Report on the Inspection of Over the Rainbow Day Nursery, Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, May 2003

/ Providing Inspection Services for
Department of Education
Department for Employment and Learning
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Inspection of Over the Rainbow Day Nursery,
Belfast
(DE Number: 1CA-0478)
A Report by the Education and Training Inspectorate
May 2003

Introduction

1.Over The Rainbow Day Nursery is a privately operated preschool education centre. At the time of the inspection, a total of 50 children attended the centre; twelve were in their preschool year.

2.The inspection is part of a programme to ensure that appropriate standards of education are provided in centres receiving funding as part of the Government’s expansion of preschool education. Eleven of the centre’s preschool places are funded through the expansion programme.

3.The inspection provided opportunities for the parents to express their views about the centre. Those who responded were satisfied or very satisfied with most aspects of the centre’s provision. The staff have been made aware of the query raised by one parent.

THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROVISION

4.There have been many changes to the centre in recent months in terms of staffing, curriculum development and relocation within the main building. During this time, the staff have worked very hard to create an attractive and inviting environment which is arranged thoughtfully into defined areas of play. The playroom is enhanced by examples of the children’s art work, photographs and relevant displays. The majority of the children are well settled and cooperate with the staff; however, a significant minority are less settled and engage in activity which is not acceptable. The staff need to implement effective and consistent strategies for behaviour management in order to promote settled and purposeful play.

5.The staff are developing appropriate links with the parents and use a variety of methods to inform them about the centre’s provision. There are opportunities for informal contact at the beginning and end of the day, and the parents are invited into the centre once a year to discuss their children’s progress with the staff. The staff intend, appropriately, to provide more opportunities for the parents to play a partnership role in the education of their children.

6.The centre has a suitable written policy on child protection, which is available to parents. The staff are aware of, and implement, appropriate procedures to safeguard the welfare of the children.

7.The staff are at an early stage of planning the educational programme in line with the High/Scope methodology. A variety of interesting experiences and activities is planned for the children; however, the staff need to identify more clearly the learning to be promoted in order to guide them more effectively in their daytoday work with the children.

8.The daily timetable provides a good balance of free play and activities organised by the staff. While the children’s snack operates smoothly and efficiently, more should be done at this time to foster the children’s independence, social and conversational skills.

9.At times, the staff participate appropriately in the play to promote the children’s enjoyment and extend their thinking; often, however, their involvement is too narrowly focused on observing the children, and they miss opportunities to extend the play and to foster learning.

10.The centre’s programme includes some satisfactory learning opportunities; too little attention is given to promoting the children’s language and developing mathematical awareness. The points which follow illustrate specific aspects of the programme.

During the inspection, there were some sustained periods of concentrated play, particularly in the craft area, the home play area and the block area. On occasions, some play lacks purpose and is less settled than it should be. More needs to be done to provide additional stimulus for some children and to foster their abilities to develop the complexity of their play.

There are daily opportunities for the children to develop physical skills and confidence with a variety of tools and equipment. Outdoor play is available when the weather permits.

The wide range of creative activities encourages the children to explore and experiment with different materials and tools. The children are developing their ability to use various techniques to produce interesting pictures and models, and several have begun to make representations of people and objects in their surroundings.

The centre has a good range of books. Relevant books are incorporated into areas of play and are used, on occasions, to promote discussion during small group time. The children are introduced to text incidentally through captions displayed around the room.

The staff need to develop greater skill in recognising the potential of activities, and in developing strategies, in order to promote mathematical learning.

The children have opportunities to learn about the living environment through growing seeds and caring for the pet fish. Some other activities within the playroom, such as sand, water and dough play, are underdeveloped and opportunities to promote learning are missed.

The development of imaginative play and the provision of a variety of dressingup clothes promote the children’s awareness of the world around them. The children’s experiences are extended usefully by outings to places of interest, such as the farm.

11.The staff have recently begun to make written observations of the children’s play; further development is needed to ensure that there are effective arrangements for monitoring, recording and reporting the children’s progress. This information should be used more systematically to inform the planning in order to meet the children’s differing needs.

12.The staff are hardworking and enthusiastic. Appropriate areas of the curriculum are identified for developmental work. The staff value the advice and support provided by the centre’s early years specialist.

13.The quality of the accommodation is good. The centre has an adequate supply of equipment and materials of good quality.

14.The strengths of the centre include:

the friendly atmosphere throughout the centre;

the attractively presented playroom;

the thoughtful organisation of the daily timetable;

the hardworking staff and the developing sense of team spirit.

15.The inspection has identified some areas which require action. In addressing the most important areas, the centre needs to:

ensure that the quality of the interaction between the staff and the children is more consistently of a high standard in order to promote the children’s learning in all aspects of the play programme;

implement effectively the centre’s behaviour management policy in order to foster more settled and productive play;

develop further the planning of the educational programme and the methods of assessment.

16.Although there are some strengths which can be built upon, aspects of the educational provision in this preschool centre are not entirely satisfactory. There are shortcomings in important areas which the centre needs to address. The proprietor should work with the staff to plan and implement the necessary improvements. The Department’s Inspectorate will carry out a short followup inspection to evaluate the progress being made.

APPENDIX

More attention needs to be given to the children’s need for privacy when attending to their personal care.

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.

Copies of this report may be obtained from the Inspection Services Branch, Department of Education, Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down BT19 7PR. A copy is also available on the DE website:

CMCG/WORD DOC