Rainbow Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with excitement to see their friends. They are eager to explore the day's activities, and swiftly become engaged in their play. Children show high levels of confidence and independence. They benefit from an ambitious curriculum that provides all children with rich and varied learning experiences. Children's interests are of high importance at this nursery and, subsequently, children sustain interest in their play. For instance, older children share a love of animals and have planned their own veterinary area. Children enjoy being imaginative and visit the 'vet', who x-rays their pets 'to make sure they are healthy'. Staff skilfully extend play, while continuing to follow the children's lead. This helps children to feel a sense of belonging, where staff value their opinions.

Children have secure attachments to staff, who are kind and nurturing. Older children delight at being able to share their own thoughts and ideas during group activities. Younger children benefit from attentive staff who know them well, which ensures that their individual care needs are met. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and their behaviour is good. Children openly talk about their own emotions, as staff ask them how they feel. They benefit from consistent, well-planned routines that help them to understand what is happening next. As a result, children take turns, work together to problem-solve and play harmoniously.

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

• The passionate manager and her dedicated staff put the needs of the children first. Staff are well supported and able to access training opportunities to develop their own skillset, which is then cascaded to all staff. As a result, staff are highly motivated, and teaching continually improves.
• The manager and staff plan an ambitious, well-balanced curriculum that is effectively sequenced. All staff have high expectations of what they want children to learn. They thoughtfully plan varied opportunities. For example, babies investigate freshly cut flowers. They explore their senses, squeezing the flower heads and pinching petals. Staff model smelling the flowers, which babies mimic. They gently giggle as the flowers tickle their noses. These opportunities help children to build on what they already know and prepare for what they need to learn next.
• Staff have a strong focus on communication and language. They speak clearly and with energy that enthuses children. They provide opportunities for children to learn new words, such as 'goat' and 'tulip'. Older children listen and join in with group activities intently. They sing familiar songs, and excitedly join in with the actions. However, on occasions, group times for the youngest children are not well planned. Staff do not always recognise when children do not want to join in. As a result, children sometimes become restless and disengaged.
• Staff successfully support children's development in mathematics during everyday routines. For example, older children enthusiastically join in group activities that involve number recognition. In addition, younger children are exposed to number language throughout their play. This supports children to use and develop their number skills.
• All staff work together to quickly identify children with additional needs. Staff get to know the children well and provide targeted support where needed. They use what they know to plan and adapt activities that enable learning. As a result, all children make good progress in their development. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff support children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Children have recently learned about healthy and unhealthy foods, and they recall this knowledge in play and at mealtimes. Children have ample opportunities to access the outdoor space, where they climb, slide, balance and whizz around on bicycles. In addition, staff manage and adapt the environment. They plan activities that enable all children, including those with allergies, to be fully included. For example, they ensure that paints and sensory play items do not contain allergens.
• Parents are extremely complimentary of the nursery and all staff. They 'love' the personalised approach and say that communication is effective. Parents describe the nursery as somewhere that 'children are treated as individuals with important feelings'. Parents say that their children are making good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the planning of group activities to help to ensure that they are engaging for the age and stage of development of the younger children participating.