Rainbow Angels Nurseries & Learning Centres

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Practitioners have a warm approach towards children when they arrive at the setting. This helps children to separate easily from their parents. Children confidently go to practitioners when they need support. The practitioners recognise when new and young children may need a cuddle for reassurance. Their nurturing attitude helps children to feel safe. This promotes children's emotional health.

Managers put an ambitious learning programme in place. This promotes children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. The designated coordinator works well in partnership with parents and outside agencies. Managers ensure that additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to benefit the children who receive it. This helps all children make good progress from their starting points.

Managers and practitioners have high expectations of children's behaviour. Practitioners support the children with positive role modelling. For example, a group of children walk down the corridor to their playroom with encouragement and words of guidance from practitioners. This helps children to understand how to be respectful and to show consideration to others.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Practitioners provide opportunities for children to be physically active. Children revel in using musical instruments. Babies and toddlers strum on drums and shake rattles. Children enjoy learning in the sensory room. They safely jump around and move to nursery rhymes as they play in the ball pond. Other children manipulate sand and build with stacking resources. Older children take part in games together in the outside area and soft-play area. Practitioners promote children's physical development skills well.
• Practitioners understand the sequence of how young children learn mathematics. They put in place interesting experiences and resources that engage the children well. For example, practitioners model counting while hiding numbers in sensory materials, such as rice. Children are developing early mathematical skills in fun ways.
• Practitioners foster the children's love of stories. They spend time reading and singing with and to children. However, at times, they do not give children enough time to respond to them. Practitioners do not fully capture children's ideas and extend children's communication and language skills further.
• Practitioners plan how to help children to prepare for their next steps in education. For example, the oldest children have the option of wearing a school uniform in preparation for starting school. Children with SEND can build relationships and meet their new teachers from other settings.
• Practitioners provide babies and young children with calm areas for daytime sleeping. Children wake up naturally from their naps. The setting's cook prepares nutritious meals for children. She has an in-depth knowledge of children's allergies and dietary requirements. There are systems in place to make sure children receive the food that supports their individual needs. This benefits children's health and well-being well.
• Managers and room leaders support other practitioners' understanding of the setting's learning programme and policies. They do this through weekly training meetings. The management team has effective oversight of the setting. Managers act swiftly in response to weaknesses they identify. For example, they have made changes to the setting's complaints practices.
• Practitioners share information on ideas of how parents can support their children's learning at home. However, when children attend the setting, practitioners do not always share information with parents about who their child's key-person is to provide greater continuity in their care and learning.
• Parents say their children enjoy their time at the setting. They comment that the practitioners are friendly and that they are happy with the care their children receive. All children benefit from effective support from practitioners.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use more effective strategies and strengthen practitioners' interactions with children to promote children's communication and language skills further
• build further on relationships with parents to ensure all parents know who their children's key-person is to help ensure continuity of care and learning more effectively.