Holly Corner Kindergarten
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Colchester 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 May 2025. Open since 1998, with 37 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
CO3 4RXWhat 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, 20 May 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide a calm, loving and nurturing environment, where they celebrate and embrace children's personalities and interests. Children show they feel loved, valued and respected. They settle well and form positive and caring relationships with staff. Staff talk proudly about the children. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. They make friends easily and form positive relationships with staff. Children speak fondly about their peers. They talk about their friends'
bumblebee costumes and how lovely they look. Children play games with each other, make up their own narratives and actively seek out others to join their play.
Staff provide ample opportunities for children to develop their gross and fine motor skills. Outside, children balance on beams, jump on pads, compete in physical games and learn to climb on different levels of terrain. Children use tongs to pick things up, such as food, at snack time. Children are very well behaved and know what is expected of them. They listen to instructions and learn patience, kindness and respect. Children develop good levels of independence. Staff support even the youngest of children with carrying out tasks for themselves, such as handwashing and blowing their noses. Staff encourage children's curiosity about the world around them. Children love learning facts, such as that bees 'have six legs' and they 'go home to the queen'. Staff support babies' language skills really well. They repeat their babbles, add new words and use positional language, such as 'under'
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the already good plans in place to monitor staff's practice to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.
- 20 May 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 29 January 2020Good
- 5 January 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Holly Corner Kindergarten
- 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.