Rainbow Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy coming to this warm and homely nursery. They confidently wave parents goodbye as they happily run in and greet their friends and staff. Parents build trusting relationships with staff. They are caring and committed to supporting families within the local community. Staff communicate well with parents about their children. This helps to ensure that children's individual needs are well met.

Staff are positive role models who use clear and consistent reminders of how to be kind and use 'gentle hands' with one another. This helps children to learn right from wrong. Children demonstrate good behaviour and follow the well-established nursery routine confidently. Pre-school children show high levels of self-esteem. They build the necessary skills for their next stage in learning as they carry out self-care tasks independently.

Children are motivated to learn thanks to the constant praise from staff. Children show positive attitudes to learning. For example, babies' laughter fills the air as they sing the familiar words of 'Twinkle, Twinkle,' under a canopy of glowing fairy lights. Toddlers develop large-muscle movements and balance as they dance to 'Dingle Dangle Scarecrow', vigorously shaking their arms and legs as they move. Pre-school children chat and collaborate with their friends outdoors as they transport natural materials and manipulate tools in the mud kitchen to cook lunch for everyone.

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

• Partnership working is strong. Leaders establish links with the schools that children move on to. Parents compliment the staff on their hard work and commitment. Parents say that they are a 'loving and caring' staff team in this 'home-from-home' environment. Children feel safe and secure and are ready to learn.
• The manager demonstrates a clear curriculum intent for the nursery. Staff plan a varied curriculum that reflects children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do. The small staff team use assessments and daily individual observations to effectively plan children's next steps. Staff identify gaps in children's learning early and act swiftly, so children make good progress.
• Children access lots of opportunities to be physical. For example, babies and toddlers stretch and roll during music and movement sessions. They develop hand-to-eye coordination as they scoop rice and sand and empty and fill containers. Older children vigorously climb and dig outdoors. Children master a wide range of skills in their physical development.
• Overall, staff promote children's good health. For example, fresh fruit is provided at snack time, and children explore how to brush their teeth. Staff signpost parents towards healthy options for lunch. However, staff do not consistently explain why some foods are healthier than others. Some children receive sweets as a reward for achievement. These inconsistencies mean children do not always understand the importance of making healthy choices in relation to food.
• The provision in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Additional funding and support plans are used effectively to provide children with personalised learning. Leaders work with parents and external professionals to make referrals and review children's development. This helps children who have SEND make the progress they are capable of.
• Staff enjoy their work and speak positively about the manager. They feel valued and supported. The manager conducts regular staff supervision to ensure staff knowledge is good. Staff complete all mandatory training, including safeguarding and first aid. However, staff have not completed regular training to build on existing skills and personal development. This impacts on the consistency of the quality of learning to improve outcomes for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the ways children are helped to learn about healthy living, to ensure they develop a good understanding of healthy choices and lifestyles
• explore further professional development opportunities for staff that focus more precisely on raising the quality of teaching and children's learning