Rainbow Corner Windlesham Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from an innovative and ambitious curriculum. Leaders and staff prepare children incredibly well for their next stage of education. Children develop a true love for learning and are exceptionally well supported in their play and development. Children's physical health and well-being is promoted really well through outdoor play and forest school adventures. Children's language and communication skills are phenomenal. They have and use an extensive vocabulary and speak fluently for their young age.

Children care for their inspirational environment and confidently explore the exciting and engaging learning opportunities. Behaviour is exemplary. Children sustain high levels of determination, persevering until they achieve their goals. For example, they concentrate hard as they carefully scrape every piece of food from their dinner plates, checking they are completely clear, before stacking them away. Children offer to help their friends, waiting for permission from them before lending a hand. Older children sit with younger children at the dinner table and model excellent manners.

All children flourish from having a highly skilled staff team that plan for aspirational attainment for each child. Parents feel completely confident in the knowledge that their children are receiving the very best care and high-quality learning experiences. Children develop strong friendships with their peers and deep connections with their teachers. Parents report that their children 'skip into nursery each day' and fall asleep 'chanting their teacher's name'.

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

• Leaders systematically review their curriculum. They support staff to understand what it is they want children to know and learn. Staff are confident in delivering a well-thought-out and clearly sequenced curriculum, which is shared with parents so that children, whatever their starting point, make exceptional progress.
• Leaders value their staff and prioritise their professional development. They encourage and support staff to become experts in the care and education of young children and foster a love for lifelong learning. This ensures that no area of the curriculum is left to chance. Staff are highly skilled and know exactly how children learn and develop across the early years age range.
• Staff are trained to listen carefully to what children say. They observe children and accurately assess what they can do. Staff are skilful and timely in their interventions and know when to step in and support children's learning and when to observe from a distance. Staff give children time and space to problem-solve and think critically in order for them to develop independence in their learning and personal self-help skills.
• Throughout the nursery, staff make the most of every teachable moment. They develop children's knowledge of communication and language with each interaction. They expand and build on children's interests and natural curiosity and provide rich descriptive narratives to the children's play and learning. For example, children are encouraged to have a really good 'rummage' amongst the fallen leaves and twigs when searching for acorns in forest school.
• Children's physical development is supported through a wealth of opportunities for active play. They are encouraged to take appropriate risks under the careful supervision of staff. For example, babies and young children delight in launching themselves into the ball pit and lay there making imaginary snow angels with their arms and legs. They relish the care and attention shown by staff and love to have a go at mark making on the large sensory light-board. All children are keen to learn to do things for themselves and attempt every activity.
• Stories, songs and rhymes play a big part in the curriculum. Children initiate storytelling and rhyming in both adult-led and child-led activities. Young children take themselves to the book corner. They choose a book after lunch and sit intently, carefully turning the pages and vocalising what they see and know. For example, babies see pictures of spiders and can be heard singing 'Incy, wincy spider'. Older children use their new vocabulary as they play with puppets and story props.
• Staff are exemplary in supporting children with emerging special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff set up small intervention groups to support children's communication and social skills. The special educational needs coordinator works together with other professionals, such as health visitors, educational psychologists and occupational therapists, to devise strategies and targets. These are shared with parents to provide a consistent approach.