The Old School Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Romford for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 2009, with 55 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
We can offer places for 2 year old funded children and we also have 30 hour funded places.
What childcare usually costs in Havering
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Havering from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
RM3 0QAWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and staff have worked hard to address the concerns raised at the last inspection. Staff have completed safeguarding training and leaders regularly check their safeguarding knowledge and understanding. Risk assessments are in place and measures have been put in place to ensure that children are well supervised indoors and in the outside learning environment.
There is a clear vision for the curriculum which has a strong focus on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development as well as their communication and language skills. Leaders describe their vision of building children's resilience and supporting them to be happy, confident learners for the future. Staff invite children to come and join them in activities which have been planned to support their interest and next steps in learning. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress and are keen to learn.
Children are happy at the setting. They behave well because staff tune into their needs and swiftly offer support if they think they are struggling to regulate their behaviour. Staff encourage children to talk about how they are feeling. In addition, they help children notice when others might not be feeling happy and how they might be able to help cheer up their friends. They are kind and helpful towards each other.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the arrangements for tidy up time so all children take responsibility for looking after their learning environment n support staff to consider ways to allow children to independently problem solve and further develop their critical thinking skills.
- 10 September 2024Good
- 26 April 2024Inadequate
- 21 June 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Old School Playgroup
- What it costs
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.