Freedom Day Care Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Dunmow for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2008, with 66 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
CM6 1HUWhat 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, 31 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily arrive at the nursery, excited and eager to start their day and investigate the activities provided. They are greeted by caring and happy staff and leave their parents with ease. Children receive good quality teaching. They are very confident and good communicators. Children are inquisitive. For example, they ask visitors lots of questions and enthusiastically tell them what they like best about their time at nursery. Children speak with confidence as their share their emotions during interactive story time and learn new vocabulary to help them express their feelings. They are spoken to respectfully and receive encouragement and praise.
Children's behaviour is good and it is evident they have established close bonds with their key person.
Children relish their time outdoors. They know to wear boots and wet suits and have the skills they need to do this independently. Children have ample space to run, climb and balance on the equipment provided. They negotiate space well as they steer ride-on toys, careful not to bump into their friends. They make patterns in cornflour sensory activities and use large chalks to draw outdoors. Children show a great interest in the alphabet and ask how to spell words. They make good attempts to make the words, using magnetic letters.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- extend the use of more targeted professional development opportunities to strengthen staff's existing knowledge to support children's learning to an even higher level n develop the role-play areas, so that children can explore the wide range of resources and develop their own play and ideas.
- 31 July 2023Good
- 30 May 2018Good
- 25 July 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Freedom Day Care Nursery
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.