Mary Poppins Day Nursery

Purpose-built rooms, an all-weather garden and a programme that includes weekly Spanish for preschool children give Mary Poppins Day Nursery a clear identity. This independent Romford setting at 162 Crow Lane takes children from birth to five and has capacity for 44 children.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its October 2022 inspection. The strongest evidence was practical: children trusted familiar adults, concentrated for sustained periods in chosen activities and benefited from carefully coordinated support for special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders were also asked to sharpen coaching so that staff extend learning further, and to create more opportunities for parents to participate.

Rooms and Ages

Three main play rooms divide the setting into Baby, Toddler and Pre-School groups, with allocation based on age and ability. The Baby Room has its own changing room and stimulating equipment. Toddlers gain a separate messy room, child-sized toilets and basins, changing facilities and free-flow garden access. Preschool children use designated learning areas, a larger messy room and an adjoining garden they can choose daily.

That arrangement gives each stage a recognisable base rather than putting the whole birth-to-five age range into one undifferentiated space. Room placement depends on age and ability.

Learning and Named Experiences

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play across communication, physical, personal and early academic development. Here, named additions make that broad framework more tangible: preschool children have weekly Spanish, while weekly music and dance sessions are provided across the nursery.

In October 2022, inspectors saw staff weave early mathematics into construction play. They also found that children independently selected resources and became absorbed in play. However, staff did not always add enough challenge to take learning to the highest level, which explains the coaching recommendation.

Outdoor and Community Life

The purpose-built setting publishes an all-weather garden alongside its large playrooms and messy rooms. Toddler and preschool spaces connect directly to the garden, making outdoor choice part of the room design rather than a wholly separate activity. In October 2022, children had plentiful opportunities to be active outside.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2022, attentive staff helped children settle and the manager and key persons worked with families when children were new. Parents received detailed handovers after sessions, backed by information on an online system. Those are useful foundations for continuity between home and nursery.

In October 2022, there was a limitation: after pandemic restrictions eased, only new parents were coming inside for settling sessions, and leaders had not yet rebuilt fuller opportunities for all parents to join in with learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The nursery publishes a designated SENCO role. In October 2022, support for children with SEND connected family input, specialist advice and onward referrals, with ambitious goals for each child. That points to a coordinated approach rather than support being confined to the room team.

Food is prepared on site by a dedicated cook, with most dishes made from scratch. The nursery describes a four-week menu rotation, fruit or a sweet pudding at lunch and tea, self-serve drinking stations for older children, and adaptation for allergies and dietary requirements. Meals and drinks are included for booked sessions.

Sessions and Attendance

Published nursery sessions are a full day from 8am to 6pm, a morning from 8am to 1pm and an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The input records weekday opening throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas to New Year.

The nursery also operates school-age breakfast and after-school care under its Kool Kids offer. That is a separate wraparound service for ages five to eleven, not evidence that the early-years rooms run as an out-of-school club.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery publishes participation in Early Education Funding for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds during school academic terms. Provider-specific terms determine eligibility, attendance patterns and charges.

Fees are collected monthly in advance, and the published terms say booked meals and drinks are included. Written notice runs from the first of a month to the first of the next; notice given mid-month begins from the following first.

Getting There

Mary Poppins Day Nursery is at 162 Crow Lane, Romford, Essex RM7 0ES.

• Room transitions. The setting names Baby, Toddler and Pre-School rooms but publishes no age boundaries or group-size caps. Ask which room your child would join, how moves are timed and how many children are usually present on the days required.
• Learning challenge. Leaders were asked in October 2022 to strengthen coaching so staff could challenge children more consistently. Current teaching observations and staff support merit discussion.
• Parent participation. Detailed handovers and an online system were established in October 2022, but wider parental involvement was a development point. Discuss current opportunities beyond settling-in and end-of-session updates.
• Funded-hours costs. Funding is offered during academic terms and meals are included for booked sessions. Request a written breakdown for the exact funded pattern under consideration.

Mary Poppins suits families seeking a small, purpose-built nursery with distinct age-stage rooms, direct garden access and named weekly experiences beyond everyday play. Its full-day, morning and afternoon patterns offer useful choice, while on-site cooking makes the daily practical offer easier to understand.

The 2022 findings were positive overall, while challenge in learning and parent participation were development points. Room numbers and funded-hours terms remain practical decision factors.