Rainbow Day Nursery and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly into this warm and welcoming environment. Babies respond to staff's very genuine smiles and cheery 'good mornings' by putting their arms out to be held. Older children rush to hang their bags and coats up and join their friends.

Children show a can-do attitude to their learning and a determination to succeed. Older children experiment with mixing food colouring into water. They talk excitedly about the swirling water and the changes to the colours. Children show precise and meticulous attention to detail. They carefully squeeze pipettes until the tubes are full of water. Children concentrate intently as they squeeze the liquid into small bottles. The look of delight on children's faces as they achieve their goals is a joy to see.

Children show high levels of respect for each other. They welcome children into their ongoing play, happy to share the resources and explain what is happening. This develops children's confidence and self-esteem as they understand that they are valued and their contributions to the play are essential. Staff are very gentle as they explain to younger children about taking turns and sharing resources. They talk to children about feelings, enabling children to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

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

• Staff support children's literacy skills well. Children are confident in the knowledge that staff will read books when requested. This helps to foster children's love of books and supports their developing language skills.
• Teaching children mathematics is an integral part of staff's practice. Staff routinely count as babies hand them toys. They encourage younger children to count how many bowls are needed for snack. Older children automatically bring mathematical language into their play. For example, during water play, children talk about their beakers being 'empty' and 'full'.
• Staff know children very well and recognise their needs promptly. When children show that they are tired, staff pick children up immediately and cuddle them. Staff use a quiet tone of voice as they sing rhymes and talk to children. This helps children to feel safe and secure.
• Staff promote consistent care routines throughout the day. For example, older children know to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. They talk about their hands 'needing to be clean'. Younger children are encouraged to get their own tissues to wipe their noses. This teaches children to keep themselves healthy and develop good hygiene practices.
• Staff make frequent use of the local area. For example, staff take children to the nearby shops, where children select the items they need to buy. This develops children's awareness of people outside of their immediate environment.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a key feature of the nursery. The management team and staff work in close partnership with parents and a wide range of other professionals to ensure that children get the individual support they need.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, older children serve their own lunch and fill their cups with water. Younger children smile with delight as they learn to put their own coats on. However, some staff complete tasks for children that children are capable of doing for themselves. For example, at mealtimes, some staff automatically lift very competent and mobile children into their seats. This does not fully challenge children to develop what they can already do.
• Staff talk to children about what they are doing. They describe the actions children are taking and introduce new words into children's vocabulary. For example, as children move dinosaurs, staff talk about the dinosaurs 'stomping'. However, particularly with the younger children, staff ask too many questions that require just one-word answers. This does not encourage children to fully develop their thinking skills.
• Staff do not fully consider how daily routines, such as nappy changing, can interrupt children's play. This can hinder the development of children's concentration and sometimes prevents children from becoming totally absorbed in their chosen activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's practice to ensure that children receive appropriate challenge to develop their existing skills
• make better use of questioning during children's play and activities to increase their thinking skills and promote their language development further
• review and enhance some parts of the daily routines to maximise all children's learning.