Rainbow Tree Nursery

Rainbow Tree Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 2870140
Address: 75 Folders Lane, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 0DY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 03/10/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Rainbow Tree Nursery Ltd
Inspection report: 26 May 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from
effective support in their development and learning. The children's enjoyment and
involvement are generally high during activities. Children achieve well and make typical
progress from their starting points. They demonstrate a love of reading and regularly share
books with their friends or staff. Children show high levels of curiosity when painting colours
on ice, exploring the textures and their own creativity. They are determined to solve
problems and show good perseverance skills, such as when connecting tubes to build a
den.
Children respond well to challenges during play. They like to contribute their own ideas,
which staff respond to effectively. Children enjoy turn-taking games, including throwing and
kicking balls. They develop their coordination as they play on bikes and scooters, sharing
them with other children. This strongly supports their physical skills and builds on their social
interactions. Over time, children develop the skills and knowledge they need to prepare
them for their eventual move to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Children feel safe and supported in the nurturing environment that leaders and staff have
developed for them. Staff are positive role models and teach children about being kind and
respectful. They provide children with clear messages about what behaviour is expected of
them, and consequently children behave well. Any minor disagreements are dealt with fairly
and swiftly. Children are keen to share toys and take turns in their play. They form secure
attachments with staff and develop meaningful friendships with other children.
Staff create a calm environment and support children to listen to instructions. This is
reflected in children's ability to listen well, cooperate and follow simple instructions. Children
are beginning to learn how to regulate their own emotions and name how they feel, such as
when feeling happy or excited.
Staff support children, including those who face barriers to their learning, to interact and
engage with others. They play alongside and help children to develop positive attitudes to
their play and learning. Leaders promote regular attendance and work with parents to
identify any barriers for non-attendance. This helps parents to establish effective routines in
the home and prepare children for starting school.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff are responsive to children's individual needs, including children who face barriers to
their learning. Care practices are effective and help children to develop a sense of belonging
and to feel safe and secure. Staff are very attentive when children are eating, and even the
youngest of children know that they must sit still when eating 'or you might choke'. Typically,
children thrive at the nursery and receive the individual support they need. Staff implement

effective hygiene practices, and children know they must wash their hands before eating
and after going to the toilet. Older children are becoming confident in their own self-care,
and younger children are learning how to blow their own noses and where to dispose of the
tissues.
Staff support children's physical development well through active and regular outdoor play
experiences. This helps children to develop confidence in their own physical abilities. Key
persons provide sustained care and help children to feel confident and emotionally secure
within the nursery. Children are confident to ask for help when needed and approach adults
for guidance or a cuddle.
Staff teach children simple ways in which they can keep themselves safe, such as not
running indoors and why it is important to be safe in the sun. Staff offer constant reminders
to children to drink more water, especially when it is hot and sunny outside. Children learn
about the importance of a healthy diet, and they have a variety of fruits and vegetables
provided for them.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Overall, leaders provide children with an ambitious curriculum. They understand the order in
which children should learn. Children demonstrate their excitement through a range of well-
planned activities, such as water play. Children show their mathematical knowledge through
counting and discussing measurements, such as 'big' and 'heavy'. However, there are some
aspects of the curriculum that need adapting to meet the ages and stages of children,
especially the younger children. This will ensure that all children remain engaged in their
learning for longer periods. For example, there are times when activities and discussions are
pitched too high for younger children. Consequently, they become distracted and lose
interest in their learning.
Children who face barriers to their learning are fully engaged in their learning through a
tailor-made curriculum. Staff assess children's existing knowledge and provide broad
learning experiences, resulting in all children making expected progress from their starting
points and enjoying benefits from opportunities that they may not have previously
experienced.
Typically, children make progress in their communication and language. However, this is not
always consistent, and staff do not use every opportunity effectively to support children's
emerging vocabulary or provide children with the correct pronunciation for words that are
unclear. Despite this, most children are confident communicators. Children have ongoing
opportunities for outside play, which gives good support to their physical development .
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff are proactive in removing barriers to children's learning. This includes
working with outside professionals to provide a programme of targeted support. This
approach helps to ensure that children, including children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND), make steady progress from their starting points. Leaders and
staff regularly review the support that is in place and make effective use of assessments to

plan interventions for individual children. This helps to close any gaps in children's learning
effectively.
Leaders have forged positive links with the local authority advisers and liaise with the area
special educational needs coordinator to plan support. They regularly meet with parents to
establish shared goals and provide advice so that parents can be better supported in the
home. Staff are caring and enthusiastic in their roles as they support children with SEND to
play alongside other children and participate in daily routines. They monitor children's
progress and establish what children need to be learning next. Staff recognise when
children make small improvements in their development and make adjustments to support
when needed.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
There is a clear vision for the nursery. Leaders want the best for families and children and
actively seek their views. They have effectively implemented a programme of further training
and development for all staff and encourage staff to identify their own training needs in
addition to what is already planned for them. Leaders work closely with other professionals
and parents to support children's wellbeing and development. They exchange important
information with parents before children start, such as routines, dietary and medical needs.
This helps to keep children safe effectively and supports the continuity of care between the
nursery and home.
Leaders meet with staff regularly to check on their wellbeing and ability to manage their
workload. Staff provide extremely positive feedback on the support they receive from
leaders and how they appreciate the opportunity for further professional development.
Leaders are reflective and are aware of areas for improvement, such as staff's
understanding of the teaching of the curriculum.
Leaders are aware of the importance of working with families and outside agencies to
ensure that children who face barriers to their learning are provided with the support they
need. This helps to foster an inclusive environment and supports all children to make
progress.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy and feel safe at this welcoming nursery. They demonstrate that they are
confident and have a sense of belonging. Staff nurture children to be independent and to

take pride in completing tasks for themselves, such as tidying away toys and putting on their
own shoes. Early intervention and close working with other agencies and parents ensure
that children who face barriers are well supported in their learning. Leaders have robust
procedures in place and work with parents to ensure children's regular attendance. Children
enjoy attending and playing with other children and confidently say that they enjoy being in
the nursery.
Children are suitably prepared for the next stage in their education, such as going to school.
Staff work with teachers and form links with the local primary schools that children will be
attending. They share important information that will help ease the transition to school and
help children to settle quickly. Individualised learning plans are shared to ensure that those
children who need it most have measures in places to support their learning at their new
school.
Children enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff build on children's existing knowledge
and current interests in order to provide a range of stimulating experiences to further extend
children's learning. Children delight in playing with ice on a hot and sunny day. Staff use
these activities to extend children's vocabulary and mathematical understanding. Children
hear words such as 'disappearing' and 'thawing' and eagerly count the ice cubes before they
melt. They embrace the opportunity to contribute to their own learning through play.
Staff play alongside children and build on their imaginations through regular storytelling and
role play. For example, staff and younger children pretend that they are farmers and need to
provide food for the hungry animals. Older children pretend that they are camping. Staff
provide resources to help them to build dens and 'toast marshmallows' on a pretend fire.
Next steps
Leaders should monitor staff practice to raise the quality of teaching to adapt activities
effectively for children's different ages and stages of development.
Leaders should support staff to consistently reinforce children's language development at
every opportunity.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and children during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Inspector:
Tina Lambert
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2870140
Address:
75 Folders Lane
Burgess Hill
West Sussex
RH15 0DY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 03/10/2025
Registered person: Rainbow Tree Nursery Ltd
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: West Sussex
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 26 May 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
40

Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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