Rainbow Bicester

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

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2013 04/02/2013

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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 engage and excite children through story telling times which encourage them to listen and anticipate endings.  Staff organise the daily routine to ensure that children of differing ages have opportunities for adult-led activities which meet their individual age and stage of development.  Children settle well at the pre-school because staff welcome them and their families warmly and provide them with comfort and affection.  The manager supervises the work of all staff giving clear expectations and direction of how to consistently follow procedures and maintain good quality for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always find ways to engage all parents in frequent, high quality exchanges of information about children's learning.  The committee has undergone a period of sudden change, which has disrupted the organisation of leadership at the pre-school.

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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 had meetings with the manager and acting chairperson of the committee.  The inspector observed staff and children engaged in learning activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of required documentation including, safeguarding procedures, children's records and self- evaluation.  The inspector spoke with staff, children and parents.

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Information about the setting

Rainbow (Bicester) is a registered charity managed by a voluntary committee. The pre- school 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 pre-school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The pre-school registered over 25 years ago and 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 pre- school 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 holiday club opens from 8.00am

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Information about the setting

until 5.30pm on weekdays during some school holidays. The pre-school 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. There are currently 78 children on roll who attend the pre-school. The pre-school employs 10 members of staff all of whom 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:

 engage all parents, including those who are difficult to reach, in meaningful exchanges of information about children's progress and development

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

 ensure that there are contingency plans in place for continued support and supervision of staff at the pre-school during changes to the committee members.

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who attend

Staff encourage a sense of community at the pre-school where all children take part and join in. Children make many choices about what they play and where they play. This encourages children to become independent learners who lead their own play and follow their own ideas. Staff are skilful in engaging children in meaningful discussion. They ask open-ended questions which encourage children to think and extend upon what they already know. Staff teach children about fireworks and children readily share their experiences of watching fireworks over the weekend. They are animated and expressive in their language as they talk about them 'whizzing' in the air and going 'bang'. Staff listen to what children say to show them it is of value. When talking with children, staff get down to their level and maintain eye contact. Staff learn sign language to help them to communicate with children who have hearing difficulties. This enables children to become

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who attend

confident communicators who express their needs and ideas clearly.

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who attend

There is a rich display of words and letters in the environment, which supports children's early reading. Children are very adept at using writing materials to form recognisable words. This is because they have good opportunity to practise early writing in all areas of the pre-school. In the garden, they use chalks and brushes dipped in water to produce patterns and letters. Children gain control of the muscles in their hands through using construction materials and playing with small figures. Children develop their larger muscles as they build with large wooden blocks and push carts around. In the garden they climb, balance and swing in multiple ways as they test out what they can do.

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who attend

Staff organise the daily routine to enable time for children to have adult-led group time. Younger children choose stories and spend time pointing at familiar characters. They dictate the length of the time spent sat with staff and when their interest waivers staff encourage them to choose toys and activities which appeal to them. Older children engage in lively story telling sessions. Staff use different voices and tone to engage children as they sit silently listening. Children begin to anticipate change and start to become excited awaiting the conclusion of the story. They predict the end and join in with great squeals of delight. Children are eager to sing, count and express what they know. This enthusiasm for learning and joining in prepares them well for their future learning and readiness for school.

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who attend

Staff undertake observations of children and use these to monitor their progress and plan for their next steps in learning. These records show when children do not make progress as expected and staff seek further support for children. Staff work closely with speech and language therapists and local authority development workers to develop individual plans for children's learning. These pinpoint small targets, which staff monitor closely. As a result, all children make good progress given their individual starting points. The pre- school encourage parents to read children's progress files. Sometimes, staff use communication books to communicate children's learning with parents and others who provide care for children. Regular newsletters tell parents about themes the children explore in their learning. Children take home the pre-school cuddly toy, and take photographs and record his travels with children at home. This helps to provide a channel

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who attend

for sharing information about what children enjoy doing at home. Some parents say that they would like to know more about their children's learning at the pre-school. Parents are not always able to take advantage of the methods of communication staff offer them to discuss children's learning. Therefore, staff have not fully extended ways of communicating with parents to ensure that all children experience continuity through meaningful and frequent two-way exchanges of information between the pre-school and parents.

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

Staff place importance upon what parents know about children and gather information from them before children begin at the pre-school. This enables staff to get to know children's likes and dislikes and what interests them. Staff talk to parents as they drop children off in the morning and allow them unhurried time to say goodbye and help children to settle. Staff greet children and their families warmly. Children respond by raising their arms up for a cuddle and staff oblige, helping children to enjoy close contact with their key person. These strong relationships mean that children form close attachments to the people who care for them and feel secure in their care. This enables children to be emotionally prepared for learning. Consequently, children are keen to explore, investigate and take advantage of all the pre-school has to offer.

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

Children take responsibility for their environment. They tidy away toys before changes in their routine. This activity helps them to maintain a clear and organised space for play and learning while also preparing younger children for an imminent change. When children need to wait for short periods of time, such as during snack time, staff engage them in arm movements and copying games. They name their body parts as they point to their head, heart and shoulders to prevent them from becoming restless.

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

Children play together well, sharing toys and taking turns. Staff remind children of expectations for behaviour, such as sitting down on chairs. Staff give children clear reasons for why they should do something, meaning that children understand how to behave well and to keep themselves safe. Staff encourage children to experience risk and challenge by encouraging them to test out what they can do. Children play in the very well resourced garden frequently enjoying the fresh air and exercise as part of their routine. They learn about healthy eating through having a choice of vegetables and fruit for snack and a biscuit as a treat. This helps them to understand about good choices.

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

Staff prepare children well for changes. They work closely with the local school to share children's progress and to support children during the move into school. Staff plan activities for older children in consultation with teachers from the school to ensure that they are ready and become familiar with aspects of learning they will follow later.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children at the pre-school are good. Staff encourage children to enjoy the freedom of physical challenge in their play. They use interesting and stimulating natural resources to build, climb and balance while in the garden. Staff risk assess the area and supervise children during their play. Any accidents to children are thoroughly reviewed and prompt action is taken to remove any potentially hazardous equipment and review risk assessments prior to using them again. The pre-school maintain safe, legal requirements for adult to child ratios at all times.

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provision

Staff follow policies and procedures which underpin their practice. They are aware of the signs and symptoms that might cause them concern about children's welfare and to whom to report these. Induction of new staff is effective in checking that those who work with children are suitable to do so.

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provision

The manager communicates her high standards to the staff team. She supervises staff positively and takes decisive action to combat any perceived under performance. The stable staff team enjoy their work and are supportive of each other. Staff offer guidance to student practitioners helping to build their confidence and increase the quality of their interactions with children. Staff undertake regular training to refresh and enhance their knowledge and skills. The manager is undertaking study to degree level as she seeks to enhance her knowledge and cascade her learning to the staff team. The leadership structure of the pre-school is less well organised. There have been recent sudden changes to the voluntary committee, which have led to a period of time without clearly defined roles. This has had an impact on the quality of support and supervision available for the manager and staff team while a new committee takes up their posts.

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provision

Staff develop and review the methods they use to monitor children's progress. They find ways to maintain an accurate record of children's progress while not over-burdening staff with excess paperwork. This reflective approach to record keeping means that children's learning journals are concise and informative. Staff are able to assess children's development closely and recognise when children exceed expectations or need extra support. Staff encourage parents to share their own observations about children's learning and development to inform the progress check at age two years for relevant children. This means that it gives an accurate account of what children can do and their achievements to date.

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provision

The pre-school have close links with the local children's centre and together they work to support the needs of families who attend the pre-school. The pre-school forms productive working relationships with other professionals and draw upon their knowledge and experience when planning for children's next steps in learning. Parents find the staff to be friendly and approachable enabling them to raise any concerns they might have and feel confident in those who care for their children.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 941709 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider Rainbow (Bicester) Committee Date of previous inspection 04/02/2013 Telephone number 01869 323613

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Setting details

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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