Little Rainbows Day Nursery Ltd

Little Rainbows Day Nursery Ltd Little Rainbows Day Nursery, 95 Wallasey Road, WALLASEY, Merseyside, CH44 2AA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25/04/2014 23/03/2011

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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's safety is effectively promoted through good safeguarding and welfare procedures. Children are constantly supervised and cared for by suitable and skilled staff.  Children's dietary needs are very well met. This is because fresh ingredients are used to make a varied range of meals and snacks. Children enjoy healthy cooked lunches with a good balance of nutritious food.  Children's needs are well met through effective partnerships with parents and other professionals involved with individual children.  Children's early language development is given high priority. They have many excellent opportunities to develop their speech and language and extend their vocabulary through a variety of activities.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to include more natural items in the range of freely-accessible materials for babies and children. This is so they can use all their senses to learn about the world.  There is not always sufficient time built in to the planning so children can see and talk about the changes that occur in different foods as they prepare and cook them, in order to reinforce messages about healthier choices.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two playrooms and the outside learning environment.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the provider who is the manager of the nursery.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff working with the children, the provider's self-evaluation form and improvement plan.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of staff, children, parents and carers spoken to on the day and from information included in the setting's own parent survey.

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Information about the setting

Little Rainbows Day Nursery was registered in 2007 and is on the Early Years Register. It is situated in a detached building in Liscard, Wallasey and access is via two steps. The nursery is managed by Little Rainbows Day Nursery Limited and serves the local area. It operates from two rooms on the ground floor and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications with one at level 2, six at level 3, one with Early Years Professional status and one with Qualified Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 51 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children

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Information about the setting

with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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

 provide a wider range of natural items for babies to explore and investigate to further stimulate their senses and increase their awareness of the world

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

 build on the quality of food preparation experiences for children. For example, provide sufficient time for children to closely observe the raw foods by smelling and/or tasting the foods, talk about the flavours and textures and see and talk about the changes that occur in different foods as they prepare and cook them.

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who attend

Before they start at the nursery, staff talk with parents about their child's individual abilities and skills and what they like to play with. Staff make good use of this information with their own initial observations to plan suitably challenging activities for children. Staff and parents continue to speak daily and share what they know about children's learning. Verbal exchanges, communication books and electronic communication keep parents well informed about their child and the nursery. Every term, staff and parents meet to discuss and agree the next steps for children's development. Staff effectively track each child's progress, which enables them to identify any gaps in their learning and take early action to secure support where appropriate. Assessment records indicate children improve consistently. This is confirmed by parents and carers spoken to at the inspection. Children are all working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their

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who attend

age. Children's good progress in their physical, personal, social and emotional development ensures that they have the key skills needed for the next steps in their learning, such as moving on to school. Staff purposefully play games with children that require turn taking, which is a useful skill for school. For example, children roll dice to match shapes or colours and be the first to cover their dinosaur board. This encourages social and observational skills and refines their mathematical skills.

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who attend

Parents and staff work together to effectively develop early communication skills in babies. They make good use of simple ideas on specially designed cards to effectively support and develop the babies' speaking and listening skills. Parents borrow learning fun bags, designed by the nursery, specifically for their child's stage of development, which enable them to extend children's learning at home. Some bags specifically designed for babies from birth to 18 months focus on early communication and show how everyday tasks can be turned into a learning experience. Children concentrate well as they cut, glue and join together boxes and different coloured papers. A staff member supports children to hold scissors correctly and monitors their safe use. Staff make good use of opportunities to teach children as they play. For instance, a staff member introduces mathematical language as she describes how to turn the stick to get the glue up and down. Children

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who attend

improve their hand-to-eye coordination as they focus on screwing and unscrewing the glue sticks. Children discover and explore materials, such as sand and water as well as toys with buttons and levers, which promotes their awareness of technology. Children are keen learners who investigate what they find, although there are fewer natural items in the range of freely-accessible materials, to increase their awareness of the world.

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who attend

Staff are confident in their teaching and most of the time children's learning is very effectively supported. Outdoors, a large wooden gazebo creates a cosy, sheltered area where children sit and read and play in all weathers. To increase children's interest in literacy, staff take children on stimulating visits, such as to the local library to look at a range of books, and also on an outing to see a theatre production based on an award- winning children's book. While at the theatre children buy a book for reading at the nursery, which also develops their awareness of technology as they enjoy pressing the buttons to hear the animal noises. Children develop good speaking and listening skills and a keen interest in literacy. Parents read stories to the children in their home languages, such as Spanish and Cantonese. This helps children to learn from an early age about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. Festivals from different

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who attend

cultures are celebrated appropriately with children so that meaningful learning can take place. A local cultural group visit to speak with the children. As a result, children learn about Chinese New Year, Chinese customs and the difference between North and South China dragons. They taste Chinese food and listen to adults speak in Chinese and Cantonese.

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

Each child has a staff member, identified as a key person, who supports them to become familiar with the setting, ensures their individual needs are met and builds a relationship with their parents. Settling-in arrangements are agreed with parents so children stay for short sessions until they are comfortable to start. Babies and children demonstrate secure attachments to staff. Babies' home routines are followed, which enables them to feel emotionally secure. They bring comforters from home and develop a good sense of belonging as they look at photographs of themselves displayed on the wall. Older children look at and talk about photographs of faces displayed at a low level, which helps them learn about a range of different emotions. Older children confidently interact with visitors, which demonstrates they feel safe, emotionally secure and self-assured. For instance, a child is keen to provide the inspector with a tour of the garden and is confident to explain

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

how they are growing carrots and potatoes. He communicates well as he compares the growth of the potatoes with that of the carrots using appropriate language.

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

Staff at the nursery work effectively in partnership with other professionals and services to meet the needs of children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Children are emotionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning because staff provide good support to prepare them for their transitions. Children visit the next age group for short sessions before they move up. The new key person receives a summary of their interests and abilities, which they use to help them settle quickly and continue their learning. Similarly, children are supported well to move on to school. The nursery is part of a small cluster group with local schools, which currently meets to agree ways of sharing information to support transitions. A useful sheet has been devised on which to record a child's interests, key strengths and weaknesses as extra information to the summary of their learning

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

already provided. Children behave well and develop good self-help skills, listening skills and an ability to concentrate through routines and activities. Children receive praise from staff for their achievements and positive behaviour, which promotes their self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They visited a toy bear factory to make a police officer bear and dress it in uniform. This bear helps children to notice risks, such as water spilt on the floor, and take action to prevent accidents. Children talk about road safety as they make reflective armbands and as they sequence pieces numbered one to 10 to make a picture of a fire engine. Staff make resources, such as moveable road signs in order to create safe pathways for pedestrians and roadways for wheeled toys in the outdoor area. As a result, children begin to learn about road safety. Staff teach children how to use scissors safely when cutting and knives when baking. Staff are fully aware of each child's individual health or dietary needs. They agree these with parents and maintain clear records to ensure that these are addressed appropriately. Menus are carefully devised to meet children's nutritional needs. They follow the food and

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

drink guidelines for children in the early years age group. Children talk about healthy eating and the benefits of drinking water as they eat lunch. They enjoy helping to make lunch, for example, they place the toppings on pizza bases. This helps all children to develop good food habits from an early age. In general, children find practical work with food very enjoyable; they are interested in the flavours and textures of the foods themselves and motivated by handling them. However, they do not always have the opportunity to taste the raw foods, such as vegetables or eat the pizza they have constructed. This means they do not observe the changes that occur in different foods as they prepare and cook them. Children gain an understanding of the need for physical exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. They exercise and develop good coordination through indoor and outdoor activities and walks in the local area. Children develop strong

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

self-help skills as they move freely around and help themselves to a broad range of experiences. Staff help children to learn to be independent. As a result, children recognise and manage their personal needs increasingly well. They choose when to go to the toilet and a staff member appropriately follows them to provide support where required.

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provision

The manager and staff team understand their responsibility to meet the safeguarding and welfare and learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Robust recruitment and vetting, followed by in-depth induction and appraisal, check and monitor each staff member's suitability to work with children. Evidence of checks, including from the Disclosure and Barring Service, are available for inspection to evidence their suitability. The manager has attended a 'Train the Trainer' advanced safeguarding course. She regularly trains staff, which keeps their knowledge current and relevant to the nursery. Training enables staff to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of possible abuse and neglect. The manager provides support, advice and guidance to staff on an ongoing basis, and on any specific safeguarding issue as required. On a daily basis the clear policies and procedures are implemented consistently by staff, which

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provision

protects the children well. The nursery is kept secure at all times, access to the building is carefully monitored and regular risk assessments are made. All the required details about each child are obtained before a child starts at the nursery, which ensures they are accessible in an emergency.

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provision

The manager and staff have a wealth of skills and knowledge and deliver good quality teaching and learning. Staff are encouraged to improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. They meet with other professionals at meetings, training and conferences and make good use of what they learn to enhance their nursery. For instance, currently, they are registered in a Mathematics Champions project. The manager, who has Early Years Professional status, trains the staff to improve teaching and learning in mathematics. Following evaluation of practice, themed bags have been created, which parents borrow to use at home with their children to support their mathematical development. These bags add variety to the story and communication bags, which are already borrowed regularly by parents to support children's learning at home. Children freely choose activities from a wide range of accessible toys and books. Since the last

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provision

inspection, each child's development is now monitored on their own tracker. This provides staff with an accurate understanding of each child's skills, abilities and progress. The manager monitors the records to ensure accuracy and takes appropriate action to close any gaps in the learning of individual or groups of children. This supports all children to make good progress given their individual starting points and helps to prevent them being left behind. Children are regularly asked what they like about the nursery and parents' views are actively sought verbally and through questionnaires. Parents spoken to at the inspection are pleased with the progress their children are making in their learning. The manager and staff team work closely to build up the quality of their provision. They effectively identify the nursery's strengths and areas to develop and have positive improvement plans. They demonstrate a good capacity to sustain improvement. They take

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provision

immediate action to deal with any concerns raised by parents and make changes to their practice. Following the last inspection, the provider addressed the recommendations made. Children now self-serve some of their meal, which keeps them engaged and supports the development of their self-help skills. The nursery also has access to an interpreter and is able to translate observations and nursery letters into different languages to meet the needs of the families. A local authority cultural organisation provides training for staff on how to support and assess children with English as an additional language. In addition, a communication log sheet has been introduced and is used to record conversations/meetings with parents and to include signatures so everyone is agreed on actions to be taken. A toilet and nappy changing policy has been written and is discussed with parents at the time toilet training is agreed. If there is an issue with toilet

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provision

training, staff will provide a diary for both parties to see if a pattern can be found, then a more accurate personal plan can be devised and agreed.

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provision

The nursery works well in partnership with parents and offers some home visits. Each term, the nursery organises family days out to local places of interest. The nursery provides new ideas for parents and children to share learning at home. For example, parents borrow bags of activities for home use, such as den making with sticks, books, rolls of twine and fabric. Staff value parents' skills and ask if the parents/carers have any special talents that they would be willing to share. Parents access a wealth of information on noticeboards, in newsletters and electronically. A weekly e-mail service is offered to parents who are unable to attend the nursery. This lets them know what their child has been doing within the nursery during the week. A nursery social network page has recently been introduced as a further way to communicate with parents. This provides general information for parents and is useful for those who are unable to attend the

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provision

nursery. The nursery also posts details of activities that the children have been involved in and reminders of upcoming events, trips and charity news. Staff have good working relationships with outside agencies and professionals, such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, paediatricians, an educational psychologist, health visitors and social workers. This enables them to provide good support and early identification for children and families requiring additional support. Staff work increasingly well in partnership with local schools and the local children's centre.

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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 EY346682 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 961718

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Little Rainbows Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 23/03/2011 Telephone number 0151 6383001

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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