Rainbow Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in York for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2008, with 31 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 York
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in York 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
YO26 5QAWhat 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.
- 26 June 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 24 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are nurtured and build confidence at this inviting pre-school. Both the indoor and outdoor learning environments and the thoughtful teaching supports children to develop their individual character, interests, and knowledge.
From the beginning, children are well supported to develop socially and emotionally. Key persons are effective in developing children's independence.
Through their interactions, they model and challenge children well. Carefully considered activities support children to make links between home and pre-school by building on their interests and broadening their experiences. For example, children enthusiastically explore animals following a trip to the zoo, using story sacks. Practitioners use this motivation to skilfully interweave children's next steps in learning, such as introducing new vocabulary, modelling social communication and exploring mathematical concepts. This attention to detail ensures that children enjoy their learning and make good progress.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the programme of learning for understanding the world, so that provision includes more diverse representations of life in modern Britain, beyond that of the immediate community n improve the organisation of group-work sessions, so that they maintain children's interest and engagement and reflect children's varying ages and stages of development.
- 24 February 2023Good
- 9 June 2017Good
- 3 February 2017Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rainbow Preschool
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.