joint observation with the manager, and spoke with staff and children throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and views presented in written form.

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Information about the setting

The Rainbow Nursery and After School Club was registered in 2004 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose-built premises in the Middlestone Moor area of County Durham. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including two with Early Years Professional Status or Qualified Teacher Status.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday 51 weeks of the year, except for bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 5.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 79 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 develop the organisation of meal times within the three-year-old room so that children can drink comfortably and can stay hydrated

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

 develop further the range of resources and activities to support children within the two-year-old room to support their growing understanding of technology.

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who attend

Staff have a secure knowledge of how to promote children's learning and development and know the children in their care very well. Comprehensive information is obtained from parents so that staff can establish each child's starting points on entry to the nursery. Planning is based on children's individual needs and interests, and is adapted and added to on an ongoing basis to ensure children's next steps are incorporated. Consequently, most children are keen to participate in activities, have fun and make good progress in their learning and development. Staff observe children to find out about their needs, what they are interested in and what they can do. They then analyse these observations and highlight children's achievements or their need for further support, which is incorporated into planning. The learning environment generally contains resources which are stimulating and accessible to children, promoting their learning and independence.

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who attend

However, resources available for younger children do not consistently develop their understanding of information and communication technology in order to fully progress their learning.

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who attend

Staff provide a good range of activities and support children to choose what they want to do, which helps to build their independence. They know when to get involved and when to allow children to carry on playing so that their play is not disrupted and children can make their own decisions. Consequently, children are good at initiating play and become deeply involved in activities, such as playing with the cars and garages, which extends to drawing their own cars. Children's communication and language skills are effectively nurtured. Staff give children time to talk and ask questions to make them think and develop their own ideas. Staff in the baby room recognise the way in which individual children communicate and respond appropriately to this, supporting children with facial expressions and encouraging them to explore their facial expressions with mirrors. Children are given ample opportunities to learn and make sense of their physical world as they go for walks

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who attend

in the local community, and staff encourage children's interest in books.

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who attend

Staff take many steps to ensure that children have the necessary skills for their transition into school. They ensure the prime and specific areas of learning are prioritised in planning. Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible and are learning good social skills, such as sharing, taking turns and good table manners. Staff put out a wealth of additional resources, particularly in the role play area, so that children become familiar with these and can use them in their play. Positive feedback is received from schools about how quickly children who have attended the setting settle and are well prepared for this transition into school.

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who attend

Staff discuss children's progress, activities and achievements with their parents on a daily basis and also more formally at 'open nights'. They listen to what parents tell them about what children have been doing at home and use this information to help with activity planning. This promotes a two-way flow of information, knowledge and expertise between parents and staff, and has a positive impact on children's learning. Parents speak highly of the activities provided and of the progress their children are making in their development.

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

Children are happy, confident and settled in the nursery. A key person system is in place which helps children to become familiar with the nursery and to feel safe and confident within it. Children's emotional well-being is supported due to their individual needs being met and their feelings respected. Staff gather high quality information from parents when their children first start attending the setting to ensure they are fully aware of children's care needs, likes and dislikes. This helps to ease the transition between home and nursery. Care is taken to ensure that children are well prepared when they are ready to move into a different room. They go on visits so they become familiar with their new surroundings and the new staff who will be caring for them. This ensures the children's move is as smooth as possible. Children make friends and get on with their peers. This helps them to feel positive about themselves and others. Behaviour is very good

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

throughout all rooms. Staff encourage children to respect each other; consequently, children are beginning to learn about the impact of their words and actions on themselves and others.

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

Children develop an understanding and appreciation of how to stay safe, for example, they discuss before lunch the need to tidy items from the floor to stop accidents and trips. They understand the importance of safety as they walk around the rooms and are careful when moving chairs to different tables.

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

Children are provided with a range of balanced meals and snacks. Food is served to children in a social setting, and older children serve themselves at lunch time to develop independence. However, organisation of meal times for the older children does not consistently encourage them to develop an understanding of staying hydrated. This means they do not learn about meeting their physical needs as well as possible. Children's overall physical well-being is effectively promoted. Good standards of cleanliness are maintained throughout all areas to help prevent the spread of infection. Staff follow good hygiene routines and help children to learn about the importance of these. Children in the pre- school room know about hand washing and germs and are quick to alert staff when they think their peers may not have followed the routine before snack. Staff in the baby room follow children's own routines for sleep and rest. Children have daily opportunities to play

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

outdoors and benefit from the fresh air.

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provision

The leadership team have a good understanding of their responsibilities for meeting both the safeguarding and welfare requirements and the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager successfully monitors the planning and delivery of the educational programmes by meeting with staff in each room and by observing practice. Appraisal sessions are undertaken with staff to help improve practice and to increase confidence. Staff are motivated and keen to develop the provision. They are encouraged by management to attend training to develop their knowledge and understanding, and inspection of training files confirms this commitment by staff. Good attention is paid to self-evaluation and promoting continuous development. Parents and staff are involved in this process to ensure that their views are considered when planning future improvements, such as further training. The manager also reflects

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provision

on the setting's practice to identify priorities for improvement and has clear action plans in place to support this. She works closely with the local authority and engages well in their quality improvement programme. This shows the nursery has a good capacity to sustain improvement.

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provision

Children are well protected through clear safeguarding procedures. All staff complete child protection training and have good understanding of their responsibilities in this area. The premises are secure and children are well supervised. Risk assessments and daily checks of the premises and resources effectively reduce the chance of accidental injury. Company recruitment, employment and induction procedures are in place and implemented well to protect children.

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provision

The nursery works well in partnership with parents to promote children's welfare and learning. Parents speak highly of the staff and express their satisfaction with the service provided. They comment positively about the nursery, particularly about the progress their children make, and the friendliness of the staff. Newsletters, daily diary sheets, and verbal exchanges make sure parents are kept up to date with their child's care and learning. Policies and procedures are readily available. The nursery endeavours to build partnerships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage where children receive care and education in more than one setting. They fully recognise where they have been successful in this and where this needs to be improved, and are taking steps to further develop these links.

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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 action. 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 EY282940 Local authority Durham Inspection number 861122

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 78 Number of children on roll 79 Name of provider Rainbow Nursery (Middlestone Moor) Ltd Date of previous inspection 17/06/2009 Telephone number 01388 815815

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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