Little Explorers Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Colchester for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 13:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2011, with 24 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
CO4 3QEWhat 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, 26 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enthusiastically skip into the inclusive pre-school with an eagerness to play and explore. They show how they feel valued and part of their pre-school community when hanging up their belongings on their named peg, before selfregistering their arrival. Children build strong and trusting attachments to staff who are incredibly attentive and caring towards them. Children excitedly show their independent drawings to staff and visitors, highlighting they have fostered a sense of accomplishment. Staff show high levels of genuine interest and ask questions about children's artwork. Because children have a chance to express themselves freely and receive specific and meaningful feedback, they build a positive selfimage. This leads to increased engagement in their play and learning and a great sense of well-being.
Children thrive from real-life experiences, such as trips to the farm and outings in the local community. These opportunities ignite a love of exploration and learning to discover the around them. Children have good recall of recent experiences, such as visiting a butterfly house and watching the life cycle of a butterfly. Because staff introduce stories about a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, children begin to consolidate and make connections in their learning, as they discuss how the story links to their past experiences.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to consistently challenge all children's learning and build upon what they already know from learning opportunities provided n improve how information is shared between staff and parents when children arrive to ensure children's daily needs are consistently met.
- 26 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 22 January 2020Good
- 18 April 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Explorers 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.