Rainbow Teddies Pre-School

A parent-run pre-school within Manorbrook Primary School’s grounds, Rainbow Teddies combines play-led learning with an introduction to school life. Teddy Tots emphasises communication and social skills; Rising School gives older children small responsibilities and opportunities to become familiar with a school environment.

At its 26 September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Rainbow Teddies Good overall and found that children progressed well, support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities was effective, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. The improvement point concerned everyday independence: adults sometimes stepped in before children had tried a task themselves.

The pre-school accepts children aged two and a half to four and has 34 places in total. Morning, morning-with-lunch and full-day attendance serve the older group, while younger children attend afternoon sessions. Its charitable, non-profit structure also gives parents a route into running the setting through the voluntary Management Committee.

Rooms and Ages

Teddy Tots and Rising School are age-based session groups, with shared play during parts of the afternoon. Teddy Tots serves children aged two and a half to three, emphasising language, physical development and the social and emotional skills needed to play alongside others.

The younger group has its own time at both ends of the afternoon: the opening 30 minutes and final half-hour are reserved for Teddy Tots. Between those periods, children mix with Rising School. This gives younger children time with their own group as well as experience of playing alongside older children, rather than making the whole afternoon a mixed-age session.

Rising School serves three- and four-year-olds in their final year before primary education. Its routine introduces a calendar, weather discussion and counting, alongside opportunities to choose resources indoors and outside. These are small, recognisable steps towards school routines, while activities still follow children’s interests.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides the day: children learn through play, conversation and practical activity across areas such as communication, movement, early literacy and mathematics. Rainbow Teddies uses Birth to 5 guidance to plan activities, combining children’s own choices with adult-led experiences. The framework is the foundation; the useful detail is how learning takes shape here.

Helper of the Day gives a Rising School child small jobs supporting the adults. Sound of the Week introduces sounds, while the Makaton sign of the week gives children a sign to practise. Show and tell offers another reason to speak to the group. These routines make participation concrete, rather than leaving school preparation as a broad ambition.

Teddy Tots has a story and song in each session, with both individual play and group activities. For a child still learning to join in, that balance matters: time spent exploring independently sits alongside shared experiences that involve listening and responding to others.

The winter 2026 Rising School plan paired Wednesday-morning physical activity in the school hall with Thursday music, including space yoga, instruments and movement with scarves and ribbons. Its Country of the Term, Poland, linked food, flags, geography and simple words.

Spring 2026 planning included seed planting, a pretend garden centre and exploration of farm animals. Children were to grow pumpkin, cress and sunflower seeds and observe their changes. Egypt was the planned Country of the Term, with activities involving pyramid construction and recreating the Nile. These plans linked familiar subjects and places further afield with building, counting and investigation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to Manorbrook’s woodland, garden and school hall extends the experiences beyond indoor play. Rising School organises outings to places including Streamside Walk and Cattle Country. The destinations bring local surroundings into the curriculum, with opportunities to connect conversations in the setting to experiences elsewhere.

In September 2025, children chose between indoor and outdoor play, with small-group snacks keeping interruptions brief. Nearby walks and a mounted-police visit connected their play with local community life.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who communicates with parents, follows their development and coordinates their Learning Journal. That gives families an identified staff contact with responsibility for bringing observations together. Teddy Tots also works with parents on settling, linking the start of attendance to the needs of the individual child.

Tapestry shares daily activities online, while collection boards give families conversation starters for home. Teddy Tots updates also include snack options.

In September 2025, achievements were celebrated through notes written on rainbow-shaped paper and shared with children and parents. A parent lending library also enabled families to borrow books. Those details connect encouragement and early reading with home life, rather than confining them to the hours children spend at pre-school.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that practitioners supported children with SEND through collaboration with parents and outside professionals, using review meetings and professional advice to shape learning. Current arrangements include SENDCo roles and a key-person system, giving families identifiable routes for discussing support.

Rainbow Teddies also directs families to JIGSAW (Joining In Gaining Support Awareness and Wellbeing) Thornbury, which supports families of children with additional needs or disabilities. This is a signpost to a local organisation, rather than a claim that the pre-school provides that organisation’s services.

Staff hold paediatric first aid certificates, and safeguarding lead roles are in place. The parent committee manages finances, staff employment and policies.

Sessions and Attendance

Rising School runs Monday to Friday with three choices: Morning Session from 9am to 11.30am, Morning with Lunch from 9am to 12.45pm, or Full Day from 9am to 3pm. For families choosing between a shorter morning and a longer day, the middle option retains lunch while ending before the afternoon finishes.

Teddy Tots runs on weekday afternoons from 12.30pm to 3pm. Autumn 2026 terms run from 7 September to 23 October and 2 November to 18 December, so families should plan around those dates.

The address is Manorbrook Primary School, Park Road, Thornbury, BS35 1JW. A move to a purpose-built building within the same school grounds was announced for September 2026. The announcement matters when considering the premises, while the school-site address remains the point of reference.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both groups accept Government Funded hours, and privately paid sessions are offered when funded hours are not available. Funding information covers the universal entitlement for three- and four-year-olds, support for eligible two-year-olds and working-family childcare. Eligibility conditions apply; the funding categories do not extend the pre-school’s accepted age range to babies.

Session terms allow for possible consumable and administration fees, with the parent handbook governing those details. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Printed polo tops and sweatshirts form an optional uniform, so children do not have to wear it to attend.

Moving on to school receives practical attention. During the summer term, Reception teachers from local schools visit to meet their future starters and discuss transition with keyworkers; Rising School also links with Manorbrook where possible for school-environment visits. Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• The premises change. A September 2026 move within Manorbrook’s grounds was announced. On a visit, confirm whether the move has taken place and ask how the younger group’s separate time and indoor-outdoor play are arranged.
• Independence in everyday tasks. In September 2025, adults sometimes opened snack packets or handled coats before encouraging children to try. Ask how staff now build those opportunities into the routine.
• Your child’s attendance pattern. Younger children have afternoon sessions, while Rising School provides mornings, mornings with lunch and full days. Choose against the relevant group’s timetable, rather than assuming every pattern applies to every age.
• The whole cost of attendance. Session terms mention possible consumable and administration fees. Ask for a written breakdown covering your funded or privately paid pattern, food and non-food supplies before agreeing the booking.

Rainbow Teddies suits families seeking play-led pre-school care within school grounds and a role in its management. Rising School offers mornings, mornings with lunch and full days; Teddy Tots serves younger children’s afternoons.

Daily responsibilities and transition work support school preparation. The September 2025 Good judgement is balanced by the improvement point about independence.