Bluebell Forest School
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Harlow for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 2017, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Children are entitled to FEEE the term after their third Birthday.
Worth knowing. Please see the conditions of a funded only place in the parents handbook.
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
CM17 0QSWhat 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, 26 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very happy and flourish at this setting. They have a genuine thirst for learning. This is because staff plan an enticing curriculum with activities that embrace children's unique interests and preferred pattern of learning. These sustain children's engagement for long periods of time and results in a calm and productive environment. Staff use excellent positive body language during their high-quality interactions with children, such as laying down next to them, to be on their level. They know exactly when it is not appropriate to interrupt children's flow of thoughts and ideas. Children are expert problem solvers, develop excellent physical skills and learn to assess risks from an early age. They work out how to get in and out of hammocks and safely traverse across suspended ropes. Children show that they feel very loved and secure as they snuggle up to staff who read them their chosen stories. Staff are highly experienced and exceptional role models, so children are extremely well behaved and guided by the setting's agreement. Children know to consistently use their good manners and walking feet indoors. They confidently help their friends and visitors put on outer clothing ready to go to the forest.
Staff help children to become respectful adults of the future. Differences are celebrated and discussed openly. Children learn what it is to be unique. Staff and children create and share photo family cards that support children to understand about the diversity of families without bias. Children experience awe and wonder in their everyday experiences. Staff provide children with the freedom to pour water on the muddy forest ground. Children beam with delight as they create a smooth surface and search for appropriate sticks to practise writing their name in the soil.
Children have exceptional independence skills because staff work tirelessly to ensure that routines are firmly embedded. They help to prepare their own snack and confidently use real crockery.
- 26 April 2024Outstanding
- 28 June 2018Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bluebell Forest School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
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.
- 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.