Rainbow Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Middlestone Moor for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022. Open since 2004, with 50 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
DL16 7DAWhat 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, 13 April 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and at ease in this nursery, which has a calm and relaxed atmosphere. They enter their playroom with confidence when parents drop them at the door.
Staff and managers want the very best for every child. They provide appealing activities for all children. Babies explore a range of household objects. They bang spoons and plates together and delight in the sounds they make. They develop early mark-making skills, tracing their fingers through a mixture of flour and water.
Two-year-old children show remarkable personal and social skills. They share bowls and spoons when they pretend to mix and add cement to wooden blocks to build a wall. They work together, helping one another to carry heavier blocks. Pre-school children are curious, independent learners. They predict what will happen next when they observe the caterpillars they are caring for, using books to check their facts. Children show excellent mathematical skills while hunting for Easter eggs and animals. They tell staff how many more or less they need to get to five objects.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support pre-school children more consistently to develop and extend their ideas during self-chosen play n promote children's good health even more effectively, for example, by teaching them about the benefits of healthy foods.
- 13 April 2022Good
- 6 March 2017Good
- 20 March 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rainbow 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.