Over The Rainbow Day Nursery

A private front garden for babies, a climbing frame behind the nursery and language activities that travel home in bags give Over The Rainbow Day Nursery its character. At 40 Violet Street in Ashton In Makerfield, Wigan, this is a setting with practical detail behind its play-based offer: individual baby routines, daily conversations with families and preschool activities that build towards greater independence.

At its June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with good progress for children including those with SEND and those learning English as an additional language. That is a dated judgement. The teaching improvements identified then still matter when weighing the nursery: staff needed to extend learning more confidently during spontaneous play and adapt activities more effectively for quieter children.

There are 48 places in total. The rooms span babies through preschool, while attendance can be booked as a full day or a morning or afternoon half-day session.

Rooms and Ages

Babies caters for children from birth to approximately 2 years, with sensory exploration, movement and music, quieter spaces and routines shaped around the individual baby. The emphasis is on early communication and physical development rather than rushing towards the next room. Older babies take part in toddler talk activities, which support communication, and families receive activity packs to continue that work at home.

Toddlers covers approximately 2–3 years, combining support with toileting and personal choice with toddler talk language activities. Children progress from the early foundations of communication, movement and relationships towards further learning through planned activities. The room also offers football classes and mini movers, dance sessions intended to support physical development.

For children aged 3–5, Pre-School concentrates on independence and preparation for school through language work, friendships and practical tasks. Buttoning coats and fastening shoes sit alongside activities that develop hand control. Children serve their meals with staff support, making everyday routines part of learning to do more for themselves.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for education and care: children develop communication, relationships and movement alongside early literacy, mathematics, creativity and understanding of the world. It is the common foundation for early-years provision.

In Pre-School, ECAT (Every Child a Talker) supports early language development. Phase One Letters and Sounds builds speaking and listening skills ahead of later phonics work at school. Home communication packs and letters and sound activity bags extend those activities into family life, giving parents something concrete to use rather than just a general update about progress.

Swimming takes place weekly for preschool children; gymnastics lessons and mini movers dance sessions also feature in their offer. The annual Christmas nativity gives children an opportunity to sing for their families.

In June 2022, children explored ice using salt and warm water, while toddlers experimented with pouring and the movement of water down a water wall. Children also built a bridge with wooden blocks. Those examples show the kind of hands-on investigation taking place at that point: testing materials, noticing change and trying out ideas through play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily outdoor play has a substantial physical setting. Babies can use a smaller private garden at the front as well as the larger garden behind the nursery. The rear garden is accessible to all children and includes a climbing frame, growing/digging stations and spaces for role play. That gives outdoor time several purposes, from active movement to imaginative play and exploring plants.

Bikes and trikes, painting, sand and water activities also form part of outdoor provision. All-weather clothing allows outdoor exploration to continue in rain, while hats and sun cream are used in sunny conditions.

Preschool children make regular outings to a library or local park. These extend learning beyond the nursery grounds through direct experience of other places.

Relationships and Communication

For babies, a home communication book and a daily individual conversation give families two ways to understand the day. Written information can travel home, while the conversation allows an immediate exchange about routines and wellbeing. Parents are invited to contribute, which matters when the nursery is adapting care to an individual baby.

Toddlers with limited vocabulary continue to have a home communication book, alongside individual discussions about their experiences and learning. Families also receive toddler talk packs and packs for 2-year-olds. Preschool families have communication packs and activity bags connected with language work. The materials change with the child’s stage, while the link between nursery and home remains practical.

Baby-room staff have specialist training for that age group. Elklan training supports practitioners’ work with speech, language and communication needs, and the preschool lead practitioner also has age-specific Elklan training. Apprentice practitioners work alongside qualified staff during their training.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In June 2022, children could withdraw to calm, comfortable spaces when they needed a break. Older children practised cutting fruit and vegetables using child safety knives, and an hourly alarm prompted drinking water. Small responsibilities, including helping at meals and tidying, gave children opportunities to contribute to nursery life.

The nursery has safeguarding lead roles and a Wellbeing Champion role within its team. Baby-room quieter areas are also part of the current room description. For a child who needs pauses between busy activities, that is a useful environmental detail; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the basis for any assessment of effectiveness.

Meals are cooked on the premises from fresh ingredients, with menus changing on a 4-week rotation. Individual dietary and health needs are catered for, with specific requests accommodated where possible.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 40 Violet Street, Ashton In Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9EE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year; the nursery closes for Bank Holidays and the Christmas period.

A full-day booking runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Half-day sessions run from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm, giving families a morning or afternoon alternative to the full day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01942 714222 or 01942 719380, by email at enquiries@overtherainbownursery.co.uk, or through the contact form. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded-only sessions and private childcare are offered. The funded entitlement described for children aged 3 and 4 is 15 hours each week over 38 weeks, with funding also offered to some 2-year-olds depending on income. Those conditions belong with the entitlement: participation by the nursery does not establish an individual child’s eligibility.

Additional sessions can be privately paid, with the funding value deducted from the fees. The nursery recommends booking funded sessions well ahead of the intended start, a practical planning rule rather than a statement about current vacancies.

• Teaching for quieter children. In June 2022, spontaneous play was not always developed into deeper learning, and less confident children sometimes gained less from activities. Discuss how practitioners now adapt a shared activity and extend an individual child’s ideas.
• Baby routines and home communication. Individual routines, quieter areas and a daily conversation are central to the baby-room offer. Use a visit to discuss how your child’s existing routine would fit into that arrangement.
• The session clock. Morning care begins at 8am, while full-day care starts at 7.30am; afternoon sessions start at 1pm. Compare the actual booking times with the hours your family needs, including the annual holiday closures.
• The funded attendance package. Funded-only and privately paid sessions can form different booking arrangements. When discussing a quotation, what would your chosen pattern include or charge separately for meals, nappies and other consumables?

Over The Rainbow suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with outdoor play and language development prominent in the nursery experience. Babies have individual routines and access to their own front garden; preschool children combine communication activities with outings, swimming and practical independence.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the teaching concerns deserve attention, especially for a quieter child. The strongest reasons to consider this nursery are concrete: its gardens, stage-specific activities and the communication materials that connect nursery learning with home.