Kindred Wheathampstead

Rainbow House (Herts) Ltd RAINBOW NURSERY LTD, Meads Lane, St Albans, AL4 8BW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 November 2015 Not applicable

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

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This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 There is no named deputy in place who is able to take charge in the absence of the manager to promote children's safety and well-being.  Teaching is variable. Staff are not supported with regular supervision to improve their knowledge, understanding and practice. The quality of teaching is not effectively monitored to ensure that underperformance is tackled swiftly.  Ongoing observations and assessments are not used effectively to inform the planning of suitably challenging activities in the room for two-year-olds.

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It has the following strengths

 Young babies develop strong bonds with staff. The well-organised key-person system in this room supports young children to form secure attachments and promotes their care and well-being.  Children in the pre-school room are independent and are supported to learn the skills they need for school. They manage their own self-care needs and serve their own meals very well.  Children's physical development is well promoted. Children have a wide range of outdoor opportunities and experiences to explore freely in the well-equipped outside areas.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

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Due Date

 ensure that there is a named deputy in place to take charge of the nursery in the absence of the manager 27/12/2015

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Due Date

 implement effective monitoring of staff to identify inconsistent practice and training needs and use this to provide a suitable programme of professional development that includes regular supervision 27/01/2016

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Due Date

 improve the use of assessments when tracking younger children's learning and development; incorporate their individual next steps in learning into the planning in order to shape challenging learning experiences. 27/01/2016

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching in all base rooms during activities and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager and jointly evaluated the quality of teaching observed.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager and one of the nursery owners. She looked at relevant documentation, such as evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. She also viewed a small sample of individual staff files.  The inspector spoke to a small selection of parents during the inspection and took account of their views. She also took into account written feedback supplied by a small number of parents.  The inspector reviewed the provider's self-evaluation record and discussed reflective practice.  The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding children are effective. Regular child protection training is attended by staff to ensure that they know the procedures to be followed if they have a concern. Regular risk assessments are completed to ensure that all children are cared for in a safe and secure environment. The manager ensures that staff recruitment and induction procedures are robust. The required suitability checks are completed to ensure that staff are suitable and well qualified to work with children. However, in the absence of the nursery manager there is no named deputy to take charge and promote the smooth running of the nursery. Staff work together to evaluate the nursery and regularly discuss improvements during staff meetings. However, staff supervision is not regular enough to support staff effectively with their ongoing professional development. In addition to this, staff are not regularly monitored to ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

across all age groups. Partnerships with parents, carers and other settings are warmly encouraged with a daily communication exchange.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Young babies explore a range of materials as they develop their physical skills. They climb and pull themselves up on good quality resources and equipment, appropriate for their stages of development. The babies' communication and language skills are encouraged through good quality staff interaction. They begin to copy a range of words and sounds and move their bodies happily to the music and singing they join in with. Older children in the pre-school room are engaged in a range of topics. They take part in local outings where they learn about the different seasons. Staff extend activities to further develop children's learning. For example, they use their imaginations to create their own stick men pictures with the leaves they collect after listening to a story linked to their outing. However, there are some variations in the quality of teaching. For example, in the room for two-year-olds teaching is not as sharply focused as in the other rooms. While children

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

are making progress some activities are not effectively planned. Some children lose interest because they are not engaged. Detailed observations are not always used to plan a range of more challenging activities that match children's interests, next steps and individual abilities.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children's personal, social and emotional development are supported. Most children are confident and behave well and key staff are appropriate role models. Older children's independence is supported by staff who encourage them to make choices for themselves. Their well-being is encouraged, with necessary health and hygiene routines promoted and they eat a good range of well-balanced meals and snacks.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Babies and children of pre-school age are making good progress in their learning and development. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and care for children in the room for two-year-olds. This means that these children are not making such good progress, despite the levels of staff qualifications.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY481793 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1002466 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 73 Name of provider Rainbow House (Herts) Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01786825523

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Setting details

Rainbow House (Herts) Ltd was registered under the current ownership in 2015. The nursery, in St Albans, employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including the manager who has a degree in early years. The nursery opens from 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday all year round. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Setting details

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

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

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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