Over The Rainbow Day Nursery

Two large open-plan rooms give Over The Rainbow Day Nursery a clear identity: babies and toddlers share one carefully divided space, while older toddlers and pre-school children learn together in another. The Romford setting takes children from three months to five years and has 65 registered places.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its October 2024 inspection, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children formed warm relationships in a calm atmosphere, with specific listening activities and sign-supported language supporting communication. The branch's Makaton Friendly status fits that inclusive emphasis.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby/Toddler 1 room covers three months to two-and-a-half years. It is open plan, with distinct baby and toddler areas, freely accessible resources and activities adapted to children's interests. Babies and toddlers mix during the day but also spend time in their own age groups. The published routine includes garden time, planned activities, circle time, music and movement, meals and sleep; families can discuss individual sleep routines.

Toddler 2/Pre-School runs from two-and-a-half years to school age. Its open-plan, mixed-age arrangement follows the same principle, but introduces more structure as children approach school. Children choose resources, help tidy them away and make choices at snack and lunch. Music and movement or phonics is included in the published routine.

Learning and Named Experiences

The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage. In everyday terms, this means staff use play, routines and observations to plan the next useful step in each child's communication, physical, social and wider development. Parents receive an email when an online observation is completed and can comment or upload learning seen at home.

In October 2024, staff used stories and questions to help children remember learning. Pre-school children worked out how to make dough less sticky, an example of adults prompting thought rather than supplying the answer. Children with speech and language delay joined listening and attention activities, while staff used signs and single words with younger children and those who found language difficult.

Outdoor and Community Life

Both room routines publish daily garden periods, and the nursery lists an outdoor soft-play area among its facilities. The timetable remains flexible and child-led activities can change what happens on a particular day. The published routine makes the garden part of both rooms’ day, rather than an occasional extra.

Warm, responsive care was a defining feature in October 2024. Babies and toddlers sought familiar adults for reassurance and received prompt cuddles; children were described as safe, secure, happy and settled. Older children and toddlers practised breathing techniques when anxious or overwhelmed, while reminders about sharing and taking turns supported behaviour.

Inclusion is purposeful. Leaders worked closely with outside agencies on support plans for children with SEND, and children made good progress from their starting points, including those with additional needs. The nursery's Makaton Friendly status and sign-supported communication seen in October 2024 give families concrete evidence of how communication needs may be approached.

Parents receive information through the online system, face-to-face conversations, emails and newsletters. Leaders also sought and acted on parents' views. Safeguarding arrangements were effective in October 2024, with an open and positive safeguarding culture.

There is one improvement point to weigh. Some newer staff were not yet as accomplished as the wider team in teaching and interaction in October 2024. Leaders had targeted support plans in place, and the improvement point called for continued help so individual staff understand and implement curriculum aims consistently.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery publishes four useful patterns from Monday to Friday: a core day from 8am to 6pm, an extended day from 7.30am to 6.30pm, a morning session from 8am to 1pm and an afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm. It states that it opens for 52 weeks, closing on bank holidays. The published range serves both part-day and long-day needs.

Getting There

The address is 7 Victoria Road, Romford, RM1 2JT. The nursery publishes first-come, pre-arranged parking, while unarranged car-park use is limited to a short drop-off or collection window. A secure enclosed pushchair and pram storage area is also published. These are useful details for commuting families, though parking depends on prior arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery publishes 15 funded hours for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds over 38 term-time weeks. It also accepts eligible 30-hour codes, stretching those hours across the 52 weeks it opens. The nursery can provide the current provider-specific quotation. Its fee page distinguishes core days, extended days and half-day sessions without the review reproducing prices.

Meals are prepared daily onsite and follow a four-week rolling menu. Staff and children eat together, older children help serve, and pre-school uses rolling snack time to build independence. The nursery publishes a strict no-nuts policy, so allergy-affected families should discuss current kitchen and cross-contamination practice during their enquiry. The funding page publishes a separate food and consumables charge for every funded session, without this review reproducing the amount.

• Consistency across staff. The October 2024 improvement point concerned newer staff's curriculum understanding and interaction. Ask how the targeted support has progressed and how leaders now check consistency between rooms.
• Mixed-age spaces. Each open-plan room mixes adjacent age groups while retaining separate areas or group time. A show-round can help you decide whether that balance suits your child's temperament and stage.
• Funded-hours extras. The funding page publishes a food and consumables charge for each funded session. Request the current written amount and a complete breakdown alongside the attendance pattern offered.
• Parking by arrangement. Parking is published as first come and pre-arranged, not an automatic space. The practical terms matter if it is central to your commute.

Over The Rainbow combines the personal character of a family-run setting with a substantial 65-place operation. Its strongest evidence is in relationships and communication: children sought trusted adults, language work was targeted and parent contact was effective, while the branch publishes Makaton Friendly status and detailed mixed-age room routines.

It suits families needing either morning or afternoon sessions, a standard full day, or an extended day around commuting. The question to pursue is consistency. The Good judgement came with a staff-development point, making a careful conversation about progress since October 2024 worthwhile.