Rainbow Kindergarten Barton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a stimulating and well-planned curriculum to support children's early literacy development. For example, babies enjoy songs and rhymes. Toddlers sit with staff and listen attentively while stories are read to them. Staff put out cushions for pre-school children to sit on before they begin to read. They ask pre-school children if they can remember the name of the book they hold up. Pre-school children shout out 'Shark in the park'. They hold up their hands, eager to answer questions about the characters in the book. Staff ask pre-school children to recognise similarities between words, such as park and dark. They introduce props such as cardboard tubes to represent a telescope from the book. Pre-school children show their understanding of direction. They follow instructions to look up high, to the ground, left, right and all around.

The manager and staff are aware of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have on some children. For example, boys who struggle to manage and express their feelings and emotions. Staff take small groups of children to the local park. They use their forest school training to help children improve their confidence and resilience. Staff have seen the positive impact of these outings in boys' ability to control their own behaviour. Staff skilfully support children's emotional well-being. They promote their happiness and safety indoors and outside of the nursery.

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

• Staff in the baby room speak passionately about their key-person role. They explain how important it is to them for babies to feel safe and secure in their care. Babies enjoy cuddles and being held by staff. They settle down quickly to sleep on suitable beds, knowing staff are close by to offer sensitive reassurance. Staff form safe attachments with babies that highly supports their emotional security.
• Staff support children's early language development very well. For example, babies babble and progress to the use of single and two words. Toddlers recall events that happen at home, such as how they made a cake for their daddy's birthday. Pre-school children scrunch up material and use their mouth muscles to blow the item into the air. They listen attentively and respond with relevant comments and questions during group interactions.
• Children's learning is built sequentially. For example, babies drink from beakers and progress to open top cups. Toddlers stand on a small step to wash their hands independently. Pre-school children confidently serve their own food and sit with their friends to enjoy the social aspect of mealtimes. Staff at the nursery help children to learn these important personal, social and self-care skills. They prepare children well for their eventual move on to school.
• Children count during songs and stories, also when chopping up a banana for a healthy snack. Pre-school children name a square, hexagon, triangle and semi-circle, which they link to the shape of the moon. Staff offer repeated meaningful and varied experiences for all children to enhance their mathematical learning, outside and indoors.
• There is excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those on the pathway to diagnosis. Children join a large group of their peers during story time who have been reluctant to do so in the past. The manager, staff and special educational needs coordinator provide targeted support to help ensure that children make the best progress they can. They work closely with a wide range of professionals, including teachers from the local school, other agencies and parents. This helps to ensure that children's individual needs are continuously met.
• Staff help parents to support and extend their child's learning. For instance, they offer a book gifting programme to encourage a love of reading at home. Staff inform parents of current learning themes, such as autumn. Parents collect and bring in items from nature walks with their children. Staff provide parents with ideas for activities that can be continued at home.
• The manager and staff complete regular training that highly benefits children. The manager carries out regular supervision meetings. Staff report that they feel fully supported in their role. Funding is used well to enhance children's individual learning. The manager carries out observations of staff's practice. However, she acknowledges that more precise feedback is needed to help continually improve the quality of teaching to benefit children further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen existing arrangements and provide more precise evaluations of staff's teaching practice to benefit children further.