Playdays Preschool 5, Warren Hall

Practical independence gives Warren Hall its clearest character: in June 2023, children poured drinks, cleared their snack bowls and explored how tools work through construction play. These were small tasks with a useful purpose, giving children opportunities to do things for themselves rather than leaving everything to adults.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Playdays Preschool 5, Warren Hall Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. The main improvement point concerned how consistently adults reinforced expectations, including the rules of games and walking indoors.

The preschool has 38 places in total and accepts children aged 18 to 60 months, at 4 Mirfield Close, Romford, RM3 8RW. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions provide different ways to fit preschool into a family's week.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning and care, with play providing opportunities to develop language, understanding and practical skills. In June 2023, construction activities made that connection tangible: children explored tools and explained how they would use them when building with bricks. This gave their play a purpose beyond simply assembling a tower.

Mathematics also grew out of what children were doing. In June 2023, staff introduced a tape measure into tower-building, inviting children to identify numbers; simpler comparisons of size gave another way into the activity. The practical implication is clear: an activity could be adapted so that children approached the same idea at different levels.

Language work had a similarly concrete starting point. In June 2023, a bucket game involved identifying objects and responding to instructions to start or stop. Adults allowed time for answers and modelled pronunciation by repeating what children said. The game brought naming, listening and taking turns together in one activity.

Pretend play extended familiar household experiences. During June 2023, children pegged washing onto a line and talked about ironing it, while pretend pizza-making prompted explanations about flavours. These familiar routines gave children something to discuss and recreate through imaginative play.

Outdoor and Physical Play

A climbing frame featured in June 2023 activities, with adults initially helping children climb and then stepping back as they became ready to attempt it independently. That balance matters: help supported the immediate task, while the opportunity to try alone gave children responsibility for their next attempt.

In June 2023, independence was built into snack routines: children washed their hands, chose cereal, poured drinks and cleared up afterwards. Care and learning met in ordinary moments. Children were practising tasks they could recognise and repeat beyond preschool.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children made good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and highlighted the SENCo's targeted activities and collaboration with families and other professionals. Support started with what a child already knew and worked towards the next stage of learning. This is a more useful picture of inclusion than a general promise of individual attention.

Communication with families also formed part of the June 2023 picture: parents received information about children's development and changes at preschool. For families, that connection helps link the child's experiences at home with what happens during their sessions.

Emotional learning was practical too. In June 2023, children made happy and sad faces from play dough, while photographs helped them discuss expectations. However, adults did not reinforce those expectations consistently on every occasion. The improvement point sits alongside the examples of independence and participation, rather than being lost beneath the overall grade.

Sessions and Attendance

The morning session runs from 9am to noon, the afternoon from noon to 3pm, and the full day from 9am to 3pm. These are separate attendance patterns: families can weigh a shorter morning or afternoon against a day spanning both.

Attendance is term-time, Monday to Friday, with closure during school holidays. The calendar therefore matters as much as the daily finishing time for families organising care around work. A 3pm finish also needs to fit the rest of the afternoon's arrangements.

Address and Funding

The address is 4 Mirfield Close, Romford, RM3 8RW. Warren Hall is the named setting, so families arranging a visit should use the decision point below to establish the precise meeting details.

In June 2023, the preschool offered early years funding for children aged two, three and four. That describes the offer at that time; the funding and charge arrangements for a prospective booking belong in the family's written quotation.

• Term-time attendance. Sessions finish at 3pm and the preschool closes during school holidays. Consider how both fit your working week and holiday arrangements.
• Consistent expectations. The June 2023 improvement point concerned adults reinforcing boundaries during games and indoor movement. During a visit, ask how staff now handle those situations consistently.
• Warren Hall visit and quotation. For a morning, afternoon or full-day booking, ask for the precise visit meeting point and a written quotation covering funded hours, snacks and non-food consumables. This gives the discussion a concrete attendance pattern to work from.

Warren Hall suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon preschool, as well as those wanting a full day ending at 3pm. Its June 2023 examples give a clear picture of practical play: construction, household role play and children taking responsibility for snack routines. The consistency of adult expectations remains the most useful point to explore during a visit. The overall appeal is a preschool day built around doing, talking and trying things independently.