Rainbow Hill House

About Us

THE HISTORY OF RAINBOW HILL HOUSE NURSERY:

In 1992, Linda and Nej embarked on the journey of establishing a child-minding business within the confines of their own home. The inception of this venture arose from their quest for childcare providers who could uphold the high standards of care they sought for their own children, Deniz and Shanel.

Initially, Linda began caring for the children of friends, family, and neighbours, and through word of mouth, the child-minding business flourished, eventually evolving into Rainbow Hill House Nursery.

As the nursery prospered, Linda and Nej decided to enhance the Nursery's scope by relocating to a larger facility in 2016. Since this transition, the nursery has consistently thrived and progressed. Within our nursery we now have 5 dedicated rooms as well as a very unique soft play area.

Throughout its growth, the nursery has remained family-run. Despite Deniz and Shanel’s commitments in the music industry, Deniz actively contributes behind the scenes at the nursery, collaborating with Faye (our Senior Manager and Deniz’s wife) to ensure the seamless operation of all aspects. Shanel also frequently lends a hand at the nursery.

THE WAY WE WORK:

We welcome children aged 3 months and above, providing them with a vibrant learning environment that fosters their holistic development and sets the stage for an optimal start in life. Our commitment to cultivating confidence, self-esteem, and independence begins right from the settling-in period, facilitated by our effective key-person system. During this initial phase, your child is likely to form a strong, secure attachment with a specific practitioner, whom we will then assign as their key person.

Recognising the significance of children's perspectives, we place considerable emphasis on tailoring our approach to each child's interests when planning and observing their development. Our thematic planning incorporates the children's interests, cultural celebrations, and more, ensuring each day at the nursery is filled with diverse, stimulating, and engaging activities.

Outdoors and experiential learning are central to our philosophy, and we actively explore the world around us and our local community. Regular trips to places like the library, park, garden centre, local farms, museums, and woods enrich the children's experiences. For more distant excursions, such as museum visits, we utilise public transport, broadening the scope of their learning adventures.

At Rainbow Hill House Nursery, we extend beyond the EYFS curriculum by following our own curriculum and providing a range of rotating extra-curricular activities. Examples of these activities include Language lessons, Baby Ballet, Children’s Yoga, Baking, Mindfulness, Interactive Story & Drama Sessions, and visits from specialized companies such as ‘Wild Fangs’ who introduce children to various animals like small mammals and reptiles.

In our commitment to community engagement, we regularly welcome local services such as the police, ambulance service, and dentists to the nursery. These professionals share their expertise with the children. Furthermore, our Pre-School children partake in weekly visits to a local elderly residential home, fostering intergenerational connections.

We take pride in our participation in the 'TFL Stars' accreditation scheme. This initiative aims to encourage children and parents to reconsider their approach to travel, emphasising its impact on health, well-being, and the environment.

PARENTS AS PARTNERS:

We are deeply committed to collaborating closely with parents and carers to assist each child individually. To foster a robust relationship and maintain consistent communication with you, we implement the following measures:

Our Monthly Newsletter: Every month, we distribute a newsletter containing updates, news, upcoming events, advice on specific topics, highlights from the previous month, community activities, and more.

Our Parent App, Blossom: All parents can access the secure, password-protected app called 'Blossom.' This platform allows you to view your child's daily activities, such as sleep duration and meals. You can also communicate with your child's key person or room leader, add home observations, review golden moments and next steps, and view your child's most recent report.

Handovers: While the app provides daily updates, we emphasise the importance of face-to-face interaction during morning drop-offs and evening pick-ups. Please bring your child into the nursery room in the morning and pick them up from their room at the end of the day for a brief in-person catch-up about your child's well-being.

Parents Evenings: Twice a year, we organise parent evenings where we request all parents to attend a 20-minute appointment with their child's key person. These adult-only meetings, without children present, allow us to focus on discussing your child's development, addressing concerns, and answering any questions you may have.

Transition Reports/Handouts: When your child transitions to a new room or begins school, we complete a transition report (to ensure they are progressing), and we also ask you complete a transition handover. This details any changes which may have happened at home. Once we have this, both their current key person and their new room leader will meet to discuss your child's development, preferences, daily routine, and ensures a seamless transition with effective information transfer.

2-Year Review Meetings: Scheduled around 30 months, the 2-year review meetings involve your child's key person and a member of management. During these meetings, we comprehensively discuss your child's development across all 7 areas of learning and establish next steps for their development.

Feedback: Your feedback is invaluable to us for reflection and continuous improvement. We provide feedback slips and boxes at the nursery entrance and No3 entrance (buggy park). Additionally, we encourage regular feedback through questionnaires to maintain high standards.

INSIDE OUR SETTING:

The Baby Rooms are where we care for the babies from 3 months to approximately 18 months old. The babies enjoy the spacious, warm and calming atmosphere with loving staff who are passionate about meeting the needs of each individual child. As children take their first steps, it's essential they have the space and opportunity to explore. That's why we have two spacious rooms dedicated to our babies. These rooms are connected by a bi-folding door, allowing us to create a large open space or, during quieter times, a calm atmosphere by closing the door to form two smaller rooms. Our babies are provided with many different activities and new experiences during the day. We follow the concept of free flow play, although there are a range of adult-led activities (such as tummy time, sensory, messy and creative play) which are also carried out during the day. Our team plan new opportunities and learning experiences by focusing on the children's milestones, their interests and needs. We also have a separate sleep room, so whether your little one is napping once per day, or three times per day, it is not a problem at all!

Our Toddler Room is a vibrant and nurturing space designed specifically for children aged 18 to 30 months. Here, your child will find a world of exploration and discovery, perfectly tailored to their developmental stage. In our Toddler Room, we create an engaging environment where children are encouraged to follow their interests and curiosities. Our dedicated practitioners carefully observe each child's unique passions, or used schemas, and use them to plan a variety of activities that promote ongoing learning and development. We also emphasise the importance of fostering independence in our toddlers. Children are gently guided to practice essential self-care skills, such as washing their hands and beginning to use the potty or toilet.
The room is well equipped with age-appropriate toys, books, and learning materials, all arranged to support both individual and group play. With a focus on safety, comfort, and stimulation, our Toddler Room provides the ideal setting for your child's growth and early education.

Welcome to our Pre-School Rooms, located on the first floor of our nursery. We offer two Pre-School Rooms tailored to different age groups: one for children aged 2.5 to 3.5 years, and another for our older children, aged 3.5 years and up, who are preparing to start school. These rooms are connected by a central 'middle' area, providing a seamless transition between the two. Our Pre-School floor has been thoughtfully designed to create a perfect balance between a cosy, 'home away from home' nursery environment as well as a reception classroom. This design ensures a smooth transition for children as they move on to school. The three interconnected rooms promote free-flow play, allowing younger and older preschool children to interact and learn valuable skills from each other. Additionally, we can close the bi-folding doors for quieter times or focused, adult-led activities. In Pre-School, we maintain a 'free flow' learning approach, giving children the freedom to explore all areas and learn through play. We also carefully plan regular adult-led learning experience to ensure children are being supported to reach their full potential. In Pre-School, we emphasise the importance of independence, preparing children for the next step in their educational journey.

Our Soft Play Area: We are lucky to be one of the only nurseries in the country with our own soft play area! Our Soft Play area is used by all age groups within the nursery. The children use this soft play area particularly when the weather is either too hot or too icy/dangerous outside. The different resources in this area enables the children to develop all areas of learning, not just physical development. For example, using the shape blocks is great for mathematical development, climbing is great for problem solving etc.


Our last Ofsted inspection was in November 2023 when we received a ‘Good’ grading. Please see the Ofsted website for our full report.