Little Friends Pre-School Limited
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Basildon for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:25 to 15:15, 5 days a week. £15.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 2011, 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 | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £15.00A.M.s or P.M.s, 3 hrs |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Government funding for 3-4 year olds; FEEE2W funding for eligible working parents with 2 year olds, up to 15 hours per week over 38 weeks or up to 570 hours if stretched over the year; two year old funding for eligible children.
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
SS14 2LBWhat 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, 12 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy, confident and settled at this pre-school. They form secure relationships with the nurturing staff team, who know them and their families very well. Children behave well. They have strong relationships with their peers and are kind and caring towards one another. Staff help children to understand the rules and expectations of the provision, such as using kind hands towards one another.
Children are happy and engaged throughout the session. They are keen to share their achievements and take pride in their creations. For example, they work hard on creating play dough sculptures, decorating them with lolly sticks. Staff support children to mould the play dough in a variety of ways.
Leaders work alongside staff to plan purposeful activities that reflect children's needs, interests and connections to the local community. For example, they take children to the local park and on the train to visit the beach. This helps build children's awareness of the world around them. Leaders and staff use resources, such as the mud kitchen and the 'mark making bag' to help develop children's independence. Children gain the skills and confidence they need for their next stage in learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the quality and consistency of staff's interactions with children to further promote their communication and language development n review transition times during the day to help promote a calm learning environment for all children.
- 12 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 6 December 2019Good
- 11 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Friends Pre-School Limited
- 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
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 £15.00 a session 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.