Oaklea Montessori St John's
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Colchester for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week. £10.50 an hour for 0 to 2 Year Olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022. Open since 2017, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated April 2025.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 Year Oldsbirth to 2y | £10.50Little Sparrows | |
| 2 Year Olds2y to 3y | £9.75Squirrels | |
| 3 to 4 Year Olds3y to 4y | £9.50Owls | |
| 4 to 8 Year Olds4y to 5y | £10.50Saplings |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.90 a day Breakfast
- £2.60 a day Tea
- £4.00 a day Lunch*
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £0.50 a session snack chargeper 3-hour funded core session
- £1.00 a session voluntary consumables chargeper 3-hour funded core session
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
30 hours for working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3 years old from September 2025; universal 15 hours for all children the term after their 3rd birthday.
Worth knowing. Voluntary consumables charge of £1 and snack charge of 50p per 3-hour funded core session; if not paid, parents must provide their own.
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 0HPWhat Ofsted said
Last inspected on 7 April 2022.
Good
Ofsted's expected standard. Most settings in England are rated Good.
Still missing for Oaklea Montessori St John's
- 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Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date.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 £10.50 an hour 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.