About Our Nursery | rainbownurseries

Our Nursery

Your children are at the heart of everything we do, and the nursery environment has been carefully curated with them in mind. Their safety is considered first and foremost, and every element of our design and resourcing is thoroughly risk assessed. Our goal is to provide a stimulating, enriching environment where children feel at home. We believe that a warm and nourishing atmosphere gives them the security they need to empower them to explore and learn.

The early years are a crucial time in a child’s development, where they are getting to know the world and carving out their place in it. We passionately support individuality, and aim to provide each unique character in our care with tools and activities tailored to their age, personality and ability levels.

For safety reasons the nursery is separated into two big, open-plan rooms, for children aged 0-2 and 2-5. Each room is kitted out with resources appropriate to and challenging for the age group. We feel that younger children advance quicker when they have older children as role models, and find that the older ones are naturally inclined to help the younger ones in a caring and loving way. We commissioned a very talented local artist to design the space in a way that appeals to children and stimulates their imaginations, and kids are always delighted by the fun murals of animals on a variety of London transport!

Lower Deck: Babies and Toddlers (Ages 0-2)

Our youngest charges start out in the self-contained Lower Deck. Separated from the areas for older children, the unit is designed to provide a secure, stimulating environment where your little one can express their curiosity and learn through play.

We carefully choose the best equipment for each stage of development, crafting a space where the children can explore and grow. From rolling to crawling, sitting to standing and right through to walking, our staff support your child’s physical development by gently guiding them to engage with toys and activities that will help them to progress.

Our under 2s curriculum is tailored to the way children learn best at this age - through play! The home-from-home atmosphere we have created in the Lower Deck offers plenty of opportunity for supervised independent exploration, construction and imaginative play, while social development is supported with more organised sessions of group time.

Sensory input is an important part of children’s development, and unsurprisingly one of the most popular activities among our 0-2s is messy play. We love it too, and provide lots of chances for them to laugh while they learn in a hands-on way by getting stuck in to some squishy spaghetti, slimy angel delight or colourful paint. Don’t worry; we promise we’ll clean them up before we send them home with you!

Communication is key, and our team are trained to interact with each individual child in ways they understand. Facial expressions and gesture are emphasised alongside verbal conversation, and language development is reinforced via fun singing, dancing and drawing activities. With the support of our skilled and experienced staff, your child will benefit from a varied curriculum of learning, fun and plenty of hugs.

Upper Deck: Early Learners (Ages 2-3)

When they’re ready to graduate to the Upper Deck, children enter a new environment with a huge variety of play equipment, resources and activities on hand to support their ever-changing and blossoming skills and personalities.

We encourage the children to start to develop independence at this age, with plenty of focus on making choices and peer interaction. Their confidence is bolstered by free exploration within clear and consistent boundaries, allowing them to feel a sense of control over their own day. We teach patience and empathy, and guide children to interact with each other in positive and encouraging ways.

The design of the Upper Deck involves lots of colours, letters, sizes and shapes, providing a visually stimulating, immersive environment where learning is always in the background. We regularly change the apparatus and play equipment on offer to provide variety, with areas for role play and dressing up, a home corner and lots of floor play and construction toys to aid in the development of fine motor skills.

The limitless creativity of this age group is nurtured with daily art activities including early writing and mark-making, and their natural love of music and movement provides an excellent vehicle for sensory input, social skills and confidence using both large and small equipment.

Upper Deck: Preschool (Ages 3-5)

Children aged 3-5 are accommodated in the Upper Deck alongside their 2-3 year old friends, but have a separate room leader and follow a more structured curriculum designed to give them a head start in their learning and ensure they’re well prepared to move on to ‘big school’ when they graduate.

Individual progress and learning outcomes are closely monitored, with more focus on mark-making and writing as well as the introduction of computers and ICT software. Musical instruments, role play and imagination still play an important part in the learning of our pre-schoolers too, and PE sessions are introduced to help build confidence in physical abilities and reinforce the importance of participation and team work.

The children follow a clear and consistent daily routine designed to promote further development of their independence. They are supported to engage in daily self-care activities like tooth brushing and dressing/undressing for PE, and also take turns being responsible for the wider group in roles such as snack monitor.

Your preschooler’s progress will be closely monitored and recorded by their key worker, who will make sure that their achievements are recognised and celebrated. A written assessment record will be produced and follow your child on to your chosen school, providing proof of their amazing progress so far and a great foundation for their continued learning in years to come.