Oak House Montessori Ltd
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Southend-On-Sea for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £59.50 a day for 0-5 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2024. Open since 2008, with 119 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 yearsbirth to 5y | £59.509:00am – 4:00pm £68.008:00am – 4:00pm £80.008:00am – 6:00pm | £9.00Early start, inclusive of breakfast £25.509:00am – 12:00pm or 1:00pm – 4:00pm, 3 hrs £34.008:00am – 12:00pm, 4 hrs £42.501:00pm – 6:00pm, 5 hrs |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £50.00 non-refundable set-up feenot refundable, includes two settling-in sessions and a three-month
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £10.00 an hour extra hours
- £10.00 an hour Extra hours (where available)
- £80.00 a term Operational Feedue on: 1 September, 1 December, 1 March, 1 June
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
9 Month to 2 Year-Old Working Parent Funding, 2 Year-Old Economic Funding, Universal Funding for 3-4 Year-Olds, Extended Funding for 3-4 Year-Olds.
Worth knowing. Providers may charge for additional services, meals, or enhanced activities, provided that accessing these is not a condition of taking up a funded place.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SS2 4JRWhat 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.
- 3 December 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 June 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and her team are committed to providing children with a welcoming and exciting environment in which to learn. The curriculum is planned around the children's needs and interests. It offers children a wide range of experiences, particularly outdoors in the nursery garden. The broad curriculum also includes the principles of Montessori teaching, such as learning practical life skills. There is also a strong emphasis on developing the skills children need to be independent learners. The team work closely with the parents and they know the children well.
They can plan activities that challenge children's development and build on what they already know and can do. Children are excited to attend nursery and are warmly welcomed by happy staff, who are genuinely pleased to see them. They leave their parents with ease and enthusiastically settle at an activity of their choice.
Children enjoy learning opportunities outdoors. For example, older children relish their time in the forest garden. They dig holes and find coins and insects. They ask lots of questions; show curiosity about the treasures they find and have a positive attitude toward learning. Children are taught through the everyday activities how to stay safe. The staff are good role models and have high expectations for children attending. They offer praise, encouragement, and reassurance. Therefore, children's behaviour is good. All children make good progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- use effective questioning techniques to extend children's language, help them to think critically, and solve problems independently n improve the organisation and preparation of mealtimes to ensure that all children are engaged at these times.
- 12 June 2024Good
- 26 June 2018Good
- 27 July 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Oak House Montessori Ltd
- Youngest age taken
- 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 £59.50 a day 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.
- 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.