Great Bentley Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Colchester for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 2012, with 32 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
CO7 8LGWhat 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.
- 16 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 17 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are very happy at this setting. They arrive smiling and eager to embark in a day filled with exciting activities. Leaders and staff carefully consider children's needs, interests and abilities when creating a stimulating and dynamic environment. Tailored settling-in sessions for children, mean that staff get to know them well right from the start, which helps children adapt seamlessly. Staff encourage children to make their own choices of what they would like to explore next. For example, at snack time, staff prompt children to choose their favourite food. They also help children to pour their own drinks and serve their own food to support their hand-eye coordination and independence. Staff often praise children for their efforts and they quickly feel appreciated during their time at this setting.
This helps develop children's emotional resilience and self-esteem.
Staff are nurturing and kind. They are intuitive to children's needs and are readily available to offer them guidance, support and reassurance. Staff have high expectations of children and gently prompt them to follow the setting's routines and boundaries. For example, before going in the garden, children enthusiastically help with tidy up duties. They proudly wear a 'little helper' badge, smiling as they carry out these responsibilities. This helps children become positive and independent learners.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- embed further the curriculum intent so that all staff understand how to continually implement it across the provision to fully prepare children for their next stage in education n continue to build and strengthen all staff's skills to enable them to consistently tailor their interactions to extend and deepen children's learning even further.
- 17 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 6 March 2020Good
- 18 March 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Great Bentley Pre-School
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.