Rainbow Childcare & Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel welcome when they arrive at the nursery. Toddlers confidently join the morning group time and find out what staff have planned for the day. They know that staff will encourage and support them to make their own choices about what to do. This helps children to become eager learners, who try things out. Babies quietly adjust to the care of the friendly and attentive staff. Then they busily set off to explore the inviting and familiar room. When babies delve into a basket of interesting wooden items, staff sit close by. Children hear staff naming the items and gently commenting on their actions. This helps to promote children's early language and sense of security really well.

Parents and carers describe the nursery as a 'nurturing environment'. They say that children come home with 'beaming smiles'. Parents like the open two-way communication, at the door and via the online app. This helps everyone to work together to promote continuity in children's care and learning. Parents say that this was particularly important when COVID-19 restrictions prevented indoor meetings. Staff incorporate information from parents into conversations and activities that help children to feel important and unique. This helps staff to support and challenge children to make good progress in their learning.

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

• The provider communicates his vision for children's progress and achievement clearly. He wants children to become purposeful, independent learners. Staff understand and implement this intention well. They respect children's decisions and encourage them to value their own ideas. This enables children to become deeply involved in self-motivated learning.
• The provider is ambitious for the well-being and progress of the well-qualified team. He provides supportive supervision and coaching and sets individual performance targets for staff. In addition, the provider commissions bespoke advice that helps him to set out a nursery development plan. However, he does not join up staff's targets to the development plan targets effectively enough. Staff's targets are not measurable enough to fully promote the nursery's progress towards excellence.
• The team create a busy, calm environment, where children continuously find new and familiar things to do. Toddlers operate remote-controlled cars and use a mechanical device that presses juice from citrus fruit. Staff talk with children about what they are doing. This enables children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to form correct sentences and extend their vocabulary.
• Staff's good knowledge of how children learn helps them to use the nursery's rich resources effectively. For example, toddling babies stretch their arms up as high as they can to touch interesting shiny mobiles. This promotes their steadiness really well. Older toddlers venture daringly along low planks outdoors. This helps them to develop confidence and balance.
• Staff establish consistent routines and children know what they are expected to do. This helps to promote children's independence and they develop self-control. At sleep time, children unhesitatingly lie down and settle quickly to sleep. Children demonstrate a high level of emotional well-being.
• Staff regularly sing nursery rhymes and action songs with children. This promotes children's coordination and helps to accelerate their progress towards becoming confident speakers. Toddlers eagerly anticipate events in familiar stories. They know that the unsuitable pets will have to go back to the zoo until the one that is 'just right' arrives. Staff's obvious enthusiasm about stories helps children to learn that reading is pleasurable.
• Toddlers find their coats and begin to put them on by themselves. Staff tell children why they need to put coats, gloves and hats on when the weather is cold. Children know that when the icy wind makes their noses run, they must wipe them and put the tissues in the bin. This helps children learn to make choices that promote their good health.
• Staff and parents work together to prepare older toddlers for the move to the provider's pre-school setting. Children make visits that help them to become familiar with the staff, children and new surroundings. The close partnership between the two provisions supports children to learn that change is a positive experience.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the nursery's strategic development planning, so that individual staff's targets help the nursery to promote excellent outcomes for children.