Chadwell Preschool

Chadwell Preschool is a 30-place sessional setting at 67 Reynolds Avenue, Chadwell Heath, Romford, RM6 4RT. Ofsted rated it Good in December 2022, with Good judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. This is not a day nursery built around continuous long hours. At that date, it served children aged two to four through separate morning and afternoon sessions during term time.

The strongest impression is of purposeful independence. Children chose typewriters, painted at easels, explored a large indoor sandpit and prepared vegetable pasta salad. A log cabin library brought book borrowing into family life, while a tinkering shed gave children real objects to investigate and repair.

In December 2022, the preschool planned across the Early Years Foundation Stage. In practical terms, that meant using play and routines to develop communication, physical skills, early literacy and mathematics rather than separating learning into formal lessons. Children compared weight with traditional scales and adopted words such as heavier and lighter. Story themes continued through the curriculum, supported by a reading den and shared storytelling.

Curiosity had tangible outlets. Buckets of icy snow moved winter exploration into the outdoor kitchen, and the tinkering shed encouraged sustained attention through working with real objects. Children also self-registered by finding their names, managed tissues and cleared their plates after snack. These small responsibilities prepared them for the next stage through repetition rather than school-style work.

There was an important limit. Adults were highly engaged and followed children's interests, but interactions did not always leave enough thinking and response time. Leaders were asked to strengthen staff knowledge of teaching and learning so that the quality of those exchanges became more consistent.

In December 2022, relationships were a clear strength. Staff spent time learning about each child and family before attendance began, helping children settle and giving practitioners accurate starting points. Parents described strong communication and children becoming emotionally secure and confident.

Support was adapted for children who needed more help. Some received personalised one-to-one assistance, while Makaton and visual clues helped children communicate and make choices. Emotion puppets gave the wider group a concrete way to describe feelings, alongside golden rules about respect, turn-taking, sharing and caring for the environment.

The December 2022 Ofsted inspection found safeguarding effective. Staff understood child-protection procedures, recorded concerns, recognised possible signs of abuse and sought local-authority advice. Regular training, risk assessments and routine checks supported that work.

The current provider record gives the preschool's capacity as 30 children. In December 2022, the setting recorded 30 children on roll, although enrolment across different sessions is not the number present at one time.

At that visit, weekday morning sessions ran from 9.15am to 12.15pm and afternoon sessions from 1pm to 4pm, during term time. The setting then received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. Families should compare these dated details with the preschool's current written terms for attendance, funded hours and any charges.

• Current session pattern. The morning, afternoon and term-time timetable comes from December 2022. Compare the present pattern and funded-hours terms with that dated timetable.
• Adult interaction. In December 2022, children were not always given enough time to think and answer. Ask how coaching and observation now help practitioners pace conversations.
• Targeted support. Makaton, visual clues and one-to-one help were used at that date. Discuss how the child's current needs would be assessed and supported.

Chadwell Preschool's 2022 evidence describes a focused sessional setting where children gained independence through real tasks and explored an unusually concrete collection of resources. The log cabin library, indoor sandpit, emotion puppets and tinkering shed gave learning recognisable character. Good relationships and effective safeguarding provided a sound base.

It is best suited to families seeking morning or afternoon term-time care in a small preschool environment. Its key question is currentness: compare today's timetable and look closely at whether adults give children enough space to form and express their ideas. If that improvement is secure, the setting's practical, language-rich approach has much to recommend it.