Rainbow Nursery School

China crockery, a Mud Kitchen and a converted family house give Rainbow Nursery School a recognisable character. At this Frome setting, children encounter real objects as well as play materials, with staff modelling how to handle them carefully. Its Curiosity Approach centres on exploration and thoughtful use of resources, rather than relying solely on conventional nursery toys.

Rainbow has capacity for 44 children from birth to five years. Babies and toddlers occupy the ground floor, while the older children have upstairs spaces for art and learning. Gardens extend the day outdoors, including direct access for the youngest children, so outdoor exploration is part of the environment rather than confined to an occasional outing.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged Rainbow Good overall, found safeguarding effective and recognised effective support plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement provides a dated assessment of care and education; the practical choice also rests on whether the house layout, attendance arrangements and funded-hours package fit your family.

Rooms and Ages

The ground floor combines two playrooms with a sleep room, changing facilities and a bathroom: one playroom serves children aged 18 months and under, and the other serves those from 18 months to three years. These are separate age-based spaces, but the groups come together for meals, stories, singing and craft activities. A baby therefore has a younger-age base alongside opportunities to share parts of the day with toddlers.

For children aged three to five, the first floor contains a classroom, playroom, art room and bathroom. The dedicated art space is a useful expression of Rainbow's emphasis on creativity: materials for making and creating are offered across the ages, rather than art being reserved for preschool children.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning and care, covering development through play and everyday experiences. Rainbow adds The Curiosity Approach, using authentic objects, including china crockery, with adults demonstrating careful handling. Its Curiosity Approach page explains the intention to use natural colours and a calmer environment; the concrete addition is the use of real resources that children learn to respect.

In March 2022, children explored containers and loose materials while adults introduced language about how much they held. Younger children combined gestures with spoken words during meals and snacks. This connected communication with something children were actually doing, giving language a practical purpose rather than making it a separate exercise.

The March 2022 inspection identified two priorities: more counting during ordinary routines, and better organisation of adult-led groups so children could sustain their involvement. These are useful distinctions for parents: opportunities to explore independently were evident, but the assessment also called for more consistent adult direction and everyday number work.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden includes a castle, climbing frame, sand pit and ride-on toys. Children can move from the garden into the Den or Mud Kitchen for messy play, adding different kinds of activity to the same outdoor area. Babies and toddlers have their own garden access, allowing them to explore outdoors when they choose.

In March 2022, children practised climbing, used a rope swing and rode bicycles. They also experimented with water and brushes outdoors and made chalk marks. The physical opportunities were varied: balancing and climbing demanded coordination, while water and mark-making offered quieter ways to investigate the environment.

Sharing bears connect nursery experiences with home: children take a bear and its diary home for a few days, then return to tell friends about their time together. Rainbow also holds a summer concert and Christmas Nativity play for older children, with a carol concert for younger children. These give families occasions to share in nursery life; an annual outing is attempted when the weather allows.

Relationships and Communication

Information from home has a practical role in care. Before attendance begins, parents provide details about feeding, comfort habits and daytime sleep, including approaches that help their child settle to sleep. For a baby whose routine depends on familiar cues, that is more useful than treating every child's rest in the same way.

Daily conversations and a baby's individual book provide updates, while every child has an online learning journal. Email notifications alert parents to new observations, so they can follow learning between conversations with staff. Termly parent meetings offer a longer discussion of progress and next steps, and private conversations with the manager or key worker can be arranged.

In March 2022, younger children received comfort after waking, and staff used everyday interactions to encourage communication and good manners. Those examples show what responsive care looked like at that time: reassurance after sleep, followed by opportunities to join in with familiar routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In March 2022, the manager also held the special educational needs coordinator role, with support from the deputy manager. Staff worked with external agencies on individual plans. This was a mechanism for bringing specialist advice into daily care, rather than leaving support solely to conversations between parents and the nursery.

The registration process asks about health needs, allergies, diet and any special needs, alongside information about collection arrangements. Parents are also encouraged to share changes at home that could affect emotional wellbeing. That makes the handover of personal routines and circumstances part of the care arrangements, not simply an administrative formality.

Families supply lunch; snacks and a two-course high tea sit within the nursery's services package, with tea charged on funded attendance when children stay beyond 4pm. The sleep room gives younger children a space for rest alongside their playrooms, while parents' written sleep information helps staff understand individual habits.

Sessions and Attendance

Rainbow Nursery School is at 44 Portway, Frome, BA11 1QR. It opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those closures carry no nursery fee, which matters when comparing an annual childcare budget with the headline cost of an attended session.

There are eight attendance windows: an 8am or 9am start can be paired with a 3pm, 4pm, 5pm or 6pm finish. This gives families a choice between an earlier finish and a longer day, with a later start available across the finish times. The minimum attendance is two sessions each week, and Rainbow operates throughout the year rather than offering term-time-only attendance.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email at rainbowfrome@aol.com or by telephone on 01373 462553. Registration involves a completed form and agreement to the nursery's terms. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the attendance windows and charging arrangements are set out on its session and fees page.

Funding and Paid Extras

Rainbow offers 15- and 30-hour government-funded sessions, with supported-family funding for eligible two-year-olds. Funding is stretched across the year, and the funded hours allocated to each monthly invoice vary with the sessions attended. The term-time entitlement therefore does not translate into the same weekly funded allocation throughout the year.

Additional private hours are charged at the standard rate and include the services Rainbow provides. Funded sessions have a separate, voluntary additional-services charge covering items such as snacks, activities, wipes and sun cream; parents can opt out, with options including waiving or reducing the charge. Parents supply lunch and nappies, so these remain separate from the included or separately charged services.

On funded sessions, IG Sports carries a separate charge for preschool children attending on Friday mornings. The activities package also covers cooking, gardening and celebrations. These distinctions matter when comparing funded attendance with privately paid hours: the childcare entitlement, services package and specific sports charge are separate parts of the arrangement.

The booking payment is credited against the first invoice and is not charged for funded-only attendance; under the registration terms, it is non-refundable if a child does not start. Monthly invoices are payable in advance, and cancelling a booking or reducing booked hours requires one month's written notice. Sickness does not attract a refund, while a holiday allowance applies subject to the nursery's notice terms.

• Counting and group participation. The March 2022 priorities concerned number work in daily routines and children's involvement in adult-led groups. During a visit, ask for current examples of how both are handled, rather than judging the learning offer only by its materials.
• Year-round attendance. Rainbow stretches funding and requires at least two sessions a week, with no term-time-only pattern. Families organising care around school holidays need to weigh that continuing attendance commitment against the choice of start and finish times.
• Funded extras. Funded attendance carries a voluntary services package, with an opt-out route, and funded Friday-morning preschool attendance has an IG Sports charge. Agree the package and opt-out arrangements in the written quotation so the childcare entitlement and additional services are clear.
• Two-floor care. Babies and toddlers are downstairs, with older children upstairs and a dedicated sleep room among the younger children's facilities. Ask how a move between age groups is managed and how your child's sleep and comfort routines will be used.

Rainbow suits families seeking a house-based nursery with outdoor choice, creative materials and regular communication between home and staff. The Curiosity Approach has a concrete expression in real objects and careful handling, while the Mud Kitchen, Den and separate younger children's garden give exploration several settings.

Its attendance model can suit both families choosing an 8am-to-3pm day and those needing a 9am-to-6pm pattern, with other combinations between them. The continuing year-round commitment and separate structure for funded extras deserve as much attention as the play spaces. The Good judgement dates to March 2022; the most useful next step is a visit that tests the fit of the care routines and follows up the two learning priorities.