Little Notley's Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Long established
A pre-school in Braintree for children from birth to 5, open 08:50 to 15:05, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2013, 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
CM77 7GNWhat 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, 11 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff take care to ensure the pre-school is welcoming and inspiring for all children attending. The garden offers children a wide variety of exciting and interesting activities and children relish their time outdoors. They arrive happy; they have established positive relationships with the caring and nurturing staff, and close bonds with their key person. Staff invest time in getting to know the children and their families. They speak with kindness and respect to the children. Children's behaviour is very good as they understand the staff's high expectations. They leave their parents with ease and show they are eager to investigate what is on offer.
Children have great fun washing bicycles in the car wash. They eagerly offer to help dig holes as they plant new flowers in the garden. Children learn about the environment as they water the plants and discuss what is needed to make them grow. They show their tadpoles to visitors to the pre-school and explain how they have changed and how to care for them. Children make choices about where they play, and can flow freely from indoors to the garden, fully supported by the staff.
They have many opportunities to practise early writing skills. For example, they write with chalk on the floor, paint with water in the garden and make patterns in the sand. They show fascination as they watch staff draw letters in the sand, eager to copy them and 'have a go'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen partnerships with other early years settings children attend, to provide consistent support for their learning and development n develop the role-play area and provide a range of resources to enable all children to explore and develop their own play and ideas.
- 11 May 2023Good
- 31 October 2017Good
- 4 March 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Notley's 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.