Little Nipperz
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Chelmsford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 June 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 2010, with 26 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
CM3 6ADWhat 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, 14 June 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
All children are content and settle very well in the pre-school. They are happy and excited to tell adults what they like to do, such as riding 'the star bike' and 'playing with toys'. Children spend long periods of time creating pretend ice creams and milkshakes made from pink sand and mud.
Children have plenty of fun as they develop a wide range of skills. For example, they learn how to carefully pour water from one container to another without spilling it. Children enthusiastically take part in lively conversations with staff and their friends. They show good language skills as they happily sing songs, nursery rhymes and play musical games. Children are well behaved, they take turns as they wait for others to jump from a low-level tree stump. Children show enormous pride in their achievements, which they are keen for adults to see.
Children show a good understanding of mathematical concepts. They recognise familiar numbers as they play hopscotch with staff and use their hands to demonstrate what 'little' looks like. Children are eager to join in activities. When a member of staff asks how many legs a snake has, a child riding past calls out 'they have zero legs'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- extend staffs' understanding of children's next steps, in order to promote continuity in their learning further n make effective use of knowledge shared by parents about what children know and can do when they start, in order to plan for what they need to learn first n build on the good communication with parents to develop ways to consistently share up-to-date information about how they can support their child's learning at home.
- 14 June 2021Good
- 17 December 2019Needs improvement
- 9 March 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Nipperz
- 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.