Rainbow Rays Nursery LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's safety is maintained due to improvements made by management and staff. Children play in a safe environment, where their needs are met by the attentive staff team. Management have identified the core skills they plan for children to learn as they progress through the nursery. Children are supported by staff to build on their prior knowledge and skills. They are encouraged to develop confidence and behave well. Staff skilfully help children to negotiate and solve their own problems. For example, when a child explains another child will not share, they are encouraged to think about how they can resolve this. The child approaches the other child and asks for a turn once they have finished playing with the toy. The children are soon happily playing and sharing the toys.

Babies are provided with messy play opportunities as staff support them to develop their small muscle control. They enjoy picking spaghetti up and scooping and emptying sand out of containers. Toddlers are encouraged to learn about healthy eating through popular stories like the Hungry Caterpillar. Children enjoy selecting the different fruits to feed the caterpillar. Pre-school children recall prior learning as they confidently explain their knowledge about Chinese New Year. They excitedly tell the inspector it is the year of the rabbit, as well as explaining which animal represents the year they were born. They know that 'Kung Hei Fat Choi' is a Chinese New Year greeting.

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

• Children's individuality is respected and valued. Staff plan activities around a range of cultural and religious events linked to the children in their care. This helps children to learn about similarities and differences.
• Staff are skilled at responding to children's emerging needs and interests as they create purposeful learning experiences. For example, pre-school children make marks in cornflour using their fingers and paintbrushes. When a child begins to talk about the solar system, staff listen with interest and ask a range of questions. This helps to develop children's listening and communication skills. The conversations continue to develop as another child discusses how things melt when it's hot. Staff respond as they encourage children to think about what happens to things when they get very cold. Children confidently express that they freeze.
• Children are introduced to key songs and rhymes. Staff also continually talk to children as they play. Pre-school staff are exceptionally skilled at supporting children's communication through effective questioning. Babies enjoy participating in familiar activities like 'what's in the box'? They learn to take turns and choose between two objects, with staff then singing the associated key song linked to the object. However, staff working with babies and toddlers are not as strong at consistently encouraging younger children to repeat or say words to extend their vocabulary.
• Toddlers' physical skills are supported as they learn to hold chunky pencils and paintbrushes when making marks. They also enjoy opportunities to make prints using fruits dipped in paint. They explore the paint and find out when they mix yellow and red paint it makes orange.
• Children behave well. Staff offer praise and encouragement, promoting children's self-esteem. Children are encouraged to learn to take turns. They are also encouraged to learn patience. Staff help them to understand that they sometimes must wait as things do not always happen immediately.
• Several children speak English as an additional language. However, there are inconsistencies with how staff support these children to use their home language in their play and learning. This is because there is an over reliance on the staff who do speak additional languages to support these children.
• Parents express how their children enjoy attending the nursery. They feel their children are developing well through the experiences planned and provided by the staff. Parents explain that they receive regular feedback about their child's daily care and their ongoing development.
• Children are helped to feel settled and secure as they are assigned a key person who they develop a close bond with. Younger children seek out familiar adults for cuddles and reassurance when needed.
• Leaders have worked hard to address the actions raised at the last inspection. They regularly meet with staff and ensure they check staff understanding of safeguarding. They monitor the quality of education and staff teaching, and are able to identify any areas for development to improve outcomes for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently encourage children under three years to repeat and say words to increase their vocabulary
• increase opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to use their home language in their play and learning.