Rainbow Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly when they enter nursery. Children are independent to find their own name and register their attendance. They are proud to be a part of Rainbow Pre-School Nursery. They have a real sense of belonging. For example, children show the inspector the rainbow logo on their top. They identify their friends wear the same rainbow logo too. Older children are positive role models to the youngest of children. They model confidence and language during whole nursery group times. The youngest of children develop confidence through child choice. They select a song from the 'song bag' to sing as a group. Children behave well. They are secure in their routine. For example, older children shift between playing and learning to listening and attention. They follow instructions and their eager faces look up and listen when staff say, 'one, two, three, wave at me'. All children develop secure early self-care skills. They independently wash their hands. Children demonstrate a can-do attitude to assist themselves at lunchtime. For example, young children take their time to open their plastic sandwich bag. They develop good small-muscle skills and hand-to-eye coordination. Children make healthy food choices. They are confident to select fruit and yoghurts as a healthy option.

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

• Staff place a high importance on children's communication, language and literacy skills. They use speech and language charts to monitor children's progress and highlight gaps in their learning. Children sign their own names. They sign the 'colours of the week' song. Staff constantly read with children and sing. They enhance children's understanding of concepts through song. For example, children sing a handwashing song to understand expectations for effective handwashing.
• Parent partnership is effective. The manager invites parents into the nursery to read stories to children. Parents say the team go above and beyond their duty to meet their children's needs. Parents' views feed into the curriculum to support children's well-being. For example, when children do not wish to brush their teeth at home, staff introduce activities which teach children the importance of oral health.
• Children have equal participation in group activities, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff support their personal, social and emotional needs. For example, they encourage quieter children to join in with group singing. This positively impacts children's learning. Staff demonstrate strong knowledge of child development. However, staff, especially those covering in rooms, do not fully understand individual children's next steps for learning. This means group activities do not always specifically enhance what individual children need to learn next.
• Managers track the impact of the curriculum to understand what areas of learning need more focus. For example, mathematics was identified. As a result, children make good progress in their mathematics development. Children count to 20 out loud to identify the number of children outside. They recognise the number 20 is a two and a zero. Staff ensure early mathematics feeds into all children's daily routine. Children sing a 'zoom' song; they count backwards before they blast off into space.
• The manager is hands on in practice. She is an enthusiastic role model for staff and children. Staff benefit from a wealth of purposeful training to impact positively their professional development. They cascade their knowledge to other staff to further impact children's outcomes positively. At times, children's outcomes are negatively impacted because staff do not consistently identify children's developing skills. For example, when babies stand on a step, on a small piece of apparatus, staff ask them to come down. This negatively impacts children's skills during routine play, because staff do not encourage children to practise their large-muscle movements or explore age-appropriate risky play.
• Staff work collaboratively with primary school teachers to promote school readiness. They ensure early years funding is spent effectively to support transitions and enhance children's confidence. The manager built a 'pathway tool' in partnership with teachers to understand what children need to learn before they go to school. Staff ensure learning expectations feed into the nursery curriculum. This ensures children succeed at the next stage in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help all staff to understand children's individual next steps for learning to consistently give children the support they need to achieve at the highest level
• raise the overall quality of teaching by supporting staff to understand the importance of giving children opportunities to explore and demonstrate their developing skills.