Camelot Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.3 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Chelmsford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2011, with 156 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Funded Spaces Available! We have a limited number of Funded Spaces for all ages.
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
CM2 0JDWhat 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.
- 9 August 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 27 November 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 26 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy to attend this setting and display a positive attitude to learning.
They form strong relationships with the staff, who support children's emotional well-being, self-esteem and resilience. Children have access to a wide array of inspirational books. Older children enjoy looking through a book about recycling and learning how they can make the world a better place. They listen intently to the story. This helps them develop a passion for reading and build on their language and literacy skills. Children move with ease and interest around the setting, choosing activities that spark their curiosity and excitement. For example, they enjoy exploring a tray with blue water, foam, sea animals and cups of varying sizes. Children talk with the staff about the sea animals and join in pretend play with their peers. This helps them to strengthen their social interactions and widen their understanding of the world.
Children have fun exploring the messy activities, which offer meaningful opportunities to investigate and mix different coloured paints. They learn that mixing red and yellow makes orange and mixing red and blue makes purple. As a result, children feel proud and accomplished. Staff support younger children's sense of discovery and sensory exploration. For example, while in the garden, the children enjoy exploring a sand activity. They concentrate well and manipulate the sand tools with good control. This helps to build on children's hand-to-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the quality of teaching and education to ensure that children benefit consistently from extensive and challenging learning opportunities n find ways to engage children more effectively in challenging conversations and introduce new vocabulary, particularly to younger children, to develop communication and language to a high level.
- 26 January 2023Good
- 31 May 2017Good
- 2 May 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Camelot Day Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.