Rainbow Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children clearly enjoy their time in the nursery. When babies become slightly unsettled with visitors in the room, staff instantly offer them their favourite toy and they become calm. Toddlers are reluctant to leave the nursery when the time comes, as they are having so much fun. Pre-school children confidently speak to visitors and ask them their name. This shows children feel safe and secure.

Staff have high expectations of children of all ages. This is especially evident with the language and vocabulary staff use. Babies use their senses to explore different textures. Staff use words, such as curly and straight, when babies feel the texture of ribbons and pipe cleaners. Pre-school children listen to stories and to staff when they explain the meaning of words, such as delighted. Toddlers show high levels of engagement as they join in with actions and movements to songs. Staff encourage children to join in and to gallop, hop and skip. This helps to develop children's physical skills.

Children are kind and respectful. When staff say thank you to them, they respond with 'You are welcome.' Furthermore, children show an interest in and take responsibility for looking after the environment. At tidy-up time, pre-school children ask for a brush to sweep up the sand. Toddlers explain they are wiping up the water spills.

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

• The managers are passionate about the quality of service that they provide to children and families. The staff in each room work well together. They speak highly of their managers and the support they receive for their well-being.
• Managers ensure they use additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, effectively to promote the well-being and learning of children. For example, staff have used funds to purchase resources to support children to manage their listening and attention skills.
• The managers recognised that some children, especially toddlers, were behind in their communication and language skills since the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, staff attended courses to help them to introduce the use of sign language alongside the spoken word. This approach is having a positive effect on children's progress in communication and language and is being cascaded across the whole nursery.
• There is a strong emphasis, across all the rooms, on providing a curriculum that promotes children's independence and self-care. For instance, with lots of praise and encouragement from staff, toddlers manage to put on their outdoor wetsuits with minimal help. This builds their skills and confidence as they move from room to room.
• Staff encourage children to recall previous learning. For example, children remember finding a frog in the garden and staff provide them with books and a magnetic game with a frog theme. However, very occasionally, some staff interactions and some activities do not help to inspire children to build on their learning. One example of this is when staff were not creative in their presentation of an activity and used pictures to compare past and present day toys. Children lost interest quite quickly.
• Books are accessible everywhere in the nursery, and children enjoy sharing books with adults throughout the nursery. Pre-school children become enthralled as staff tell stories with expression and joy. Babies turn the pages of books and feel the different textures on each page. This means that children are developing a love of books.
• Staff promote children's good health and contribute to them having a healthy lifestyle. For example, children learn to wash their hands before mealtimes, and regularly spend time outside in the fresh air. Pre-school children show excellent physical skills as they whizz around the garden and balance on wheeled toys.
• Children have the chance to experience different opportunities that they may not get at home. For example, they follow instructions and explore capacity as they weigh and measure ingredients to make shortbread biscuits. Furthermore, they show care and concern for living things, when they feed and nurture the nursery guinea pig.
• Staff have a consistent approach to behaviour management. In the event of very minor disagreements, staff make eye contact with children and gently explain to them why their behaviour may not be fair. Staff go on to discuss what children can do instead, such as waiting for their turn with a toy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• raise staff's confidence and understanding of how to fully extend and inspire children's learning during activities.