Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery

A colour bubble tube for babies, an indoor slide for confident walkers and gymnastics before the move to school give Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery a recognisable progression through early childhood. Its rooms make space for different stages: sensory exploration in Baby Nest, growing independence in Turtle Room and school preparation in Dolphins Room. The practical emphasis is on what children can explore and do for themselves.

At its 24 April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and identified support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as a strength. That assessment also came with two clear improvements: explaining behaviour rules more consistently and restricting dummy use to appropriate moments. Both matter to the everyday experience of younger children.

The nursery has 66 places in total and accepts children aged 3 to 60 months. Its home is The Old School House in Chadwell St Mary, within the primary school premises.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Nest caters for babies up to 18 months, with a book nook, construction materials and open floor space for movement and messy exploration, while fibre optics and a colour bubble tube provide sensory interest. For a baby, these are different ways to investigate the room rather than a single activity area.

Turtle Room takes children once they walk confidently, combining practice in feeding and toileting with books, drawing materials and construction play; its Up and Over area has a platform, stairs and slide for physical exploration. Movement is part of the room's offer. The change of room is linked to a developmental milestone rather than simply a birthday.

Starfish Room gives children independent access to pretend domestic play alongside sand, water and messy activities. That puts choosing and experimenting into the daily arrangement, with materials children can return to as their interests change.

Dolphins Room prepares children for school through independent resource choices, imaginative play, creative work and stories in a quiet book nook, with indoor and outdoor P.E. led by a gymnastics coach during the final term before school. The coach's involvement is a specific addition to that transition period, rather than a claim about year-round sessions.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: in parent language, the day combines play, communication and physical exploration with support for growing independence. It is the common foundation for nursery education. Here, the room arrangements give it concrete expression, from babies exploring sensory materials to older children choosing resources and practising skills for school.

In April 2023, activities brought movement and problem-solving together. Children worked out which keys opened different padlocks, while toddlers used indoor climbing equipment and older children moved wheelbarrows outdoors. These examples show how small movements and larger physical tasks could sit alongside one another within the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supported imaginative and investigative play in April 2023. Children used dinosaurs among bark chippings and collected leaves for pretend meals; elsewhere, water from outdoor taps was carried to activities. Mixing cornflour, herbs, water and colour gave children opportunities to notice changing textures and discuss what happened when colours combined. These were hands-on experiences, with staff extending the activity through conversation.

In April 2023, staff gathered information from parents about children's existing abilities and used it to plan their next steps. Babies' home routines informed settling. This is a useful distinction for families: starting nursery involved sharing how a child was already cared for, as well as identifying what they might learn next.

The same April 2023 account described a sensory room offering a calmer atmosphere for children needing additional support. Additional funding supported weekly cooking and sports sessions. Those are dated examples of how support was organised, rather than a promise that every child now follows the same programme.

Communication was supported in different ways in April 2023. Staff repeated babies' sounds and introduced new vocabulary during older children's play, including the names of dinosaurs. However, dummy use was not consistently limited to times such as sleep or distress, reducing babies' opportunities to make sounds. The improvement point was therefore connected directly to early communication, rather than simply to a preference about comfort habits.

Behaviour expectations also needed clearer explanations in April 2023. Children were sometimes told to stop an action, such as climbing on furniture, without being helped to understand the reason. For families, the important question is how practitioners turn a rule into something a child can understand and gradually apply.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on Bank Holidays. That opening window gives families a clear boundary for planning childcare around work and other commitments.

Enquiries can be made through the branch's contact form. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

The address is The Old School House, Chadwell St Mary Primary School, Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, RM16 4DH. Nearby public transport includes bus routes 83 and 73, and Grays Station on the C2C line for services into and out of London.

The nursery's position within the school premises does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place, so childcare and school admission remain separate decisions.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered for children aged two, three and four. Families should distinguish the funded entitlement from the complete childcare bill when considering their attendance arrangements.

• Early communication and behaviour. The April 2023 improvement points concerned dummy use and explaining rules consistently. During a visit, ask how staff now support babies' vocal play and help children understand the reasons behind boundaries.
• The move between rooms. Turtle Room begins when children are confident walkers, while Baby Nest caters up to 18 months. Ask how the move is planned around your child's development and how settling into the next room is supported.
• The complete childcare quotation. Funded places cover the two-, three- and four-year-old age groups. Ask for a written breakdown of attendance patterns, funded delivery, meals and non-food consumables before choosing a booking.

Chadwell St Mary Day Nursery suits families who value clearly different room environments as children grow: sensory materials for babies, physical exploration for walkers and a school-preparation room with final-term gymnastics. Its year-round opening will also matter to parents whose childcare needs continue beyond school terms.

The Good judgement from April 2023 provides a dated assessment of quality, with positive findings about additional support and effective safeguarding. The communication and behaviour improvement points deserve equal attention. For a family comparing nurseries, the strongest reasons to consider this one are its concrete room arrangements and the progression from early exploration towards independence, alongside a close look at how those everyday care practices now work.