Roman River Pre-School
Roman River Pre-School is a pre-school in Colchester for children aged 2 to 4, with 25 registered places. Ofsted report card, 9 December 2025: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Fingringhoe Village Hall, Chapel Road, Fingringhoe, Colchester, CO5 7BH
Key facts
- Type
- Pre-school (Sessional day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 25 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 1 August 2023 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 9 December 2025
Who runs it
Roman River Pre-School is run by Roman River Pre-School CIO (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
- Leadership and governance: Expected standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 9 December 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children flourish and thrive in this home-from-home pre-school. They form close bonds with staff and their peers. Families are warmly welcomed into the pre-school, which fosters solid and beneficial relationships to closely support children's individual needs and supports regular attendance. Children happily engage in conversation with each other, developing solid social, communication and imagination skills. For example, in role play, where children pretend to make cookies, they take turns to be the shopkeeper, talk about how much the cookies are and exchange play money. Children develop their small physical skills as they roll out play dough to make cookies. They feel safe and secure at the pre-school. Their emotional needs are well supported. Staff are attentive to children's needs. They take care to listen to children and encourage them to build positive relationships with others.
Children explore the environment confidently. They develop the key skills they need for the next stage in their education. Children are supported to develop robust independence skills. Staff sit with children at mealtimes and encourage them to feed themselves and try new foods. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, experience a well-thought-out curriculum that meets their individual needs. Staff wholeheartedly celebrate each child's unique personality, creating an environment where individuality is valued and children are empowered to flourish in their learning. Children's creativity is fully embraced as they design flower crowns using a rich variety of natural resources in the garden, and staff joyfully support their choice to wear them throughout the day, nurturing confidence, imagination and self-expression. Children make steady progress from their starting points.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Staff and leaders' in-depth knowledge of children's different situations allows them to carefully tailor support to meet their needs. Staff carefully plan activities around children's interests that enable them to play alongside other children with ease. For example, children spend prolonged time thoroughly engaged in activities, such as soap and water play with cars. Staff plan such activities for children because they know these create high levels of engagement and prevent unwanted behaviours that can disrupt their learning.
Staff effectively liaise with outside agencies and professionals and implement their advice to further support the children's development. Leaders closely monitor the support in place for children and work with staff to make adjustments where required. This means that children receive meaningful experiences that meet their complex needs and help them to progress alongside their peers. Staff receive well-rounded training on the graduated approach to support their knowledge and skills when working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children receiving early years pupil premium. Consequently, children who receive additional funding and those with SEND thrive in staff's care.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Leaders design an ambitious curriculum that effectively meets the needs of all children. Leaders focus on children's independence, confidence and emotional wellbeing. They understand this gives children the skills they need to try new things and engage in play alongside others. Staff support children to develop their language. They sit at children's level and engage them in positive interactions. Staff encourage children to speak in group activities and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'pistachio'. However, staff are less experienced in adapting their practice in the moment to respond to children's emerging thinking.
Staff provide a well-resourced and stimulating environment, indoors and outdoors. Staff understand the importance of children developing robust physical skills. The outdoor area enables children to navigate uneven terrain, learn to climb and move confidently through space. Staff get to know children well and assess their development. They use this information to plan activities and support that help children make even better progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff provide opportunities for children to practise and develop their mathematics knowledge. Leaders have identified that the mathematics curriculum is still in its infancy. They have enrolled staff on training to improve their skills in this area.
Achievement: Expected standard
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop the skills they need across the 7 areas of learning. They are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including school. Children are confident communicators. They engage in conversations with their peers and develop an extensive vocabulary. Children take part in a wide range of activities that widens their vocabulary and language skills. For example, children confidently and excitedly sing and sign all the words to Christmas carols.
Children are thoroughly engaged at activities and lead their own learning. Children confidently test out their own ideas and ask questions. Children are curious about the world around them. They develop vivid imaginations, for example they pretend to make and sell cookies in a shop. Children pretend to call people on the phone, further developing their conversational skills.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
Leaders create a positive environment with well-planned routines that children are very familiar with. Children form loving bonds with staff and show high levels of respect for staff and their peers. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children are extremely well behaved and know what is expected of them. They confidently discuss and remind each other of the rules during play and circle time, for example 'sharing is caring'. Staff foster positive relationships between children. Staff role model how to speak to each other and how to calmly deal with conflict. Children independently negotiate turns with each other on apparatus by using a sand timer, showing that these expectations and routines are fully embedded within practice. They develop positive attitudes to learning and often help others to understand the expectations.
Leaders work closely with families to educate them on the importance of punctuality and attendance. Leaders closely monitor attendance and swiftly follow up on any concerns. They work closely with families to ensure the children receive consistent access to their learning and development. Staff understand children's individual needs and use this knowledge to plan effective support for following pre-school routines and expectations.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
Children arrive settled and happy, separating from their parents with confidence as staff build secure, warm and trusting relationships with them. Staff know families extremely well and are sensitive to each child's individual needs, supporting children's emotional wellbeing by validating their feelings and encouraging them to express how they feel. Children are confident and kind towards one another, and benefit from staff who consistently speak to them with care and respect while celebrating their individuality. For example, staff encourage children to welcome their peers as they arrive and role model how to give compliments, such as 'What a nice Christmas jumper you are wearing.'
Well-structured routines support children's physical health and emotional wellbeing, enabling them to make healthy choices and develop secure independence skills, including managing their own personal care needs. Healthy lifestyles are intentionally promoted through regular physical activity and close partnerships with parents, who are supported and educated in providing nutritious meals in a caring and supportive way. Children are also taught how to keep themselves safe, helping them to grow into confident, independent learners.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Leaders are highly motivated and committed to their roles, with a robust understanding of their strengths and clear, focused plans for continuous improvement. They consistently make decisions in the best interests of all children, and the support provided for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities has a significant positive impact on their outcomes. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing, ensuring workloads are monitored and adapted so staff feel valued and well supported, and that they have regular access to training and professional development. Through effective supervision and ongoing monitoring, any weaknesses in practice are identified promptly and addressed with caring, individualised support.
Leaders model high-quality practice, deploy staff effectively and ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly understood and risk assessments are carried out thoroughly. As a result, children receive high-quality care and learning and make positive progress. Leaders foster highly effective partnerships with parents. Parents are extremely well informed of the progress their children are making and how they can effectively support learning at home. Leaders focus on what each individual family needs to make the best possible progress and implement changes swiftly.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should support all staff to confidently adapt their practice in the moment and respond to children's emerging thinking to further enhance their learning.
- Leaders should continue to strengthen their mathematical curriculum to benefit all children to make the best possible progress.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 9 December 2025. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
- 9 December 2025: Full inspection, report card: Strong standard in 2, Expected standard in 4
- 19 February 2024: Actions after a concern (report)
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Rowhedge Under 5's - Pre-school, Colchester CO5 7HR, ages 2 to 4, 35 places, 1.0 milesOfsted, 11 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Munchkins Nursery and Pre School - Day nursery, Wivenhoe, Colchester CO7 9AB, ages 0 to 4, 44 places, 1.3 milesOfsted, 28 November 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Wivenhoe Preschool - Pre-school, Wivenhoe CO7 9QB, 32 places, 1.9 miles
- Colchester Montessori Day Nursery - Day nursery, Colchester CO2 8WJ, ages 0 to 4, 98 places, 2.1 milesOfsted, 24 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Fingringhoe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School - Primary, 0.2 miles
- St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge - Primary, 0.9 miles