The Day Nursery Rawreth

An acre-plus of grounds, a garden for babies and a vegetable garden for older children give The Day Nursery Rawreth a clear outdoor character. This Church Road setting takes children from three months to five years, with separate spaces for its youngest children, older children and the changes between stages. Space has a practical purpose here: sleeping, eating and active play do not all have to compete for the same room.

At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The detail beneath that judgement matters too. In February 2023, children formed close relationships with familiar adults, practised independence and took part in both activities they chose and activities organised by staff. There were also weaknesses in the upkeep of baby-room resources and in extending learning at mealtimes. Those are useful points to take into a visit, rather than treating the overall grade as the whole assessment.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings cater for different working and family routines, with earlier starts and later collection possible by arrangement.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Unit combines air conditioning, a separate sleep room with a twinkly ceiling and its own garden, giving the youngest children spaces for rest and outdoor play alongside their main room. Babies can eat in their familiar surroundings before joining meals in the Dining Room when they are confident enough. That progression makes the move into shared nursery routines gradual rather than simply a change of room.

The Hall has ample room for different forms of play, displays of children's work and camp beds for daytime naps. The Transition Room is used flexibly for the move from babies to toddlers or for older children approaching school. It provides an intermediate space rather than making every change depend on moving straight into another main room.

Pre-School brings together early reading, books shared with families, food preparation and tending the vegetable garden, connecting preparation for school with practical experiences. Children can borrow books to enjoy at home and return ready to discuss the story. Reading therefore reaches beyond a group story session and creates something concrete for parents and children to share.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides learning through play, with activities shaped around children's development and interests. Here, stories, conversation, making marks, movement and practical problem-solving provide ways to build language, physical skills and early mathematical understanding. The framework is the foundation; the visiting activities add other experiences to the day.

Mini Stars brings musical instruments into the nursery weekly. A weekly football visitor develops ball skills, while dance sessions also take place weekly. Zoolab visits preschool children annually, sometimes more often, bringing creatures for supervised encounters. These additions offer different ways to participate: music and movement alongside a close look at living things.

In February 2023, mathematical ideas emerged through ordinary play: children counted objects, compared plants and used rhymes to explore subtraction. Mark-making changed with the child's stage, from babies using thick chalk outdoors to toddlers exploring flour with their fingers and preschool children drawing with pens. The useful thread is progression through familiar materials, rather than expecting every age group to do the same task.

During that February 2023 visit, children also ran and climbed outdoors, took part in indoor yoga and movement activities, and practised kicking balls. These are dated examples of how physical development featured in the day, alongside the current room arrangements and visiting sessions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor space is part of the daily routine, with opportunities to go outside throughout the day unless rain is very heavy. Shaded areas support activities outside, while the vegetable garden gives children opportunities to plant, care for their surroundings and explore recycling. The greenhouse adds another place to see growing in progress.

For preschool children, the connection between gardening and food preparation gives these activities a shared purpose. They can help maintain plants and take part in preparing food, linking what grows with what they eat. For babies, the separate garden provides a different outdoor setting from the older children's play spaces.

Relationships and Communication

Free settling-in sessions are part of joining. They help children become familiar with nursery attendance, while Parent Zone provides access to children's progress through an app. Progress is also recorded in a Learning Journey linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage. These arrangements give parents a continuing connection with learning, as well as a way to begin the relationship with staff.

In February 2023, staff used daily conversations with parents to help plan activities and shared assessments electronically. Babies and older children built relationships with their key person and other adults in their rooms. Familiarity was not confined to one adult, which mattered as children took part in the wider room routine.

The current staffing structure includes nursery management, a catering management role and responsibility for training coordination. Recruitment includes vetting and relevant qualifications. These arrangements cover staff selection and organisation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCO used individual goals, reviews and information-sharing with staff and outside professionals to support children with SEND and their progress. The mechanism is useful to understand: support involved specific targets and communication between the adults involved, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Rest has several forms. The Baby Unit offers a dedicated sleep space, while some younger children sleep on mats; The Hall provides camp beds for children who nap. Families' routines are taken into account for the youngest children, helping connect care at home with nursery care.

Nursery Kitchen supplies the food, and the menu includes dishes such as paneer and pea curry, fish pie and lemon chicken with orzo. Breakfast, lunch and tea are served in an air-conditioned Dining Room with staggered sittings, giving meals a separate space within the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Church Road, Rawreth, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8SH. Standard opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closure on bank holidays.

Morning bookings run from 7.30am to 1pm and full-day bookings from 7.30am to 6pm. Afternoon bookings finish at 6pm, but their start needs resolving before a booking is agreed: the two stated times are covered below. Earlier attendance from 7am and collection as late as 7pm can be arranged with advance notice and an additional charge. This extends the attendance window for families whose work begins or finishes outside the standard hours.

Additional sessions depend on whether the nursery can accommodate them and are paid for in advance. Cancelling an additional session with 24 hours' notice brings a refund; permanent changes to attendance days require a month's notice. Ordinary termination of the childcare contract requires 28 days' notice, subject to the contract's provisions for ending it immediately.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Funding is accepted, with fee examples covering 15 Hours and 30 Hours. The funding information identifies entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday; it does not make every child eligible for every funded arrangement. Private childcare and additional paid hours are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For funded childcare, extra hours and meals can be selected as optional additional services and charged separately. Parents supply nappies and measured formula or expressed milk, together with bottles; those items remain part of the family's preparation for attendance. The prices page sets out the booking patterns and funding examples.

A deposit is credited against the first invoice and is non-refundable if the place is not taken. Joining also involves an online registration form, an agreed start date and the free settling-in sessions. Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the quotation form.

Getting There

Parking for several cars is directly outside the gate. Fingerprint entry and CCTV monitoring are part of the premises' access arrangements.

• Afternoon start time. The price list gives 1pm, while the quotation form gives 1.30pm; both finish at 6pm. Confirm the contracted start before planning work or collection arrangements around this session.
• Baby-room resources and mealtimes. In February 2023, some baby resources needed replenishing or cleaning, and adults sometimes missed chances to develop learning during meals. On a visit, ask how resources are maintained and how staff use mealtimes for conversation and learning.
• The funded attendance pattern. Funding examples cover 15 Hours and 30 Hours, with selected meals and additional hours charged separately. Ask how your child's entitlement would be arranged across the year and itemised alongside any extras.

The Day Nursery Rawreth suits families choosing morning sessions, afternoon attendance or full days, with extended attendance by arrangement. Its strongest practical features are the substantial grounds, the babies' separate outdoor and sleep spaces, and preschool activities that link books, gardening and food preparation. Weekly visiting sessions add variety with a clear purpose.

The February 2023 Good judgement provides a dated assessment, while the baby-room and mealtime weaknesses deserve direct discussion. For families who value outdoor activity and a gradual progression between stages, the room layout and routines give this nursery a recognisable offer.