Caterpillars Pre-School Marks Tey
Not yet inspectedTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open a few years
A pre-school in Colchester for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 14:45, 5 days a week. £8.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Ofsted has not yet published a graded inspection. Open since 2024, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
If approval is not obtained in time, we will not be able to claim certain types of funding for the whole of the term which could mean all your child’s hours with us would be chargeable at the rate of £8.50 per hour (effective from September 2025)
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Fully funded places for all children over the age of 2; up to 30 hours funding a week for eligible working parents; children under 3 but over 2 may be entitled depending on circumstances.
Worth knowing. If approval is not obtained by the termly deadlines, all hours may be chargeable at £8.50 per hour.
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
CO6 1HLWhat Ofsted said
Ofsted hasn't published a graded inspection for this setting yet.
Not yet inspected
Ofsted has not published a graded inspection for this setting.
Still missing for Caterpillars Pre-School Marks Tey
- 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Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date.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.
- Is £8.50 an hour still the rate? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.