Rainbow Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settle quickly, and know the daily routines. They wash their hands when they first arrive and sit down on the rug to wait for the start of the session. Children practise their listening and communication skills as they respond to staff when their names are called out.

Younger children play nicely together. They use their developing hand skills to place small-world people and animals inside toy castles and tree houses. Older children use magnetic rods to 'hook' coloured fish from the tissue paper 'water' and proudly tell staff what number is on their fish. This helps to support their mathematical development. Staff encourage children to see if they can find the next number, which also helps to support their understanding of numerical order.

Children enjoy playing outside. They delight in picking the herbs which have grown in the garden. Children use their fingers to pinch the herb leaves to release the fragrance. They then use the herb leaves in the mud kitchen. Children behave very well. Younger and older children enjoy playing together. They share and take turns in group games. Children show respect for their peers and wait patiently for their turn during group activities.

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

• The committee, manager and staff have worked hard to address the actions set at the previous inspection. The curriculum is much more focused and ambitious. The younger children are now based in a separate room upstairs. This enables staff to provide age-appropriate activities to support their early development.
• Children enjoy playing in the home corner. They pretend to cook the toy food and serve the meals to their friends and staff. However, there is a lack resources to help further support and challenge children's imaginative play.
• Children form good relationships with staff. Younger children enjoy reassuring cuddles with their special person when they feel unwell or want a story. Older children approach staff to tell them what they are doing and to ask for help, such as when they need support to use scissors correctly.
• Younger children delight in messy play. They use their hands to scoop the gloop mixture up and watch as it melts between their fingers. Children make marks using coloured paint and need little encouragement to paint their hands and print onto the paper. Once they have finished, they know that they need to wash their hands at the portable handwashing station. Children confidently tell staff when the water has run out of the tank and needs refilling.
• Children independently choose what they want to play with. Staff generally join in and support their self-chosen play. However, sometimes, staff miss opportunities during their interactions with children to help extend their understanding and learning further.
• Children make good progress in relation to their individual starting points. Staff carry out regular observations and assessments, which they upload on to an electronic app. The manager has oversight of the children's progress, which also helps to identify any gaps in their learning.
• Staff have good relationships with local schools. They provide children with photos of their new teachers and the school. Staff share detailed information about individual children to help teachers get to know their new pupils.
• Staff know how to contact external professionals should they have any concerns about a child's learning or development. Children for whom the pre-school receives additional funding are well supported by staff, who understand their individual needs and tailor activities to help to close any gaps in their learning.
• Staff regularly have supervision meetings with the manager. They meet to discuss their key children and their professional development. The manager encourages them to attend training courses, which helps to support their practice and outcomes for children.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents share information about what their children do at home online, which staff read and then plan activities or experiences to meet children's emerging new interests. Staff also speak to parents at the door, which allows for information about children to be exchanged to meet their care and development needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the range of resources available to children, particularly in the role-play areas
• encourage staff to make the most of all interactions with children, to help to extend their learning and interest further.