Rainbows Pre-School Fair

Mud-kitchen mixtures and counting games give the July 2021 picture of Rainbows Pre-School Fair its character: children explored ingredients with friends and counted dice dots before moving their pieces. Practical play gave them reasons to talk, cooperate and use numbers.

At its July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall, judged behaviour and attitudes Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. Rainbows has capacity for 30 children at Woodland Community Centre in Fair Oak. Children attending in July 2021 were aged two to four; that age range belongs to the inspection period.

In July 2021, the early years foundation stage took concrete form through counting games, conversations and activities shaped around children's interests. For a child, this meant opportunities to practise language and mathematics through things they wanted to do.

The mud kitchen brought several experiences together. Children chose ingredients for pretend cooking, described how herbs felt and smelled, and worked alongside friends. Water and muddy puddles also prompted energetic physical play. These examples show how one play area supported conversation, experimentation and cooperation.

Role-play equipment and mechanical wind-up toys added further starting points for learning in July 2021. Staff used the role-play resources to encourage conversation, while children experimented with how the toys worked. Conversations about holidays and relatives gave children opportunities to discuss differences between families.

In July 2021, children sought out their key person, giving them a familiar adult to turn to. Staff knew their interests and used that knowledge when planning activities. Training on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities had also generated communication ideas that staff shared with colleagues.

Parent conversations covered changes in routines, nutrition and observations of play. However, at the July 2021 inspection, Ofsted identified inconsistent communication about children's next learning steps, leaving some parents unclear about what to practise at home. That is the material qualification to the positive inspection picture.

During the summer term described in July 2021, staff exchanged information with local teachers about children's development, routines and care needs before the move to school. This gave receiving teachers practical information for supporting the change.

The address is Woodland Community Centre, Savernake Way, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, SO50 7FL.

In July 2021, opening hours were 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. These are historical opening hours, rather than a current booking pattern. At that time, the provision offered early years education funding for children aged two, three and four.

• Learning updates. In July 2021, some parents were unclear about their child's next learning steps. At a visit, discuss how those steps are now shared and how families can build on them at home.
• Attendance fit. The July 2021 timetable operated during term time. What attendance arrangements would suit your family's current weekly schedule?

Rainbows merits consideration from families who value a community-centre setting and practical, sociable play. Its July 2021 examples are memorable: herbs in the mud kitchen, dice games and wind-up toys. The dated Good judgement provides a useful starting point, with communication about next learning steps the central point to explore.