Rainbow Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Chelmsford for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2021. Open since 1999, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We accept 2 year funding, 3/4 year funding and 30 hour funding.
Worth knowing. Currently Essex County Council is providing funding for 38 weeks per financial year which means that each child’s fees can be fully funded and no top-up fees are payable. However, we do ask parents for a healthy snack fee which is payable at the start of each half term, payable in advance.
What childcare usually costs in Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
CM2 6RFWhat 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 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, settle quickly, and know the daily routines. They wash their hands when they first arrive and sit down on the rug to wait for the start of the session. Children practise their listening and communication skills as they respond to staff when their names are called out.
Younger children play nicely together. They use their developing hand skills to place small-world people and animals inside toy castles and tree houses. Older children use magnetic rods to 'hook' coloured fish from the tissue paper 'water' and proudly tell staff what number is on their fish. This helps to support their mathematical development. Staff encourage children to see if they can find the next number, which also helps to support their understanding of numerical order.
Children enjoy playing outside. They delight in picking the herbs which have grown in the garden. Children use their fingers to pinch the herb leaves to release the fragrance. They then use the herb leaves in the mud kitchen. Children behave very well. Younger and older children enjoy playing together. They share and take turns in group games. Children show respect for their peers and wait patiently for their turn during group activities.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the range of resources available to children, particularly in the role-play areas n encourage staff to make the most of all interactions with children, to help to extend their learning and interest further.
- 22 November 2021Good
- 21 June 2021Inadequate
- 3 October 2019Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rainbow Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.