Burnham Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Burnham-On-Crouch for from 1 year 6 months up to school age, 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 They do not publish prices, so ask.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 February 2022. Open since 1998, with 52 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Free Early Years Education Entitlement ... Funding Early Years Education Entitlement for two year olds is focused on those families needing additional support or under universal benefit also up to 15 hours per week.
Worth knowing. This needs to be applied for during the term your child has turned 1 year, 2 years or 3 years depending on the FEEE (Funded Early years Educational Entitlement).
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
CM0 8EFWhat 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, 2 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle quickly at the pre-school. Children who speak English as an additional language progress well. They respond positively to pictures and photos which help them to learn the routine. They use Makaton signs to communicate their needs with staff. They use these signs at home as well. This provides children with consistency between the pre-school and home. Children become independent in managing tasks. For example, older children serve themselves pasta salad and drinks at snack time. Children enjoy singing their favourite songs and rhymes. The youngest children concentrate well as they sing and join in with actions. Older children sing songs as they wait for their snack. They all join in enthusiastically.
Children use their imaginations as they play. The youngest children pretend to serve cakes to visiting adults. Older children pretend that they are going on a bus trip as they play outdoors. They demonstrate their understanding of safety. For example, they pretend to buckle up their seatbelts as they go on their 'journey'.
Children link their own experiences to their play. For instance, they confidently speak to their friends about where they are pretending to go and ring the imaginary bell when it is their turn to get off.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support all children to understand that the words staff write for them have meaning and extend opportunities for the most able children to develop their own writing skills.
- 2 February 2022Good
- 12 February 2016Good
- 1 October 2009Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Burnham Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.