Playdays Preschool, St James, Collier Row

A large hall and an equally generous garden give this term-time preschool its character. Playdays Preschool at St James Family Church serves children aged two to five. Ofsted rated it Good in April 2025, with safeguarding judged effective.

Warm relationships, positive behaviour and children keen to learn were clear strengths. The strongest details are practical ones: children could choose their play across the hall, explore grass, flowers, mud and trees outside, and build together with large bricks. Independence started with children hanging up their own coats and bags, then continued as they selected activities and negotiated shared construction play.

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes the curriculum, meaning that play and adult-guided experiences build communication, physical development, personal and social development, literacy, mathematics, understanding of the world and expressive arts. At the April 2025 visit, staff planned activities across the hall's areas of learning while children moved freely and made choices about their play.

Communication runs through the day. Staff used visual cards and sign language to help children share ideas, while group reading included conversations about the weather, days of the week and expectations for caring behaviour. Creative work included drawing flowers to develop imagination, fine-motor control and hand-eye coordination. Pretend play in the home area gave small groups practice in sharing and taking turns. These are ordinary materials used purposefully: conversation, cooperation and physical control are built into play rather than separated into formal lessons.

Outside, children investigated natural textures, asked questions about trees, ran in different directions and negotiated how to stack large bricks. The garden therefore does more than provide a change of scene. It gives children scope for energetic movement, sensory investigation and sustained talk about what they notice.

Relationships were a clear strength in April 2025. Staff knew children's developmental starting points, built confidence through caring interactions and encouraged independence with coats and bags. Parents received daily updates and messages, while educational activity bags helped them continue learning at home. That creates two useful channels: brief information about the day and a concrete activity that a child can revisit with family. It also gives parents a practical starting point for talking about progress.

Children needing additional support had tailored learning plans, with families involved in decisions and staff working with other professionals from the outset. Additional funding was used for resources intended to support children's development. This combination of tailored planning, specialist liaison and family involvement matters because support can follow a child's individual starting point rather than relying on one standard response.

The staff team also worked cooperatively, attended training, and used meetings and supervision to develop practice. In April 2025, five staff worked directly with children and four held relevant level 3 early-years qualifications. Those figures are a dated snapshot, not a promise of current deployment, but they help explain the professional context behind the observed teamwork.

The preschool is based at St James Family Church, 173 Chase Cross Road, Collier Row, Romford RM5 3YR. In April 2025 it operated a term-time day from 8.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. Families needing care through school holidays or later afternoons will need another arrangement.

• Depth of adult interaction. Ofsted asked the provider to help staff make better use of conversations and play to extend children's interests and skills. The issue was consistency, not a lack of engagement: staff knew children's development and supported communication, but did not always add enough challenge. Ask what coaching and observation now show about this improvement point.
• Session pattern. The documented term-time day ends in mid-afternoon. Families should check that the current timetable fits their working day and whether the shorter attendance pattern matches the hours they need.

Playdays Preschool suits families looking for a term-time preschool day or a shorter half-day pattern in Collier Row. Its spacious hall, substantial garden and practical communication support give children room to choose, talk and move. Take-home activity bags extend that connection into family life, while tailored plans and professional liaison give a concrete shape to inclusion. The April 2025 findings describe a caring team and effective inclusion, balanced by a clear next step: staff interactions should challenge children more consistently and take their interests further.