Rainbow Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Reading for children from birth to 8+, open 06:45 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 2002, with 76 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Reading
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Reading from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
RG1 5LEWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 22 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Friendly staff effectively promote children's confidence to grow in this supportive environment. Staff have established good relationships with the children. They are nurturing and support learning well. Children show positive attitudes to their learning. Overall, children behave well. Expectations, including 'the golden rules', are displayed, and children are reminded of them. Children enjoy the opportunities they have to play and exercise in the fresh air. While outdoors, they also learn about nature. They negotiate obstacles, build, use chalk to make marks and develop their friendships with others.
Staff provide an interesting and fun curriculum to support children's early communication skills. For example, babies enjoy songs and rhymes. Toddlers and pre-school children sit with staff and listen attentively while stories are read to them. Staff ask older children if they can remember their previous learning about the role of the author and illustrators. Children clearly demonstrate a love of books and are eager to recite one of the nursery's core books they have collectively voted to listen to. Pre-school children show good levels of attention, enjoyment and understanding of the character 'Pete the Cat'. They listen and respond with relevant comments and questions during group time. All children make good progress in their development, including those with additional needs.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the behaviour strategies that are already in place to ensure staff manage children's behaviour appropriately and help younger children understand more about the effect their actions have on others n enhance opportunities for children to develop curiosity, imagination and maintain their exploration during play.
- 22 November 2023Good
- 30 May 2018Good
- 9 June 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rainbow Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.