Little Darwins Nursery
OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Chelmsford for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2011, with 85 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
6 hours of funding per day.
Worth knowing. For 9am-3pm part or fully funded sessions, there are additonal daily charges, these are as follows: Lunch- £4 optional (pack lunch can be provided) Snacks- £1 voluntarty donation towards cooking, sensory, malleable materials- £1.10.
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
CM3 8DWWhat 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, 27 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are extremely enthusiastic and happy on arrival to the setting. They clearly feel safe, having formed strong, secure attachments to their key person.
Children place their belongings on named pegs and excitedly run to find their friends. They have a strong desire to learn, seeking out new experiences. Staff model language exceptionally well. Children listen and respond to instructions and initiate conversations with others.
Children access outstanding learning opportunities in the well-designed indoor and outdoor environments. They are fully engaged in high-quality learning experiences planned through a well-sequenced curriculum. Children decide where to play and actively seek out activities of their own choosing. They use child-sized rakes to gather and move bark using their gross motor skills. They skilfully make sandcastles in the sand and use a water pump in the garden. They master a challenging obstacle course, using their hand-to-eye coordination and physical skills.
- 27 July 2023Outstanding
- 19 December 2017Outstanding
- 8 November 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Darwins Nursery
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.