Rainbows Preschool and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy accessing the different activities and experiences that staff plan for them. Children independently choose what they would like to do. For instance, they focus their attention on picking up pasta shapes using large tweezers. This helps them to strengthen their hand muscles, which is important for later writing skills.

Children eagerly join in with adult-led activities. During a game of dominoes, staff show children how to match the pieces by counting the dots or looking at the different colours. This enables children of all abilities to join in and supports them to understand mathematical concepts. While they play their game, staff encourage children to wait their turn. Children respond positively by sitting patiently until it is their go as they learn to tolerate delay.

Throughout the pre-school, children behave well and demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. When children need support managing their behaviour, staff help them to regulate their feelings. Children are familiar with the daily routines at the pre-school. For instance, they demonstrate positive attitudes as they all join in when it is time to tidy up. This helps children to develop their social skills as they work together with their friends and staff to ensure that everything is put away.

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

• The manager has a clear learning intent which is implemented in practice by staff. For instance, the manager wants children to develop their understanding of number, sound and letter recognition to support their transition to school. Staff implement this by planning activities where children are encouraged to recognise their numbers, letters and sounds. This helps children to make good progress in their numeracy and literacy skills.
• Staff talk confidently about their key children, including what they know about them, the stage of their development and what they want them to learn next. Staff assess and observe children to track their progress and quickly identify any areas where they may need additional support. Staff use this information to plan for children's learning, which supports their continuing progress.
• Staff teach children about different cultures. For instance, children are encouraged to show their friends henna patterns on their hands, which prompts discussions about cultural traditions. This enables children to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others and helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Staff speak calmly to children and ask them to think about their actions. This enables children to consider more positive ways to behave. However, staff do not consistently remind children of the pre-school rules, such as walking inside and using 'listening ears'. Therefore, this does not fully support children to understand what is expected of them.
• Staff implement strategies to promote children's health. For example, staff encourage children to eat the healthy food in their lunch box first before eating their snacks. The manager shares information with parents to support them to provide healthy lunch boxes. Children also wash their hands independently throughout the day. They know to wash their hands before they eat and when they get their hands dirty, and this helps children to develop an understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to make good progress. Staff work with other agencies and parents so that children's needs are consistently met. For instance, staff observe speech and language sessions to inform their own understanding of how to support children. This enables staff to implement consistent support to enhance children's overall progress.
• Parents say they are happy with the pre-school and their children enjoy their time there. Staff keep parents up to date with their child's progress. They share ideas with parents on how they can support their child's continued learning at home. This helps to ensure that children receive consistent support in their learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff practice in relation to managing children's behaviour, to more consistently support children to understand what is expected of them.