The Rainbow Tree Day Nursery

The Rainbow Tree Day Nursery The Old Casino 85 87, Wellington Street, Gravesend, DA12 1JQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 27 June 2016 Not applicable

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3

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:

 Senior leaders have not ensured that there are arrangements in place for staff to complete progress checks when children are aged between two and three years.  The changes in staffing as the nursery has expanded have not always been managed effectively. The handover of children's care from one member of staff to another is not consistently smooth.  Some staff do not assess all children's progress adequately or plan effectively to promote children's progress across all areas of learning.  Procedures for self-evaluation are not yet good enough to help senior leaders know what needs to improve.

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It has the following strengths

 Children are happy, confident and secure because staff are caring and kind. The positive relationships throughout the nursery enable children to develop confidence.  The nursery has a wide range of exciting activities and resources inside and outside, which children enjoy exploring and investigating.  The quality of teaching in the baby room is strong and babies delight in exploring and investigating as they confidently develop physical skills and learn to communicate.  The management and staff team are hard working and enthusiastic. They accept the weaknesses identified at the inspection and have a positive attitude about driving the required improvements.

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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 all staff assess children's progress accurately and plan age-appropriate activities, with particular regard to focussing on the prime areas of development for toddlers and providing stimulating activities which challenge older children and enable them to prepare for the next stage in their learning 01/08/2016

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Due Date

 review children's progress when they are aged between two and three years and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas 01/08/2016

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Due Date

 ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs and that changes in the key person arrangements enable staff to work in close partnership with parents to support and promote continuity. 01/08/2016

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Due Date

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

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Due Date

 improve the systems for self-evaluation to more accurately identify strengths and weaknesses in order to drive and sustain improvement.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching and the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the deputy manager and held a meeting with the management team.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff and children during the inspection to consider their views.  The inspector sampled planning and assessment records and a range of other documents.  The inspector observed the safety arrangements and information relating to safeguarding.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

Safeguarding is effective as managers have worked hard to provide training and support so that staff have a clear understanding of how to protect children. The newly implemented recruitment and induction procedures for new staff are robust. Regular staff supervision and team meetings help practitioners to reflect on their practice and accurately identify their own individual areas for development. However, although the management team oversees the educational programmes, they have not identified or tackled areas which require improvement in the toddler and pre-school rooms. The nursery has developed strong partnerships with parents and outside agencies. Staff have developed positive links with other professionals to enhance continuity in care for children who need extra support.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

The quality of teaching within the nursery is variable. Staff working with the babies clearly understand how to promote the learning and development of younger children. They are skilled at teaching babies to communicate their feelings and ideas. For example, they talk to babies about what they are doing, so that they link words with actions. These strategies help babies to understand that what they communicate is valued. However, this quality of teaching is not consistent in the older age groups. Some staff provide activities that are beyond toddlers’ understanding rather than focussing on the early stages in their development. Staff do not carry out the two year old check for children between the age of two and three years. Some staff working with toddlers and pre-school age children do not assess children's progress accurately or plan effectively for the next stage in their development. Consequently there are times when some children become bored as they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

are not challenged. This means that they do not make the best possible progress in readiness for starting school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Although there are key person arrangements in place, recent changes in staffing have meant that some staff do not have all of the information they need to fulfil the role. Not all parents have been made aware of who their child's key person is. Nevertheless, parents say that staff know their children well and are very caring and kind. They say that their children are making good progress and developing confidence as a result of the support they receive. Staff are positive role models. They have a consistent approach to managing children’s behaviour. The clear support and guidance teaches children about boundaries and behavioural expectations. Consequently, children are very well behaved and develop strong social skills for their future.

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Outcomes for children require improvement

Older children are generally confident and friendly. Babies are very settled and secure with the adults who care for them. They show this as they enthusiastically explore the environment, but return to their key person for a cuddle when they need it. Consequently, babies make good progress in their learning, but this is not always sustained as children move to the older age groups.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY496377 Local authority Kent Inspection number 1053920 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 51 Name of registered person The Rainbow Tree Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01474 491273

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reference number

The Rainbow Tree Day Nursery registered in 2015. It operates from a large building spread over four floors in Gravesend, Kent. The nursery is open from 7.30am to 7pm, five days a week all year round, closing for one week at Christmas. Currently there are nine members of staff, all of whom hold level three qualifications and one of whom holds Early Years Professional Status. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four-years.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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