Rainbow Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are nurtured and build confidence at this inviting pre-school. Both the indoor and outdoor learning environments and the thoughtful teaching supports children to develop their individual character, interests, and knowledge.

From the beginning, children are well supported to develop socially and emotionally. Key persons are effective in developing children's independence. Through their interactions, they model and challenge children well. Carefully considered activities support children to make links between home and pre-school by building on their interests and broadening their experiences. For example, children enthusiastically explore animals following a trip to the zoo, using story sacks. Practitioners use this motivation to skilfully interweave children's next steps in learning, such as introducing new vocabulary, modelling social communication and exploring mathematical concepts. This attention to detail ensures that children enjoy their learning and make good progress.

Leaders and managers lead the development of a communication-rich learning environment with passion. For example, they encourage and support practitioners to further extend their skills in teaching children good social communication skills. Practitioners use observation and assessment information skilfully to swiftly identify any children who need additional support. Leaders act quickly to make referrals and ensure that children receive the targeted support needed to narrow any early gaps in learning. All practitioners share in leaders' passion. They reflect on the achievements of their key children with pride, acknowledging the good progress they make.

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

• The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure all children are well prepared for their next stage of education. Children's knowledge and skills are developed through an environment and activities that tune into their interests. As a result, children enjoy learning and are eager to learn more.
• Leaders continue to develop the programme of learning for understanding the world. Children are beginning to learn about the natural world at forest school sessions and about growth at a new allotment. They learn about festivals, such as Chinese New Year. They are supported by responsive key persons to make enquiries and follow interests based on what they experience within their immediate community. However, provision does not fully reflect the wider diversity of society in modern Britain.
• Practitioners implement the curriculum well. The introduction of new and challenging vocabulary, as well as strategies that promote the development of two-way verbal communication skills, are all carefully planned. During a sensory tray activity, a practitioner joins children's play, introducing new language and concepts, while skilfully allowing children time to think and respond. This helps children to learn new vocabulary and understand its meaning, so that they can apply it to new contexts.
• Daily routines are thoughtfully planned to support the development of children's communication and language skills. Meal and snack times, for example, are real social events. During these occasions, practitioners effectively model good listening and teach children how to pay attention, while responding enthusiastically to interactions from children. However, during focused group-work sessions, opportunities for children to effectively develop their communication and language skills are sometimes missed. For example, activities sometimes go on too long to maintain children's interest and engagement or do not fully reflect all of their varying ages and stages of development.
• The key-person system helps children to form secure attachments from when they start at the pre-school and provides an effective link between the home and pre-school. Parents report that children feel happy and secure and that this is evident in their improved sleep and enthusiasm to attend. They delight at what their children learn and recall.
• The pre-school has high expectations for children's behaviour. Practitioners understand that behaviour can be influenced by a number of factors. Key persons communicate well with parents and share strategies to support learning at home. They use visual timetables and reward systems consistently to help children to practise their self-control and to build up their confidence to manage their own behaviour. Practitioners take the time to find out how children are feeling and this helps children to feel safe and secure.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the programme of learning for understanding the world, so that provision includes more diverse representations of life in modern Britain, beyond that of the immediate community
• improve the organisation of group-work sessions, so that they maintain children's interest and engagement and reflect children's varying ages and stages of development.