Tubbies Day Nursery

Warm relationships and carefully supported communication define Tubbies Day Nursery's latest official picture. Ofsted judged the nursery Good in April 2024, with all four graded areas also Good and safeguarding effective. The setting at 35 Strood Avenue, Romford, has capacity for 28 children aged six months to five years.

This is a small setting where everyday interactions carried the inspection findings. Children shared picture cards for nursery rhymes, returned to them later and invited staff to sing. Outdoors, they used climbing equipment, bicycles and scooters independently.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the statutory framework: staff plan across communication, physical, personal and wider learning, then adapt experiences around each child's next steps. In April 2024, staff used visual images, photographs and children's own words to make routines clearer and help children revisit learning.

Language work was practical. Leaders modelled how to build sentences around children's single words, while fruit snack prompted conversation about shape and taste. The report also identified a precise improvement: staff sometimes moved a child towards a planned activity before giving enough time for that child to communicate what they wanted.

Outdoor independence is a strength, but it comes with a clear caveat. Ofsted wanted more consistent hazard identification despite routine checks. When a damaged bicycle presented a garden risk during the inspection, leaders acted promptly; the strengthened process now needs to identify hazards reliably before children use the outdoor equipment. This is important because independent physical play depends on consistently safe resources and spaces.

The educational programme followed children's next steps, including for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This matters in a setting spanning babies to preschool age: planning starts from what an individual child needs next rather than treating the age range as one group. Leaders also observed practice alongside staff, using supervision and training to develop the team.

In April 2024, children were helped to separate from parents and settle with their peers. Staff set clear expectations, encouraged sharing and turn-taking, and built warm, caring relationships. Parents told inspectors they were happy, while communication about learning helped families continue support at home.

Health teaching ran through routines rather than sitting apart from them. At snack, fruit and water prompted discussion about shape and taste, while songs helped children remember thorough handwashing. The same inspection recorded attention to dental health, healthy eating, allergies and medical needs.

Safeguarding was effective at the April 2024 inspection, with an open culture centred on children's interests. Staff planned next learning steps for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and leaders worked with the local authority. Links with local primary schools supported transition, without implying any admissions priority.

The nursery is at 35 Strood Avenue, Romford, RM7 0UX. It accepts children from six months to five years and has 28 places in total. Full-day care is the recorded service type. The setting runs throughout the year and closes on bank holidays and at Christmas. Families should ask the nursery directly for current prices and what they include.

The evidence is strongest on practice and weakest on the day-to-day commercial arrangement, so the first conversation should cover which full-day attendance patterns are sold, what a full-day booking covers and any minimum commitment.

• Outdoor risk checks. The 2024 inspection found that some staff occasionally missed garden hazards, although the specific risk was removed immediately. The response since then is a central visit question.
• Child-led communication. Staff were asked to allow children more time to express what they wanted before redirecting them to planned activities. A visit can show whether children's cues now alter the course of play.
• Attendance and practical costs. Session patterns, the closure calendar, funded-entitlement arrangements and the complete weekly cost need to be considered together before comparing the complete weekly commitment.

Tubbies Day Nursery is best suited to families who value a small setting, warm relationships and close attention to children's developing communication. The Good 2024 judgement is supported by concrete practice, from rhyme cards and sentence-building to family involvement and transition links. The two improvement points matter: consistent outdoor risk assessment and genuinely following a child's lead should be central questions on a visit.