Lawns Pre-school

Nature is the thread running through Lawns Pre-school, from its garden and outdoor learning area to the way practitioners turned children's interest in bugs into stories, songs, movement and art. This is sessional care for children from two until school age at Havering Road Methodist Church Hall in Rise Park, Romford.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Good in May 2024, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Children were confident and relaxed, with warm relationships between staff, families and children providing a secure base for learning. Full and half sessions are offered during term time.

Lawns follows the Early Years Foundation Stage. In practical terms, practitioners build communication, physical, social and early academic learning through play and children's interests, rather than treating each area as a separate lesson. The pre-school's own emphasis is summed up as Nurturing Though Nature, supported by a dedicated outdoor area and hands-on learning.

The May 2024 inspection gives the clearest example. An interest in finding bugs in the garden grew into insect stories and songs, caterpillar movements, and butterfly and snail collages. That sequence stretched vocabulary, imagination and physical expression from one subject children had chosen themselves. Practitioners also extended play with magnetic tiles by challenging children to make tall towers and garages for toy cars, turning free exploration into purposeful problem-solving.

Speaking and listening had a strong place in the curriculum. Staff identified children who needed more help with language, reinforced communication across activities and used targeted small-group work. This helped children become more confident communicators, while additional funding was used to provide targeted learning support where needed.

Local outings and multicultural celebrations widened children's experience beyond the hall. Activities reflected the cultures and backgrounds of children attending, helping them understand both shared ground and difference.

Relationships are a clear strength. Practitioners knew children well, worked positively with parents and gave families detailed feedback about their children's experiences. Children learned kindness, sharing and cooperative play through staff example and praise. Parents told inspectors that the attentive care helped their children feel safe and happy, and that progress was especially visible in language and social skills.

Support for children with special educational needs and disabilities was woven into progress monitoring and targeted teaching. This approach helped all children make good progress. Safeguarding arrangements were effective in May 2024 and embedded in the setting's day-to-day practice.

Health learning included oral hygiene, with children supervised while brushing their teeth after snack. The curriculum needed to help children understand healthy food choices more consistently. A second improvement point concerned clearer, more consistent guidance for behaviour during group activities, especially circle time, so every child knows what is expected.

Sessions and Attendance

Lawns is a term-time pre-school offering full and half sessions. The weekly pattern runs Monday to Friday, with Friday as the shorter day. Families should distinguish opening hours from the precise full- and half-session booking times when discussing a place.

The setting welcomes children from age two up to school age. It publishes participation in the funded offer for eligible two-year-olds, funded early education for three- and four-year-olds, and the extended 30-hour entitlement. Eligibility and the way funded hours fit a chosen attendance pattern depend on each family's circumstances, so the provider's written quotation and offer should set out the current arrangement.

Getting There

The pre-school operates from Havering Road Methodist Church Hall, Moray Way, Rise Park, Romford RM1 4YD, opposite the Co-op in Rise Park. Its published contact route is by telephone, email or the website enquiry form.

• Group-time guidance. The May 2024 inspection found that expectations were not always explained clearly during activities such as circle time. Families may want to ask how the revised approach now helps children understand routines and participate without interrupting others.
• Healthy choices. Toothbrushing after snack was established, but inspectors wanted more teaching about why healthy food choices matter. Ask how that curriculum point has developed and what children now experience around food.
• Session fit. Full and half sessions are available within a short term-time day, with Friday closing at noon. Confirm the exact session boundaries and how a preferred pattern fits the week's differing opening windows.

Lawns Pre-school is a good fit for families seeking term-time, sessional care from age two, whether they need full sessions or a half-day pattern. Its strongest quality is responsive teaching: bugs in the garden and magnetic-tile play become richer routes into language, movement, creativity and problem-solving. The Good rating, effective safeguarding and strong family relationships carry real weight. Parents should balance those strengths against the two focused improvement points on group-time expectations and healthy-food learning, and check that the shorter daily window suits their working pattern.