Rainbows Day Nursery

A shaded garden, mixed-age play and a separate sensory room give Rainbows Day Nursery a clear character: children share their main learning space, with somewhere quieter for smaller activities or a nap. Based in the English Martyrs Church Building in Strood, it has 30 places in total and accepts children aged two to five. Its main room brings together children aged two to four, rather than dividing them into separate age-labelled rooms.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Rainbows Good overall, found safeguarding effective and judged that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, made good progress. The strengths came with two practical improvement points: staff needed to develop children's conversation more consistently and give them more opportunities to manage tasks themselves.

Term-time and year-round contracts sit alongside full days, half days and shorter daytime sessions. That gives families several ways to fit nursery around work and home life.

Rooms and Ages

The main room serves mixed groups aged two to four, while the separate sensory room accommodates smaller activities and children who need to sleep. For a child who still naps, this means rest has a space of its own rather than sharing the main activity room.

Outdoor play has room to breathe. Children can move freely into the large, shaded garden, which includes an outdoor sensory/story time area. The combination makes outdoor space part of the nursery day rather than simply a destination for a scheduled break.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care; here, play and everyday routines provide opportunities to practise language, relationships and practical skills. Rainbows' emphasis on children's interests fits alongside that framework, with activities shaped around what engages them.

In January 2024, the curriculum gave particular attention to communication and children's personal, social and emotional development. A lending library let children take books home to share with their families, extending story experiences beyond nursery. This was a concrete link between learning at home and learning in the setting.

Sensory exploration also had substance. During January 2024, children experimented with oats, containers and tools, then added herbs to investigate through their senses. Filling, emptying and comparing materials gave them something tangible to explore and talk about. Staff also drew on familiar stories while children constructed outdoors, linking their play with language they recognised.

There was a limitation to that language work. In January 2024, some questions invited only a brief affirmative or negative response, leaving less room for children to explain their ideas. The improvement needed was greater consistency in helping conversations develop, rather than simply more talking by adults.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2024, trips to the local library combined books with learning how to stay safe beside roads. Children also took part in internet safety week, exploring how to respond to worries online. Both brought safety into activities children could understand.

The outdoor cars offered another learning opportunity that month. Staff introduced sand timers when children wanted the same vehicle, and children then used them themselves to organise turns. It was a practical tool for managing a disagreement, with children taking increasing responsibility for sharing.

Relationships and Communication

A key person supports each child's relationship with staff; settling responds to individual needs.

Tapestry, the online platform used for parent updates, sits alongside assessment reports and termly stay-and-play sessions. Parents therefore have both written information about learning and opportunities to spend time in the nursery. The sessions make it possible to see how their child uses the setting and to build contact with staff beyond a brief handover.

The handover arrangements cover meals, rest, activities and friendships, as well as accidents or incidents. Care routines also aim to use the child's key person wherever possible for intimate care, with individual discussions where specialist support is required. These are useful mechanisms for keeping home and nursery informed about the same child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support follows an assess, plan, do and review cycle led by the SENCO, with parents involved in decisions and outside professionals contacted where appropriate, with parents' agreement. Support plans and progress are reviewed every 12 weeks. This gives families a defined point to consider whether an intervention is helping and what should happen next.

In January 2024, Ofsted found that the SENCO discussed developmental concerns with parents, arranged referrals promptly and helped staff understand individual children's needs. That finding supports the practical importance of the role, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

Behaviour guidance distinguishes the child from the behaviour, acknowledges feelings and uses discussion or redirection according to development. In January 2024, family photographs and books representing children's backgrounds also supported conversations about similarities and differences. Children had recognisable starting points for talking about their own lives.

Independence remained uneven at that date. Children practised putting on coats and pouring drinks, but adults sometimes completed tidying and personal-care tasks that children could have attempted themselves. This matters for families seeking a setting that helps children become more capable in everyday routines.

Menus rotate fortnightly, and the nutrition policy provides for individual dietary plans where appropriate. The health and safety policy prohibits nuts; families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before joining.

Sessions and Attendance

Rainbows operates at the English Martyrs Church Building, 37 Frindsbury Road, Strood, ME2 4JA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, with public holidays and a week at Christmas excluded.

The booking choices are substantial: Full Day Care runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm; the two Half Day Care options run from 7.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6.30pm. Pre School Session covers 9am to 3pm, while Short Day Session runs from 8am to 4pm. Contracts can follow term time or continue year-round, and at least two sessions must be booked each week.

School collection and drop-off are also offered for English Martyrs Catholic School. This is a childcare transport service, separate from the nursery's daytime sessions.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at info@rainbowsdaynurseryltd.co.uk or by telephone on 01634 303 487. Agreed sessions normally require four weeks' notice to change, with changes subject to the nursery's discretion and availability. Contracted sessions remain chargeable when a child is absent through illness or holidays, so the chosen pattern has consequences beyond the hours attended.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use the 15 or 30 hours entitlement, with funding stretched for year-round contracts. Additional private hours are charged separately. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, using the fees and services page to understand the session structure.

Paid session fees include the food specified for that session: full days cover meals and snacks, while shorter bookings include their listed meals or snacks. For funded entitlement, breakfast, lunch and tea are listed as separately charged optional extras. Parents supply non-prescription skin creams when needed, with written permission for their use.

• Conversation and independence. The January 2024 improvement points concerned questioning and adults doing tasks children could attempt. During a visit, ask how staff now encourage fuller answers and independent tidying or personal care.
• The weekly commitment. At least two sessions are required each week, and changes normally involve four weeks' notice. Choose a pattern that works beyond the first few weeks of settling.
• Funding and food. Year-round funding is stretched, and meals are listed as optional extras for funded entitlement. A written quotation should distinguish the funded hours, additional hours and the food you choose.
• Allergies. Individual dietary planning and a policy prohibiting nuts are part of the arrangements. Before joining, confirm how your child's allergy would be managed during preparation, serving and shared mealtimes.

Rainbows suits families who want either term-time preschool sessions or year-round care, with morning and afternoon half days providing further options. The garden and separate sensory room give mixed-age nursery life both space for activity and somewhere quieter to rest.

Its strongest practical features are the varied attendance patterns, regular parent communication and a defined SEND planning process. The January 2024 findings also give families a specific issue to explore: how consistently staff extend conversation and let children take responsibility for everyday tasks.