Rainbow Nursery

A glass-fronted nursery, an enclosed garden and children of different ages sharing their play give Rainbow Nursery its character. Based at The Mansion in central Totnes, it combines a purpose-designed building with outdoor space for construction, growing and movement. In January 2025, mixed-age play enabled children to spend time with siblings and learn from older companions, but older children's activities sometimes left the youngest children's needs unmet.

At its 8 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Rainbow Nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The important qualification concerned children under three: interactions with staff, the daily routine and the learning environment needed further attention. That makes the youngest children's experience a central consideration, rather than a footnote to the overall grade.

Rainbow has 56 places in total and accepts children from three months to five years. It operates throughout the year, with bookings spread across at least two days.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, with practitioners observing children's development and planning around their needs. At Rainbow, children can mix across age groups rather than spending their whole day separated by age. This gives siblings opportunities to spend time together and younger children opportunities to watch older children's play.

In January 2025, children explored language through stories and conversation, practised using scissors while making puzzles, and encountered mathematical ideas through those activities. Imaginary potion-making and building protective headgear with construction materials brought problem-solving into play. These are concrete examples of learning woven into things children want to do, rather than presented as formal lessons.

Daily blue sky thinking sessions, observed in January 2025, gave children time to contribute ideas and consider their learning afterwards. Younger children investigated objects in treasure island, an exploration activity centred on discovering how things worked. Older children experimented outside with rolling objects and a crate-and-pulley arrangement. The emphasis was on trying, talking and thinking.

For babies and toddlers, Paddy PAWS provides sensory play, music, tummy time and early movement, with adults working close to the children. It gives the youngest age group an activity built around early physical development and relationships. The crucial distinction is between this age-specific provision and the wider mixed-age day: both need to work for the individual child.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden contains a Construction area, growing space, a covered gazebo and a roly-poly slope. Those different surfaces and spaces give outdoor play several purposes: building, exploring plants and moving freely. The gazebo also provides a covered part of the garden.

In January 2025, climbing equipment and a trampoline supported active play. Children also practised independence at lunchtime, including serving their own food. Physical activity and everyday responsibility sat alongside the more adult-guided learning experiences.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, key persons sent introductory videos before children started and remained a consistent presence during settling. That offers a useful bridge between home and nursery: a child can become familiar with a carer before the new routine begins. Close relationships also supported children's confidence to explore.

Information passed between staff and families at collection, with photographs shared during the day in January 2025. Current key-person responsibilities include communicating through WhatsApp, telephone and text, sharing observations, and discussing children's development and care. This gives families several ways to keep home and nursery informed about the same child.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff worked with parents to tailor developmental support, using additional resources, small-group support or extra key-person time according to children's needs. The practical value lies in adapting the response to the child, rather than treating every concern in the same way.

In January 2025, children practised recognising feelings and expressing them appropriately, while quieter periods with peaceful music provided time to settle. Older children discussed personal qualities such as kindness and bravery. These activities linked emotional language with everyday relationships and behaviour.

Lunch is cooked on the premises, and Rainbow serves brunch and an afternoon snack or light tea; its meals included a vegetarian diet in January 2025. The food guidance asks families to avoid bringing nuts or nut products and to tell staff about allergies or special diets, with wristbands potentially used to make those needs visible.

Sessions and Attendance

Rainbow Nursery's address is The Mansion, 36A Fore Street, Totnes, TQ9 5RP. Opening hours are 8am to 5.15pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year. Bank holidays and Christmas are closure periods.

Bookings can start at 8am or 9am and finish at 1pm, 3pm, 4pm or 5pm. The minimum booking spans two days. Care between 5pm and 5.15pm is by request and cannot be funded, so the main opening window should not be mistaken for an unrestricted funded booking window.

The pre-registration process places a child's name on a waiting list without committing either family or nursery. Contact follows within two months of the proposed start date to communicate whether a place can be offered. The enquiry form asks for the child's age.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is stretched across the year. Universal Entitlement for 3 & 4 year olds and FRAS Funding for 2 year olds can each provide eligible children with up to 11 hours weekly; Working Entitlements (for working families) can provide up to 22 hours, from the term after a child turns nine months, subject to application. FRAS means Families Receiving Additional Support and begins in the term after the second birthday for eligible children, subject to application; the universal entitlement begins in the term after the third birthday.

Brunch, lunch and tea are charged separately, including during funded attendance, but meals are not charged for FRAS-funded two-year-olds or children eligible for EYPP, the additional funding that supports early-years provision. Parents can opt out of paying for meals under the meal opt-out policy.

For funded attendance, a voluntary consumables contribution covers items including craft materials, cleaning supplies and wipes. It is not requested for two-year-funded children or EYPP-eligible three- and four-year-olds, except that EYPP-eligible children using the extended entitlement are asked to contribute on funded hours above 11 at Rainbow. A non-refundable registration charge applies when booking non-funded hours; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

Access is on foot through Fore Street or the entrance off Victoria Street, where parking is prohibited. Fore Street has metered parking, with public parking options on St Katherine's Way and at Morrisons on Coronation Road.

• The youngest children's day. January 2025 improvement priorities concerned staff interaction and the routine and environment for under-threes. On a visit, ask how Paddy PAWS and shared-age play now protect younger children's individual needs.
• Finish times and funding. Starts at 8am or 9am can be paired with several finish times, but bookings must span two days and the final quarter-hour cannot be funded. Match the arrangement to your working day before committing.
• Food and additional charges. Meal exemptions, opting out and the voluntary funded consumables contribution have different conditions. Allergy-affected families should confirm current food-handling practice and how their child's needs will be communicated to staff.

Rainbow suits families seeking year-round care with an early finish at 1pm as well as those needing attendance until 5pm. Its garden and mixed-age play offer a recognisable setting, while sensory activities give babies and toddlers their own developmental emphasis.

The Good judgement in January 2025 sits alongside specific weaknesses in provision for under-threes. For parents of younger children, the decisive issue is how well individual attention and the shared daily routine now work together.