Mary Poppins Day Nursery

Messy rooms, garden access and weekly Spanish lessons give Mary Poppins Day Nursery a practical, play-led character. This purpose-built Romford setting takes children from birth to five. Its physical layout gives toddlers and preschool children space to move between different kinds of play, rather than keeping every activity in one room.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 5 October 2022. That is a dated judgement, and the detail matters: the strengths included relationships and adaptable learning activities, while the improvement priorities concerned stretching children's learning and involving parents more fully.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings provide different ways to use the nursery. The combination of younger children's rooms and school-age childcare on the same premises also makes this a setting with provision beyond the preschool years.

Rooms and Ages

Three main rooms organise the nursery day: Baby Room, Toddler Room and Pre-School Room, with allocation taking account of both development and age. That makes the room structure more useful than an age label alone: children move into an environment suited to what they can do.

Baby Room has its own changing room and toys and equipment for early play; Toddler Room combines a separate messy room with garden access, child-sized washing facilities and toilets, alongside provision for children still learning to use the potty.

Pre-School Room brings together designated learning areas, a separate messy room and a garden reached from the main room, with toilets nearby to support independence.

The all-weather garden adds another usable play space. For older nursery children, the connection between indoor rooms and the garden gives outdoor activity a place in the ordinary day, rather than making it a separate destination.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: play supports learning while everyday routines help children practise independence and social skills. Alongside that foundation, preschool children have Spanish lessons each week, and children across the nursery take part in weekly dance and music sessions with a regular music teacher. These are recurring additions to the room-based day.

In October 2022, a house-building activity linked toy bricks with discussion of children's own homes and mathematical ideas. Staff used the construction itself to introduce adding more bricks. The value of that example is its connection between something a child has chosen to do and a further idea to explore.

There was a limit to this approach in October 2022: staff did not consistently take learning far enough, and coaching needed to help them add greater challenge. For parents, the useful distinction is between providing an appealing activity and knowing how to extend it for a child who is ready for more.

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described SEND support that drew on specialist guidance and work with families. Those findings support the dated assessment of care, rather than providing a present-day guarantee.

A designated SENco remains part of the nursery's support arrangements. The staff training programme includes paediatric first aid, baby signing and food hygiene, giving families concrete areas of preparation to weigh alongside the room layout and learning offer.

In October 2022, key persons worked with families to help new children settle. Communication included detailed session handovers and an online system for parents. These were useful ways to pass on information, but involvement was narrower than communication: established parents had fewer opportunities to participate inside the nursery after pandemic restrictions ended. Increasing their involvement was an improvement priority.

Everyday self-care also featured in October 2022. Children practised washing their hands, wiping their noses and cleaning toy teeth with toothpaste. These small tasks connect care with learning: a nursery day includes practising how to look after oneself as well as joining activities.

Food is cooked on site by a dedicated cook, with much prepared from scratch and a menu rotating over four weeks; the nursery's dietary policy invites families to explain allergies and individual requirements so these can be catered for. Drinks and meals for booked sessions are included in the fee.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 162 Crow Lane, Romford, RM7 0ES. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and the Christmas to New Year period. Those closures matter for families arranging cover around work.

For children under three, the booking choices are Full Day from 8am to 6pm, Morning from 8am to 1pm and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. The shorter sessions give families a morning or afternoon option alongside the full day. Older children's fees are handled by telephone enquiry; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Kool kids is the breakfast, after-school and holiday club for school-age children, using the same premises. Breakfast Club runs from 8am to 9am on weekdays, with breakfast and time to play before children are taken to school; after-school care includes collection, a snack and indoor or outdoor activities, ending at 6pm. Breakfast and after-school provision serves children aged five to eleven, separate from the nursery's birth-to-five provision.

Telephone enquiries can be made on 01708 722800, and there is an online contact form. This provides a direct route for arranging the practical details of joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Education Funding is offered for children aged two, three and four, covering up to 15 hours a week during school academic terms. This is a term-time entitlement arrangement, distinct from the nursery's opening across the year; it should not be read as a promise of eligibility or a particular booking pattern.

Fees are paid monthly in advance, falling due on the first of the month. Absence for a holiday or illness still attracts the booked fee. Families should therefore budget around their booked pattern rather than only the days their child attends.

Written notice is required, with the notice period running between the first days of successive months. Notice given partway through a month starts from the first of the following month. Late collection after 6pm also attracts a charge. The fees page sets out these terms.

• Extending learning. In October 2022, staff coaching needed to improve the challenge within activities. During a visit, ask how an activity is adapted when a child finds it easy and what support practitioners receive to do this well.
• Parent participation. October 2022 communication included handovers and online updates, but opportunities for established parents to join nursery life needed development. Ask what participation looks like now beyond receiving information.
• Funded-session costs. Funding follows school terms, while the nursery operates across the year. Ask for a written breakdown of funded and private hours, including the position on meals and non-food consumables for the proposed booking.
• Dietary requirements. On-site cooking and a policy of accommodating individual requirements are useful starting points. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and how their child's requirements reach everyone involved in serving food.

Mary Poppins suits families who want a choice between morning, afternoon and full-day nursery care, with weekly language, music and dance sessions alongside play in rooms linked to messy spaces and the garden. School-age childcare on the same premises broadens its practical appeal for families with older children.

The October 2022 Good judgement gives the assessment a clear reference point. The decision should also take account of its two improvement priorities: sufficient challenge for children and fuller parental participation. Families looking for active involvement will want those answers to be as concrete as the nursery's room layout and session choices.