Rainbows Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in South Ockendon for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 June 2022. Open since 2020, with 40 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 Thurrock
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Thurrock 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
RM15 4QRWhat 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, 10 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily arrive to an enthusiastic welcome from staff and their friends.
They are confident and settle quickly. Children enjoy exploring the activities on offer. They move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments. Outside, they learn how to operate a pump to get water and fill containers before carefully transferring water to the sandpit or into the water tray. Children delight in blowing soapy bubbles. They twirl the large wands around to produce lots of bubbles, which float about in the air. Children giggle as they try to catch the bubbles in their hands and on the wand.
Children behave well. They choose and lead their own play, engaging well with their friends and staff. Activities ignite children's curiosity and hold their interest for long periods. For example, children enjoy messy play in a tray full of coloured pasta and model dinosaurs. Staff pour in some breakfast cereal for added texture, which results in children having additional enjoyable opportunities to taste the cereal while they play. Children are confident communicators and share their thoughts and ideas with staff. For example, children inform staff that the carrots in the garden need watering and bring the watering can inside to fill it up with water.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on staff's increasing confidence to encourage and support children to recognise and use simple mathematical concepts in their play n develop the organisation of spontaneous activities further to manage children's eagerness and expectations better.
- 10 June 2022Good
- 15 December 2021Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rainbows 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.