Bicknacre Preschool
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Chelmsford for children from birth to 5, open 08:50 to 14:50, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 1999, with 26 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
CM3 4ESWhat 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, 1 July 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the setting happy and excited to begin their day. They have strong emotional attachments with the caring staff, who cuddle and comfort them as and when needed. This, along with the consistent and well-organised daily routines that children are clearly familiar with, helps children to feel safe and secure. Children are engaged and imaginative. They have great fun as they manipulate dough by squashing, squeezing and rolling it. This helps to promote their small muscles in readiness for developing further skills, such as pencil control.
Children behave well and show good levels of care and concern for others as they offer to help one another. Staff are skilful at knowing when to intervene and when to step back and allow children to resolve their own disputes. This helps children learn how to compromise as they listen to one another and agree a way forward.
For example, they learn to take turns and shares popular toys.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the already good practice and seek further ways to help all staff raise their teaching to an even higher level.
- 1 July 2022Good
- 9 July 2015Good
- 14 October 2010Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bicknacre Preschool
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.