Holders Farm Kindergarten
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Chelmsford for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open sessions in term time, often mornings. £50.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2023. Open since 1997, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £50.009:30am-3:30pm | £20.009:30am-12pm or 1pm-3:30pm, 2.5 hrs £30.009:30am-1pm or 12pm-3:30pm, 3.5 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £15.00 a week Late Payment of Feesfees that remain unpaid in advance of a child’s attendance
- £15.00 per 15 minutes Late Collection of Childper child per 15 minutes or part thereof
Discounts
- 10% Sibling Discountboth children are attending the setting
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
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
CM1 6JSWhat 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, 5 October 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff work closely with parents to ensure they have relevant information about the children. This ensures they plan appropriate next steps for children's development.
Effective procedures for tracking children's progress are in place. This means that gaps in children's development are recognised and acted on. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities
Staff spend time teaching the children new skills. They show them how to set up and play a bowling game. They take the time to show the children how to arrange the pins and roll the ball correctly. Staff guide the children on how to use the cutters when they are using the play dough. This helps children to be successful in their chosen activities. Children continue to use these resources successfully when the adult withdraws.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to develop their interaction skills to extend children's critical thinking skills.
- 5 October 2023Good
- 14 October 2022Needs improvement
- 17 May 2022Inadequate
- 26 June 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Holders Farm Kindergarten
- Nappies
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 £50.00 a day 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.