Nutkins Nursery 2, 398 Brentwood Road

Nutkins Nursery 2 is a term-time preschool at Gidea Park Methodist Church, 398 Brentwood Road, Romford, RM2 6DH. It has capacity for 32 children and currently covers ages two to five. Its strongest documented character comes from practical play, a garden used for much of the learning and secure relationships with practitioners.

Ofsted rated the setting Good in October 2021. This is an older inspection, so its observations describe practice at that date rather than the nursery today. Children were happy, settled quickly and confidently chose activities. It also recorded effective safeguarding and good progress for children with special educational needs and disabilities, children receiving extra funding and those speaking English as an additional language.

Families can choose an AM session, PM session or full day on weekdays. That gives a clear choice between three-hour sessions and a six-hour day within a term-time model.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the curriculum. In parent terms, this means practitioners use play, routines and conversation to develop communication, physical skills, relationships, early literacy and mathematics rather than teaching a school-style timetable.

In October 2021, the garden did real educational work. Children climbed and balanced for physical development, younger children made sandcastles from soil and cups, and older children turned found natural materials into ice creams and money for a pretend ice-cream shop. These examples combine movement, experimentation, language and imaginative play with resources children can reshape themselves.

Indoors, picture-matching games encouraged patient turn-taking, with older children helping younger peers. Children also developed independence by washing hands, using tissues and putting on coats. Older children persevered with scissors, while songs and movement helped younger children respond to rhythm and sound.

There was a weakness as well as these strengths. At times the environment became too noisy or group activities were disorganised, limiting gains in communication and attention. Leaders were asked to check whether their actions in this area were effective.

Secure relationships were central in October 2021. Children turned to practitioners for reassurance, involved adults in games and settled quickly when new. Praise and encouragement helped them keep trying and sustain attention. For a parent, that points to care routines and learning being handled by adults who knew the children well at the time.

Practitioners assessed development and identified extra help promptly. They worked with families and other professionals on individual plans, including specialised activities for speaking, listening and attention. Parents also reported progress in speech, mathematics and literacy, while the nursery shared ideas for learning at home during pandemic closures.

In October 2021, safeguarding arrangements were effective. Staff understood signs of abuse, wider risks and how to respond to concerns; risk assessments and suitability checks were also effective. Children learned about healthy choices through conversations about fruit at snack time and packed lunches.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery publishes AM, PM and full-day sessions, Monday to Friday. It operates in term time and closes for school holidays. Published 2026 and 2027 dates include half-term, Christmas, Easter and summer breaks, plus inset days, so working families should compare the calendar with their own leave and backup-care arrangements.

Funding and Paid Extras

In October 2021, the provider received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. Eligibility and the way funded hours fit a chosen AM, PM or full-day pattern need to be set out in the nursery's current written quotation. The group publishes separate food and non-food consumable charges, but its page does not assign branch-specific terms, so the current Nutkins Nursery 2 arrangement is an important part of the written quotation.

• Communication and attention. The 2021 inspection found that noise and disorganised group activity sometimes slowed learning. Ask how practitioners now organise group times and measure improvements in children's listening and communication.
• Term-time calendar. The weekday sessions stop for school holidays and published inset days. Compare the exact calendar with the cover your family needs outside term.
• Packed lunches and snacks. Children discussed healthy packed lunches and fruit at the 2021 inspection. Establish what families provide now and how dietary needs are managed for each booked session.

Nutkins Nursery 2 suits families seeking a compact, term-time preschool day with a genuine choice of morning, afternoon and full-day attendance. Its clearest strength is purposeful everyday play: garden materials became an ice-cream shop, soil and cups prompted experimentation, and picture games supported cooperation across ages.

The October 2021 Good judgement provides a positive, if dated, quality anchor. The decisive question is how today's team manages noise, group organisation and communication work, the exact area identified for improvement in 2021. Families comfortable with school-holiday closures should find the published session model unusually easy to understand.