A Star Kids Nursery, Elm Park

Communication gives this Elm Park nursery its clearest character: learning words, joining conversations and using signs all featured in its nursery day in November 2023. A Star Kids Nursery, Elm Park has capacity for 40 children, with a current age range of two to five. Its address is 1 Rosewood Avenue, Hornchurch, RM12 5LH.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that its curriculum helped children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. The detail behind that judgement matters: purposeful conversations, an outdoor garden and opportunities to manage everyday tasks gave children practical ways to learn.

Term-time and year-round attendance options sit alongside school-age breakfast and after-school care. The main nursery opens at 7.30am and closes at 6pm.

Rooms and Ages

Preschool serves children aged two to five, combining construction, imaginative role play, early reading and number activities with a creative area for drawing, painting and messy exploration using materials such as flour and jelly. That mix gives children opportunities to work with both ideas and physical materials, rather than keeping early learning to table tasks.

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, with activities shaped around children's interests and development. Here, building, making marks and exploring materials give that framework concrete expression: children can practise language, coordination and early mathematical ideas through things they do.

Learning and Activities

In November 2023, staff supported communication by learning words from children's home languages and adding signs while children developed their spoken English. This connected new language with ways children already communicated. Children had opportunities to develop communication through these exchanges with staff.

During that same period, calendar conversations introduced ideas about time. Staff discussed the date and used everyday routines to explore what had happened already and what would happen next. Experienced practitioners also brought stories to life and encouraged children to discuss them. However, the quality of these interactions varied across the staff team, making consistency an important consideration alongside the stronger examples.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2023, the garden offered opportunities for climbing, bicycle riding and games with staff and friends. These were physical experiences with different demands: balancing and moving independently, then coordinating play with other children. The garden therefore added useful variety to the indoor activities.

In November 2023, staff helped children understand behavioural boundaries through calm reminders. When a toy was thrown outdoors, the response was to explain the rule and encourage the child to put it back carefully. Children also practised managing their coats and cleaning their own faces, giving everyday care routines a role in developing independence.

Mealtimes were the exception. During that visit, children brought lunch boxes, but staff removed the food for them instead of allowing them to practise opening the boxes and taking it out themselves. The improvement needed was practical: give children time to attempt manageable tasks before adults step in.

An online learning journal supported communication with families in November 2023. Parents could add information from home as well as follow nursery experiences, allowing the exchange to work in both directions. Staff could use that family contribution to understand more of a child's life beyond nursery.

Health education also appeared in the nursery day at that time. Children discussed brushing their teeth and identified fruit and vegetables as healthy choices. These conversations connected personal care with decisions children could understand, rather than treating wellbeing only as something adults managed for them.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm. The application form allows families selecting Elm Park to request weekdays and choose either term-time or year-round attendance. Applications can be made through the form, and the Elm Park contact route also includes email and telephone.

The Breakfast and After School Club provides school-age care around the school day. Breakfast Club begins at 7.30am, followed by an escort to school; After School Club includes a snack, activities and time for homework. It serves children attending Scargill, Elm Park, St Albans, Benhurst and Scotts. This is a childcare arrangement for children attending those schools, rather than a claim about admission to them.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation fact, so families considering funding should use the decision point below when discussing an attendance plan and written quotation.

• Consistency of teaching. In November 2023, experienced staff provided strong storytelling examples, but interactions were less consistent across the team. Look for how staff development now translates into everyday conversations and activities.
• Independence at lunch. The November 2023 improvement point concerned adults doing lunch-box tasks children could attempt themselves. A useful visit discussion is how practitioners balance timely help with opportunities for children to try.
• Attendance and funded costs. Elm Park's application offers term-time and year-round choices, while its school-age club covers mornings and afternoons. Which booking pattern and funded entitlement would apply to your child, and how would meals, consumables and any additional charges appear in the current written quotation?

A Star Kids Nursery, Elm Park suits families considering either term-time or year-round nursery attendance, and those needing breakfast or after-school care for children attending the named schools. Preschool's creative materials and play-based activities give the current offer tangible substance. The November 2023 picture adds communication-rich practice and useful everyday learning, balanced by clear improvement points around teaching consistency and independence at lunch. Those are specific issues to explore when deciding whether its approach fits your child.