Rainbows Playgroup Ltd

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders do not always have oversight of the impact of the curriculum for all children. Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing are not consistently supported to make the progress they are capable of. Leaders have not ensured that staff purposefully interact with children during their play and routines to help them make progress with their next steps in learning. Some children are not always able to access meaningful learning opportunities.

Children who receive additional funding and/or additional support from outside agencies are typically well supported. Leaders develop individual plans to help these children make progress from their starting points. For example, they work together to put in place individual health plans, and staff undertake relevant training to ensure that the required support is in place for children. This enables children to take part in the activities with their friends.

Leaders typically work with key persons and parents to identify how to make the best use of additional funding for specific children. For example, leaders recognise that when the setting is closed during school holidays, some children who access additional funding regress in their learning. Leaders put on additional sessions throughout the holidays, which children can access to help them make continued progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

While leaders have recently developed a broad curriculum to build on children's interests and support their next steps, this is not yet implemented well. Staff do not always fully understand what they want children to gain from activities, and as such, interactions between staff and children sometimes lack purpose. The quality of teaching is variable, and children's experiences are not consistent throughout the setting. For example, leaders have not supported staff to make adaptations to how they implement the curriculum to meet the needs of children who have barriers to their learning and to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are always supported effectively.

Staff provide a variety of sensory experiences, such as water based learning activities, sand and rice play. Staff adapt their vocabulary to support early mathematics. For example, children enjoy scooping up rice to fill pots. Staff help children count '1 scoop, 2 scoops, 3 scoops'. As children fill the sand wheel with rice, staff show them how it makes the wheel spin. This helps children learn cause and effect. Children enjoy making marks with water. Staff help children use different brushes to make marks, such as swirls and whirls. On occasion, when staff move between activities, children struggle to focus without appropriate support. This weakens their engagement in learning as children are unsure of what to do.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children do not achieve as well as they could because there are weaknesses in staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. Children do not consistently build on skills they already have because some staff lack the knowledge of how to build on these through a range of activities. For example, children who are developing their early language skills do not receive consistently purposeful interactions from staff. The lack of consistent support for children has a direct impact on their progress in other areas of learning, such as their developing social skills.

Children benefit from the recently developed reading area, which provides them with access to books throughout their time at the setting. Children sit by themselves, readily turning the pages as they look at the pictures. They happily let staff join them, where they share their books and hear a story. This helps children develop a love of books.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that staff understand how to consistently manage children's behaviour. For example, when children display unwanted behaviours, such as throwing resources on the floor and playfully splashing water at their peers, staff choose to ignore these behaviours and do not pursue this further. As result, children do not understand what is expected of them and do not change their behaviours. Staff do not always help children understand how to play safely. When children stand on top of the slide, staff shout across the outdoor space, telling children not to stand. Children do not understand who this instruction is for and what they should do to keep themselves safe.

Leaders routinely monitor attendance, ensuring that any lapses are checked to keep children safe. Staff work with parents to help them understand the importance of regular attendance and how it may affect their child's development.

Children benefit from an established routine that they actively take part in. During snack time, children are supported to pour drinks, put rubbish in the bin and put dirty plates and cups in the bowl. Children receive praise for trying to do as much for themselves as possible. They develop positive attachments with staff and are confident in the environment. Typically, staff role model how to use manners during play.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Leaders do not support staff to understand how to promote children's understanding of leading a healthy lifestyle. For example, during a tooth brushing activity, leaders do not typically ensure that staff interact with children to check their understanding of the importance of dental hygiene.

Staff implement some activities to support children's health. Children are supported to wash their hands before eating. They are provided with healthy snacks and they have access to fresh drinking water. During these times, children receive minimal interaction from staff to help promote children's understanding of leading a healthy lifestyle or to further develop their social skills.

Children build secure attachments with their key person. They develop a sense of belonging and are confident and independent in their surroundings. Children enjoy outdoor play. They use their leg muscles to push themselves along on ride on toys and to climb small steps to access the slide. Others use their arm muscles to collect jugs of water, which they carefully transport to other activities. This helps children develop their physical skills.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have failed to ensure that the requirements of the early years foundation stage are met. Weaknesses in carrying out their safeguarding responsibilities put children at risk. For example, leaders do not identify potential safeguarding concerns, which puts children at risk of harm. In addition, leaders fail to review the ongoing suitability of those that work with children at the setting. This does not assure children's safety.

Leaders carry out supervisions with staff; however, these are not robust. Leaders' lack of oversight regarding staff's practice has lead to ineffective support being put in place to help children meet their learning outcomes. Leaders have undertaken recent work with the local authority to implement a new curriculum to build on children's progress. However, this is still in its infancy, and staff do not yet fully understand how to implement the curriculum changes. This has led to interactions between staff and children lacking purpose, and learning is incidental rather than purposeful. Leaders recognise that these recent changes have resulted in variable staff's practice across the setting.

Staff say they enjoy working at the setting and that leaders consider their personal circumstances. They state they receive dedicated time for training and feel supported by leaders. Parents are positive about the care their children receive. They say their children enjoy attending the setting and have made friends and developed their confidence levels.