Foundation Nurseries, Rise Park

In May 2025, garden lemonade, conversations about bees and a sensory room gave Foundation Nurseries, Rise Park a recognisable character. The setting occupies the Pavilion in Rise Park, Romford, with an emphasis on play and outdoor exploration. Its current offer is for children aged two to five, and it has 44 places in total.

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children progressed well, with language development a particular strength. The practical examples matter more than the label: adults extended conversations, brought earlier experiences into play and helped children attempt tasks that required greater control.

Flexible sessions and funded childcare form part of the offer. For parents, the central question is how that flexibility translates into an attendance pattern that works for their child and household.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: children practise developing skills through play, with activities planned around their interests and what they are ready to learn next. This is the shared early-years foundation. Here, the day combines activities chosen by children with play guided by adults, both inside and outdoors.

Observations inform planning. Practitioners assess children's development and use those observations to decide what comes next, rather than treating an activity as an end in itself. The distinction matters: enjoyment and a clear learning purpose should work together.

In May 2025, children squeezed and cut citrus fruit while making lemonade in the garden. Another activity involved using tweezers to collect small objects. Both examples show how familiar play can give children practice in controlling their hands and handling tools.

Conversation added another layer. In May 2025, a discussion about bees drew on flowers children had gathered the day before. Adults encouraged children to recall names and reuse vocabulary, linking one experience with another rather than leaving each activity isolated.

The improvement point was equally specific. In May 2025, staff did not consistently explain what planned activities were intended to teach, despite leaders having learning goals for different ages. Clearer connections between an activity and a child's next developmental step were needed. That is a useful distinction for families weighing the attractive activities against the thinking behind them.

Rooms and Outdoor Life

In May 2025, the nursery used two preschool rooms with different adaptations; one had resources better suited to children learning English as an additional language. Children's photographs and their own creations were displayed in the play spaces, giving them material they could recognise and talk about.

Outdoor play is encouraged daily. The Rise Park setting makes outdoor exploration part of its character, while Foundation Nurseries' group-wide Interactive Screen provision adds resources for interactive learning indoors. These indoor and outdoor experiences sit alongside the EYFS learning and care framework.

Relationships and Communication

A password-protected online platform connects nursery experiences with home. As part of Foundation Nurseries' group-wide approach, practitioners add images, video and written explanations of significant moments; parents can contribute experiences from home and respond to staff. This gives families something concrete to discuss with their child, beyond a brief account of whether the day went well.

In May 2025, home observations were also displayed for children to discuss. Staff knew individual interests and developmental next steps, and relationships were expressed through practical help: one child received support by holding an adult's hand while balancing on a ramp. Praise encouraged positive behaviour.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities included a sensory room for emotional regulation, additional funding directed towards individual needs and shared strategies with other caregivers. The important detail is the combination of a physical space and coordinated support, rather than the room alone.

Daily routines also offered opportunities for independence. In May 2025, children served themselves, cleared their plates and brushed their teeth after lunch. These were ordinary care tasks used as opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Food is cooked from scratch each day, and menus undergo a nutritionist's review; the nursery's dietary policy accommodates vegetarian, vegan and halal diets alongside specified allergy and intolerance requirements. Allergy-affected families should confirm current arrangements during a visit.

School transition involved contact as well as preparation. In May 2025, staff exchanged information with local schools and welcomed school visits, helping the next setting understand children before they moved on. This is transition work, with no admissions advantage implied.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Rise Park Pavillion, Beauly Way, Romford, RM1 4XH. Flexible sessions are offered for children aged two to five. The Rise Park visit calendar lets families choose a date and time, with confirmation to follow; enquiries can be made by telephone or email.

In May 2025, the nursery operated throughout the year, Monday to Friday, opening between 7am and 7pm. Those were opening hours, rather than the times of an individual booked session. Families considering the flexible model need an agreed pattern that fits their working day and their child's routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can access 15 and 30 hour funded childcare places. Eligibility remains a condition of the offer. Before committing, the useful document is a written quotation setting out the chosen attendance pattern and its charges, so the funded hours and the complete arrangement can be considered together.

• Purpose behind the play. The May 2025 improvement point concerned staff understanding of intended learning. During a visit, ask how an activity is selected for a child's next step and how staff assess what the child learns from it.
• Flexible attendance and the complete cost. Flexible sessions and funded places are offered. What session times, funding delivery pattern, meal charges and consumable arrangements would apply to your proposed booking? Request these together in the written quotation.
• Postcode for the Pavilion. The address uses RM1 4XH in the childcare record and RM1 4XJ in the nursery's contact details. Confirm the destination when arranging a visit.
• Dietary arrangements. The nursery accommodates specified dietary requirements and allergies. Families affected by allergies should discuss current food preparation and serving arrangements before booking.

Foundation Nurseries, Rise Park suits families seeking flexible sessions for children aged two to five, especially those who value outdoor play and a two-way link between home and nursery. The May 2025 examples give substance to that offer: practical hand skills, conversation linked to previous experiences and everyday opportunities for independence.

The balance is clear. There is a Good inspection judgement and concrete inclusion support, alongside a specific improvement point about the purpose of planned learning. A visit should explore that thinking as carefully as the activities themselves.