Rainbow Nursery

Rainbow Nursery 44 Portway, FROME, Somerset, BA11 1QR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/11/2013 08/12/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 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

 Children are confident and secure; they enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences, which contribute highly to their good progress.  Staff have established good partnerships with parents and outside agencies, which ensures children's learning and care has continuity.  Staff support children's physical development effectively through the provision of daily opportunities to play outside in the fresh air.  Staff deploy themselves well to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children have effective adult support.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have few opportunities to use their home language in their play and learning.

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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 observed activities and the quality of teaching in all playrooms and the outside play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled documentation, including children's assessment records, policies and staff suitability checks.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector took account of the views of parents.

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Information about the setting

Rainbow Nursery is privately owned and has been registered since May 2008, although it has been open since 1995 under a previous owner. It operates from a converted building situated in the town of Frome, Somerset. Children under three years are accommodated in two play rooms on the ground floor with a separate sleep room provided. Pre-school children have use of three playrooms on the first floor. There is an enclosed garden area at the side of the building. Each floor is self-contained with kitchen and toilet facilities. The first floor and garden area are accessed by flights of external steps. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm, all year round with the exception of a week over the Christmas period.

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Information about the setting

Rainbow Nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 94 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The nursery is managed by the owner and the nursery manager, both of whom are qualified in childcare. In addition, a team of 13 staff are employed; one member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status and the majority either hold, or are working towards, a level 3 qualification.

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

 provide children, who are learning to speak English as an additional language, with more opportunities to use their home language in their play and learning.

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who attend

Children benefit from a good range of well-planned activities and experiences, which meet their individual needs and interests successfully. Children have daily opportunities to develop their physical skills in the outside environment. They wait patiently at the 'bus station' for their turn on the 'scuttle bug' and enthusiastically participate in parachute games. Staff welcome children warmly on arrival, which supports them to feel secure. Children are excited to see their friends and quickly settle choosing between an adult-led activity or an activity of their free choice. Older children develop their social skills effectively as they confidently ask questions, play cooperatively with their friends and take turns in their play. This prepares them well for the next stage in their development. Children thoroughly enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. Staff make good use of questioning to help children recall stories and extend children's thinking. For example,

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who attend

staff ask children if they can remember why the character in the story is lying down. Children are quick to respond and explain it is because the character is looking at the North Star. This demonstrates that children are acquiring good listening skills and have an enthusiasm to learn. Staff make books with photographs of places and items from around the nursery. They use these effectively to support the children when they are moving up to the next room in the nursery.

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who attend

Children engage in a range of activities that encourage them to investigate and explore. For example, children grow fruit and vegetables in the garden, such as marrows and pumpkins. Staff teach them how to care for the vegetables before the children pick, cook and eat them. Young children and babies delight in using their senses to explore. Babies sit in trays filled with pinecones, shredded paper and wooden blocks. They watch carefully as staff hide the paper under a mat or inside a cup before the babies try to find it. Activities such as this effectively support children's understanding of the world.

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who attend

Staff use everyday routines to develop children's early mathematical skills. For example, staff count young children's hands as they put aprons on for water play. Children count how many pieces of fruit they help themselves to at snack time and staff use mathematical language naturally to teach children about concepts, such as size and shape, as they play. For example, children talk about and compare the size of the shells in the sand tray or use their fingers to show how many currant buns are left when singing a song. Children's communication and language skills are developing well. Children listen well to one another. They respond to instructions from staff and they confidently voice their needs at group times. However, children who are learning to speak English as an additional language have fewer opportunities to use their home language during activities to further develop their language skills.

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

Children are happy, confident and settled. A dedicated key person, within a consistent team of staff, successfully supports children to feel secure and develop strong attachments. This means that children's emotional and physical well-being is effectively supported. Staff work closely with parents to ensure children's needs and routines are well met. Daily routines are recorded, including sleep patterns, nappy changes and food eaten. Older children are confident in their own self-care. They manage to wipe their nose for themselves, put the tissue in the bin and wash their hands. Staff provide an attractive environment with many accessible resources, which are clearly labelled in words and pictures. This promotes children's independence and freedom of choice.

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

Children develop a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. Children have the option of a hot meal, or a packed lunch provided by parents. Mealtimes are sociable occasions, which support children's personal, social and emotional development. They wait nicely until all their friends are sitting at the table before they start their meal. Staff recognise the children's good manners and praise them, which boosts children's self- esteem. Children join in many physical activities that help them to develop their climbing and balancing skills. Staff encourage babies to become mobile by providing low-level equipment so that babies can pull themselves up to a standing position to explore their environment. This effectively supports babies to move on to the next stage in their physical development.

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

Children behave very well. Staff teach the children to be thoughtful and kind, explaining why their actions could hurt others' feelings. Staff consistently praise children for 'good sharing' and 'waiting nicely' for their turn. This effectively supports children to learn skills they need in readiness for school. Children are encouraged to think about their own safety through the regular practise of the fire drill. In addition, local emergency services come into the nursery to talk to the children about safety and an annual visit is made to the local fire station.

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provision

The management and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a good understanding of child protection issues, they are clear of the signs or symptoms that would cause them concern and they are fully aware of the correct reporting procedure. There are secure systems for the monitoring of staff performance to ensure continued suitability; this includes regular supervision and annual appraisals. There is a strong ethos of team working in the nursery, which ensures that staff at all levels are appropriately monitored and supported. There are thorough risk assessments in place and staff carry out daily checks to ensure that the premises remain safe and suitable for the children's use.

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provision

The management team and staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. A newly introduced computerised system for recording children's progress and achievements enables the staff team to monitor children's progress, and identify any gaps in children's learning or the educational programme, effectively. Staff make regular observations of the children's activities. They use these to inform their planning and to keep parents up to date with their children's progress. The child's key person confidently completes the progress check for two-year-old children and these are shared with the parents. This new system also enables parents and carers to access and contribute to their children's records. This means that parents can be fully involved in their child's learning. Partnerships with parents are very positive. The nursery operates an 'open door' policy to

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provision

all parents. Staff complete a daily diary for babies, which encourages a two-way flow of communication between home and the nursery. Parents are invited to termly parent meetings and social events are organised throughout the year for parents to meet with one another. The nursery works closely with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and portage, to support children with additional needs. Staff have also worked with interpreters and use visual aids, such as a visual timetable, to support children that are learning to speak English as a second language. There are good systems in place to share information with other settings when children's care and learning is shared. This ensures a consistent approach.

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provision

The management, staff, parents and children contribute to the self-evaluation process. Parents contribute their views through annual questionnaires. Regular staff and management meetings mean that continual reflection is taking place to ensure continuous improvements are made. The management and staff team have identified through self- evaluation that the babies and younger children's learning outside would be further enhanced if they had a separate area. This is currently being explored along with the introduction of an outside covered area and mud kitchen.

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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 EY372764 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 844361 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 94 Name of provider Ruth Hermione Thomas Date of previous inspection 08/12/2008 Telephone number 01373 462 553

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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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