The Learning Tree Nursery School

Living walls, garden water play and a shared dining space give The Learning Tree Nursery School a recognisable character: nature indoors, active play outside and meals eaten together. This Romford setting combines a purpose-built building with quieter areas for children who need a pause from activity. The physical arrangement matters as much as the activity list.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that the SENCO's work with families and outside agencies supported individual educational plans and good progress. Those judgements belong to that visit. The nursery accepts children aged 2 to 60 months and has 118 places in total; that whole-setting figure is not a room size.

Year-round full days are complemented by an Early birds option before the main day begins.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday routines build communication, physical skills and independence. At The Learning Tree, the current environment gives children opportunities to move between indoor activities and outdoor play, with natural materials and spaces intended for exploration and sociability.

In June 2023, babies heard songs during nappy changes, while stories and singing supported language learning more broadly. Play dough gave younger children opportunities to practise hand movements; sand and painting offered older children different ways to manipulate materials. Outdoors, balancing, climbing equipment and water trays brought movement into the day. These are useful examples of how learning can happen through ordinary play rather than a succession of formal tasks.

The June 2023 inspection also identified two improvements: staff needed to leave children more time to investigate materials and express their ideas, and to respond more consistently to children's hygiene needs. The first concern matters for the quality of adult involvement: access to resources alone does not give children enough opportunity to think, experiment and explain.

Outdoor and Community Life

Living walls bring planting into the building, while the garden provides sand and water play that children can share. Indoor and outdoor movement is part of the layout, rather than outdoor activity being confined to a separate description of the nursery day. Quiet, reflective spaces offer another kind of experience alongside that sociable play.

Cookery sessions involve handling ingredients and learning about their origins, including opportunities to explore growing food. Yoga and community trips also sit within the additional activity offer. Forest School and Eco-schools are named additions within the nursery's charged enrichment provision; the precise activities within those programmes are a useful subject for a visit discussion.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2023, parents could remain with their children while they settled into their learning rooms. Children formed close relationships with practitioners, and key persons passed on information about daily experiences. Regular parent events offered ideas for continuing learning at home. Together, these arrangements gave families contact around both care routines and children's learning, rather than relying solely on a formal meeting.

The current building includes spaces for quieter activity as well as sociable play. For a child who finds a busy room tiring, the practical value is the opportunity to step back while remaining within the nursery environment.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In June 2023, additional funding paid for sensory resources matched to individual learning needs. The SENCO worked with parents and external professionals on children's educational plans. This is a concrete mechanism for support, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

Babies and younger children had a calm place to nap in June 2023, with sleep following their needs and waking occurring naturally. The hygiene concern was more specific: practitioners sometimes delayed helping younger children deal with runny noses or encouraging them to do so independently. Routine care deserves the same attention as planned activities.

An on-site chef prepares meals, using locally sourced ingredients where possible, and menus accommodate dietary requirements. Children eat together in the central dining space, making food part of the shared nursery day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2A Carlisle Road, Romford, Essex, RM1 2QP. Full Days run from 8am to 6pm; Early birds covers 7am to 8am before that session. These serve different starting times, with the early option adding care before the main day.

Attendance is year-round, and this branch does not offer term-time-only places. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks. Closures include Christmas week and two staff training days, with bank holidays and planned closure days accounted for in the fee structure. An enquiry form provides the first contact route.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children aged 9 months and above can access the 15 Hours and 30 Hours funding offer. The stretched arrangement provides up to 11.18 or 22.35 funded hours per week respectively, with up to 10 funded hours used in a day. Families starting funding for the first time in the summer term have a different initial stretched arrangement.

Private fees include meals and snacks, milk and infant formula, alongside nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream. Funded sessions carry separate food and consumables charges, plus an activity charge for children over two; families can discuss alternatives under the Meals from Home Policy and Parent-Provided Health and Hygiene Consumables Policy. The food and consumables distinction matters when comparing a funded booking with a private session.

A non-refundable registration charge applies except for funded-only places, and the deposit is credited against the first invoice. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding calculator also gives an estimate reflecting the selected booking and funding pattern.

• Time to explore. The June 2023 improvement concerned adults allowing enough thinking and experimentation during play. At a visit, ask how practitioners now balance group activity with time for children's own ideas.
• Everyday hygiene. Delayed help with runny noses was a June 2023 concern. Ask how self-care routines and prompt practical support work for younger children now.
• Year-round commitment. Term-time-only places are not offered, and funded attendance is stretched. This suits a continuing weekly arrangement better than a booking confined to school terms.
• Activities and dietary needs. Forest School and Eco-schools form part of the additional offer. Discuss what children do within them, the charged alternatives and, where relevant, current arrangements for your child's dietary requirements.

The Learning Tree suits families seeking year-round full days, including those needing the earlier Early birds start. Its strongest current practical features are the connection between indoor and outdoor play, quieter spaces and a central place for shared meals. The June 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific concerns about exploration time and hygiene routines. Those details make the visit conversation concrete: how adults support children's ideas and ordinary care matters as much as the building.