Rainbow Childcare Centres

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and babies enter happily and settle quickly to play with a wide range of interesting resources. Kindly staff greet children warmly. Staff focus on ways to enable all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop their independence skills. Staff help children to become confident, independent learners, ready for the next stage of their learning. This aim is at the heart of the centre's curriculum. Staff ensure older children hang up their coats and bags next to their names and place their lunch boxes on a trolley. At snack time, they ask children to pour their milk and serve themselves fruit. Staff gently encourage babies to keep trying as they pull themselves up on low level furniture to a standing position. Photos of children and their families are displayed at a low level so that children can talk with staff about these and feel valued.

The caring staff are positive role models. Children know what is expected of them. They follow simple rules, such as using 'quiet voices' and 'walking feet' indoors. Staff support children to recognise and manage their emotions, while explaining the impact of their actions on others. At mealtimes, children sing about saying 'please' and 'thank you', which helps them to remember their good manners. Children make choices, such as which herbs and spices to add to create scented dough and what shape of cutters they will use.

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

• Leaders support staff's well-being effectively. Staff work together strongly to meet the needs of all children. They access professional development, such as Makaton training, which helps them to make improvements for all children, including those with SEND. Supervision is regular and targeted to ensure that individual staff's needs and those of the centre are met.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are strong. Staff share appropriate next steps with parents and exchange daily updates about routines. Parents are updated about children's ongoing progress at parents' evenings. However, sometimes, staff do not share as much information about topics that their children are exploring until after these are completed. This means that parents may miss opportunities to talk with their children at home about their ongoing experiences.
• Staff prioritise building strong bonds with babies and children. They get to know them well from the start, gathering information from parents about routines, preferences and abilities. They use this knowledge to help children feel secure and welcome at the centre.
• Staff provide a commentary for children's explorations of the world around them. When children hunt for ladybirds, staff talk about their size, number of spots and wings. They introduce new words such as 'sprinkle' to describe children's actions. Staff ensure there are plenty of opportunities for children to practise their communication and language skills, including in one-to-one sessions.
• Children enjoy plenty of exercise in the fresh air daily. For instance, staff encourage them to develop their stamina and physical skills when running vigorously across the securely enclosed field nearby. They play football and climb safely on large equipment. Staff supervise children closely so that they learn to take safe risks while they play. This supports the development of children's good physical skills and well-being.
• Staff adapt activities well during children's play so that all of them can access these easily. However, during some group activities, older children are not challenged as fully to extend their learning. For instance, staff occasionally answer questions for children rather than allowing them to think and solve problems for themselves.
• The centre provides good support for children with SEND. Staff are proactive in finding ways to help narrow any gaps in children's learning. They work closely with other professionals when required. There is good communication with other settings that children will attend, including schools.
• Staff promote children's love of books and nursery rhymes, such as by reading to children of all ages animatedly in small groups. Babies turn pages independently and feel the different textures of the pictures. Children choose books from the accessible lending library to take home and share with their families. Staff sing rhymes with children, helping them to build their recall of familiar songs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance information sharing further with parents to help them better understand what their children are learning and how to support this fully at home
• support staff to plan group activities that provide greater challenge for older children, to extend their thinking and learning further.