Rising Stars Romford

Three large gardens and an open-plan setting give Rising Stars Romford a clear physical character. Based at St Cedd Hall in Romford, it takes children from three months to five years and has 62 places in total. The offer spans babies finding their feet through to children preparing for school, with age-specific rooms and a sensory room adding smaller-scale experiences to the shared environment.

At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, while identifying two improvements for younger children: more consistent responses to frustration and activities better matched to their stage of development. Those points matter alongside the grade. They concern the everyday experience of children who are still learning to communicate their needs.

Full-day and half-session bookings sit alongside hourly charging, while funded attendance can be term-time or stretched. For families, the useful combination is physical space, a gradual settling process and several ways of arranging attendance. The charge structure deserves equal attention: food and a care package are charged separately.

Rooms and Ages

Apple Room, for babies aged three months to one year, combines exploration of sounds, colours and patterns with attention to familiar home routines. Pear Room, for children aged one to two, encourages early speech and self-feeding as growing mobility opens up more opportunities to explore.

Plum Room, for two- to three-year-olds, emphasises friendships and increasing independence, including the beginnings of toilet training. Cherry Room, for children aged three to four, brings preschool activities together with personal hygiene and relationships with other children. Orange Room, for four- to five-year-olds, develops learning through questions, conversation, observation and play, with children building on what they already understand.

These are developmental stages rather than a promise that every child will progress in the same way. The practical thread is continuity: the key person helps a child and their family establish a relationship with the next key person when moving between rooms. A room change therefore includes a handover of relationships as well as activities.

Learning and Activities

EYFS is the statutory framework for early learning and care, with children developing through play, exploration and activity. Here, planning begins with communication, physical development and emotional and social learning, then extends into mathematics, literacy, creative work and understanding the world. The framework sets the foundation; the particular resources and experiences give the day its shape.

A sensory room provides opportunities to investigate touch, sound, sights and mechanisms. Babies also explore treasure baskets containing natural materials with different textures, while quieter areas support books, songs and rhymes. These give children different ways to engage: hands-on investigation has a place alongside conversation and shared stories.

In November 2021, toddlers explored sand and water, and older children used pretend tea-making to act out familiar experiences. Outdoor insect searches involved matching discoveries with cards and making marks with pencils. These examples connect play with early mathematical ideas, language and observation, rather than treating learning as a separate seated exercise.

Outdoor and Community Life

Covered decking makes outdoor play possible in different weather, and the second garden provides space for running. Preschool children have free access to the outdoor area; younger children go outside twice daily. Resources include tyres, mud, bark, spades and materials for building dens, giving movement and investigation room to develop together.

Super Stars Sports supplies a sports teacher for preschool children. Weekly sports sessions are part of the separately charged additional-services offer, which also includes Summer fete and Graduation events. These extras sit alongside the nursery day, with voluntary costs distinguished from funded childcare.

Regular community outings take children to everyday destinations such as libraries, supermarkets, the post office and the shopping centre. There is no need for an elaborate destination to make a useful experience: familiar places provide opportunities to notice how the surrounding community works. Outings require parental permission, and children do not join them until they have settled.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is planned around the individual child. Introductory sessions last approximately one to two hours and are free over a week, with the arrangement adjusted for age, development and individual needs. Parents can stay for the first session, then separation builds gradually. This gives the nursery time to learn about the child before expecting a full booked day.

A key person is allocated before attendance, with a backup colleague also assigned. The allocation can be reconsidered if a child forms a stronger bond with someone else. Discussions cover sleep, preferred foods, routines and likes and dislikes, so familiar care habits can inform the transition from home.

Tapestry is the online system used to store observations and assessments of children's development. Daily updates also come through diaries, feedback sheets or conversation, depending on age, and regular parent meetings provide time to discuss progress. The value is a continuing exchange: parents contribute information about development at home, helping staff plan the next steps.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCO coordinates support, records and parental involvement, while the key person normally delivers the child's individual programme. Support follows a cycle of assessing needs, agreeing interventions, putting them into practice and reviewing their effect with parents and relevant professionals. Where necessary, that process can lead to more specialist advice or a request for an education, health and care needs assessment.

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff working with other professionals to support children with SEND. These are dated findings. Current arrangements include a safeguarding lead with cover when that person is absent, and parents receive access to the safeguarding policy before attendance and after updates.

Behaviour procedures use discussion, redirection and recognition of positive actions, with responses adjusted to the child's age and understanding. Parents are told when their child has upset someone or has been upset themselves. For recurring difficulties, observations and discussions with the family inform an individual plan, making the response more specific than a general reminder to behave.

Children who sleep have individually labelled mats and their own bedding, with preferences such as a comforter recorded. The nursery chef prepares food fresh each day, using seasonal menus on a four-week cycle. Its allergy policy provides for an individual risk assessment and agreed care plan for severe allergies, and excludes nuts and nut products from nursery food.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Cedd Hall, Sims Close, Romford RM1 3QT. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Bookings are charged by day, half session or hour, and funded attendance includes term-time-only sessions and a stretched offer. Funded use is capped at 10 hours in a day, so the opening window and the funded daily allowance are different considerations.

Enquiries can be made on 01708 756 714 or by email at risingsromford@yahoo.com. Booked sessions remain chargeable during sickness or holidays. One month's written notice is required to cancel a place or reduce attendance, making the booking commitment relevant even when a family's working arrangements change.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible under-twos, two-year-olds and three- and four-year-olds. The offer includes up to 15 hours weekly and 30 hours for eligible working families, including children over nine months from the following term. Additional private hours are charged separately; eligibility depends on the relevant criteria.

Food and snacks carry a separate charge. The care package, covering wipes, nappies, nappy creams and sun cream, is also charged separately, while parents supply formula or breast milk for babies. These costs should be considered alongside attendance, including funded hours, rather than assumed to be covered by the entitlement.

Weekly sports, Summer fete and Graduation are included in the additional-services charge, which is identified as voluntary; impromptu trips and activities have costs that parents can choose whether to pay. Non-funded children have a registration charge and deposit, with the deposit returned after the required written notice; children accessing funded hours have neither charge. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen arrangement and use the fees and charging policy to understand its components.

Preparation for school includes working with families on toileting and encouraging children to manage shoes, coats and eating, and to request help. Staff contact local schools about the skills expected at Reception. This is preparation for the next stage of daily life.

• Younger children's experience. November 2021 improvement points concerned responses to frustration and the suitability of activities. During a visit, ask how practitioners adapt activities and respond when a baby or toddler becomes overwhelmed.
• Funded attendance and extras. Term-time and stretched arrangements are offered, with a daily funded-hours cap and separate food and care-package charges. Compare the written breakdown for the attendance pattern your family needs, including the voluntary services.
• Allergy arrangements. Severe allergies involve an individual assessment and care plan, while the nursery's policy excludes nuts from its food. Confirm current practice and how your child's specific needs would be managed.
• Shared space and room groups. The open-plan environment sits alongside named age-based rooms and three gardens. On a visit, ask how many babies usually share Apple Room and how quieter activities and sleep fit around the wider day.

Rising Stars Romford suits families seeking either full-day or half-session attendance, including those considering term-time or stretched funded childcare. Its gardens, sensory resources and planned settling process give the offer substance, while Tapestry and individual support procedures provide practical routes for communication.

The Good judgement dates to November 2021, and the improvement points for younger children should inform a visit rather than disappear behind the grade. For a family whose attendance pattern and support needs fit, the strongest reasons to consider it are the outdoor space, continuity through key-person relationships and an emphasis on growing independence. The separate charges need to fit the family budget too.