Little Owls Preschool (Boxted)
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Colchester for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:45 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 2009, with 33 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Government funding for 15 and 30 hours, plus qualifying 2 year funding.
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 5REWhat 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 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff have a clear focus on helping children to build a strong sense of belonging at the pre-school. They support children to hang up their belongings on arrival and encourage them to access the exciting play and learning opportunities available.
They get to know children well and build strong relationships. For example, they interact with children readily throughout the day and encourage them to ask questions as they play. This helps to motivate children's communication and language skills and inspires their curiosity.
Staff care about the children's emotional well-being. They focus on helping children to feel relaxed, safe and happy in their care. For example, the strong key-person system ensures staff know how to help each child to settle. Staff have high expectations for children's independence. Children are encouraged to cut their fruit and pour their drinks during their snack times with tailored support provided for individual children. Learning is generally sequenced to allow all children to develop their skills. For example, staff guide the children's hands when they are learning how to cut up a banana, before gradually reducing the physical support so they can learn to do this independently.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to adapt adult-led activities, such as circle time, more precisely to suit children's individual learning needs, ensuring that all children can participate meaningfully and make the best possible progress.
- 26 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 9 December 2019Good
- 4 February 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Owls Preschool (Boxted)
- What it costs
- 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.
- 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.