Fledgelings Day Nursery, Romford

A large Victorian house converted for childcare and a large garden landscaped for play give Fledgelings Day Nursery, Romford its character. The house sits in a cul-de-sac on Eastern Road, bringing a domestic setting to childcare close to the town centre. For parents who prefer a house-based nursery, the building is an immediate point of interest; the garden adds space for active play.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its inspection on 26 November 2021. It has capacity for 60 children, with a current age range of 3 to 60 months. Those are whole-nursery figures, rather than the size of a child's everyday group.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care here. In everyday terms, play and care routines both contribute to learning: conversation builds language, shared activities develop social skills, and exploration gives children opportunities to solve problems.

In November 2021, activities followed children's interests and what they needed to learn next. Staff used observations to decide subsequent steps and identify learning gaps. Water play, for example, involved experimenting with objects that stayed afloat or sank. This gave children a practical problem to investigate rather than simply an activity to complete.

The younger children's experiences were concrete and physical. In November 2021, babies played with balls and practised climbing, while toddlers explored sand and filled containers with spades. Stories and songs also formed part of younger children's learning. These examples show how movement, texture and language fitted into the day at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

The landscaped garden is a substantial part of the Romford setting. Indoors, imaginative play spaces sit alongside quieter areas for rest, giving children different ways to use the rooms during the day.

In November 2021, outdoor play included climbing, jumping and running. Children also helped look after their surroundings by tidying toys and encouraging others to join in. The practical value lies in having opportunities for energetic movement as well as shared responsibility. Both belong in a nursery day.

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and good progress from children's starting points, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These are dated judgements, rather than a current assurance about an individual child's experience.

In November 2021, babies received eye contact and songs during handwashing and nappy changes. Children learning English alongside another language received support through familiar words from their home languages. Both examples make the care more personal: routine moments offered contact with an adult, while language support began with words children already knew.

Parents could also borrow activities, games and books in November 2021, extending learning beyond the nursery day. The lending arrangement gave families something practical to use together at home.

The Romford manager has SENDCo training and mental health first aid training. This provides a relevant point of contact for conversations about additional needs and wellbeing, without implying that every child will require the same support.

Food formed part of the social day in November 2021: children ate freshly cooked meals and discussed vegetables and healthy eating. Older children also helped prepare the lunch tables, combining a shared meal with everyday responsibility.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 61 Eastern Road, Romford, RM1 3PB. Opening hours run from 7.30am until 6.30pm on weekdays. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas; families planning year-round childcare need to allow for those breaks.

Enquiries can be made by telephone to the Romford nursery. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, giving families a basis for assessing the cost of their agreed attendance.

Getting There

The nursery describes its position as within 5 minutes walk from Romford town centre and railway station. That proximity may be useful for families combining childcare with rail travel or town-centre work.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2021, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That establishes its participation at the time of the inspection; it does not establish a particular family's entitlement today.

• Younger children's independence. In November 2021, toddlers sometimes received too little encouragement to manage clothing or help themselves at snack time. During a visit, ask how staff now give younger children time to practise these tasks.
• Language during everyday play. The November 2021 improvement priorities included extending younger children's vocabulary. Ask for an example of how practitioners add new words during stories, play and care routines.
• Your attendance and funding plan. The weekday opening window is broad. Before joining, ask which booking pattern fits your working week and how meals and consumables are treated within your proposed funded or paid arrangement.

Fledgelings suits families drawn to a converted house with a substantial garden and weekday opening hours that span the working day. Its November 2021 Good judgement supplies a positive inspection position, with concrete improvement priorities for younger children's language and independence. Those two points deserve attention when judging the nursery for a baby or toddler.