Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery, Romford

A detached house, a garden with a Bug Hotel and Spanish through songs and movement give Truly Scrumptious Early Years Nursery, Romford a recognisable character. This is a family-run setting on Pettits Lane, with provision for children from 3 months to 5 years. Its appeal lies in the combination of domestic surroundings, varied play spaces and a care model built around familiar adults.

At its 22 February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with SEND and those receiving additional funding made good progress. The practical detail behind that judgement matters: children explored stories with props, babies investigated textures, and staff worked with families on individual support plans.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings accommodate different family routines.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room has a Baby Reading Corner and Baby Role Play Area, giving its youngest children spaces for books and imitation alongside their care routines. Areas for two-year-olds include construction, music and listening, reading, role play and small-world play, so toddlers can move between different kinds of exploration. Pre-School has an art area, Curiosity Corner and Snack Bar, combining opportunities for creative work, investigation and everyday independence.

A Physical Development Room provides another space for physical play alongside the garden.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the common framework for learning and care: children learn through play, while staff observe their development and plan their next steps. Activities respond to children's interests rather than following one identical route for everyone. Developmental observations are recorded digitally, connecting what practitioners see during play with the next experiences they plan.

Spanish lessons through the group-wide Speak Like A Native programme add language exposure for babies, toddlers and preschool children. Songs, stories, imaginative play and movement introduce another language through participation. The emphasis is on doing and joining in.

In February 2024, toddlers' interest in vehicles led to play with ramps and bridges, bringing counting and words about position into an activity they already enjoyed. Story sessions used puppets and expressive voices, with children encouraged to anticipate what came next. Another activity involved choosing materials to build a house connected to a story about three little pigs. These examples show how conversation, early mathematics and problem-solving can grow from familiar play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden includes an Outdoor Construction Area, Mud Kitchen and Lookout Fort. A Bug Hotel, Rabbit Hutch and Pet Rabbits add living things to the setting's surroundings. This mix gives outdoor time a different character from indoor play, with spaces for construction, pretend activity and observation rather than one undifferentiated play area.

In February 2024, children regularly used the garden, while younger children explored foam, sand and bubbles. The balance between movement and sensory investigation is relevant across the age range: a baby's exploration of texture and an older child's building activity offer different ways to engage with materials.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Person Approach assigns a familiar practitioner particular responsibility for a child, with the relationship shaped by bonds formed during settling. That adult usually handles comforting, feeding, nappy changing and settling to sleep. Familiarity therefore extends into intimate care, rather than being confined to planned activities.

A buddy system provides familiar cover when the key person is away. When a practitioner leaves or changes rooms, gradual handovers include information sharing and parent involvement.

Settling can be adjusted to the child. Parents may remain for longer, return earlier or build up time apart gradually; a favourite toy or blanket can come from home. Each child has a coat peg and photograph, providing a small, concrete point of familiarity. The All About Me profile brings parents and the key person together to share information from the outset.

Famly App updates include photographs and daily information, alongside conversation at collection. The digital learning journey records observations and development, so communication covers both the day's experiences and learning over time. In February 2024, staff also gathered words from children's home languages from parents and used them to support communication.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Romford's SEND coordinators work with parents and external professionals on individual plans and adaptations. Assess, Plan, Do, Review structures the support and its reassessment; One Planning documents record needs and support.

Behaviour guidance centres on calm intervention, naming feelings and helping children understand the effect of their actions. Younger children can be redirected towards another activity, while persistent difficulties lead to work with parents and, where appropriate, outside support. The policy rules out shouting, physical punishment and withholding food.

The Romford team has paediatric first aid training. Baby food is prepared from scratch in the nursery kitchen, and the food policy uses individual allergy care plans and red plates or cups to identify dietary requirements. These are arrangements to discuss alongside a child's own needs, rather than a substitute for an individual care conversation.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 63 Pettits Lane, Romford, RM1 4HA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm; Morning Session is 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon Session is 1pm to 6.30pm. Half Day bookings cover either the morning or afternoon window.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks, with Christmas and bank holiday closures that remain chargeable. Fees are paid monthly in advance, and sickness or family holidays do not generate a reduction. That makes the contract's attendance and payment terms relevant even for families whose weekly routine is predictable.

Enquiries can be made through the Romford contact form or by telephone on 01708 766802. The nursery is on a main bus route. In February 2024, learning experiences supported independence and preparation for school; attendance here does not guarantee a primary school place, and families must follow the relevant school admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded provision includes universal funding for three- and four-year-olds, eligible two-year-old funding and working-parent funding from 9 months. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks: the 15-hour entitlement becomes 11 funded hours weekly, and the 30-hour entitlement becomes 22. Eligibility checks and parental declarations form part of the arrangements.

Private fees include nappies, wipes, refreshments, snacks and meals. Parents supply formula milk. During funded hours, meals are charged separately, and working-parent funded sessions carry a consumables charge; the funding policy also offers a funded-hours-only option outside its Enrichment Package. That package includes additional activities and resources, so the choice affects both the bill and what is included.

The maximum funded allocation in a day is 10 hours, so a full day can include privately charged time. Families declining the funded meal service must collect their child during the meal period and may return after one hour; packed lunches are prohibited. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the charge categories set out on its fees page.

A deposit confirms an offered place and is returned after the final account is cleared, subject to four weeks' written notice and no outstanding fees. Cancellation before the start date attracts an administration deduction from the deposit.

• Engagement and safe play. In February 2024, staff sometimes missed opportunities to bring children back into free play when their attention drifted, and older children needed clearer guidance about safe play. During a visit, ask how practitioners now respond to these situations.
• Funded attendance and extras. Stretched funding, separately charged meals and time beyond the daily funding limit affect the booking as well as the cost. Ask for a written breakdown showing the funded-hours-only and enrichment arrangements for your chosen pattern.
• Settling and care routines. Gradual separation and familiar-adult cover are part of the care model. Use the show-around to discuss how feeding, sleep and handovers would work for your child; families managing allergies should confirm current practice for their individual requirements.

Truly Scrumptious suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with a domestic setting and several clearly defined play spaces. The garden's construction area, animal features and Mud Kitchen give it character, while the key person and buddy arrangements make continuity a practical consideration.

The February 2024 teaching and safe-play improvements deserve attention alongside the Good judgement. Funded hours and extras also need to fit the family's routine.