Playdays
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Wickford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 2015, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All funding accepted.
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
SS12 9GPWhat 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, 24 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited to arrive at the nursery. They play happily with their friends and explore stimulating activities together. Children are busy and their physical skills develop well. They enjoy playing in the garden where they throw and catch balls, play with sand and go down the slide.
Staff support children's emotional development particularly well. They interact with children in a warm and encouraging way. Staff and managers support children when they need more time to settle in. Children speak to staff who know them well and join in with their play. They have strong bonds with staff, who they go to for cuddles and reassurance.
Children learn how to share and take turns. They make choices. For example, children vote to choose what to play with or which snack to eat. As a result, children are learning to understand each other's likes and dislikes. They feel valued and behave well.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen planning to focus more closely on what children need to learn next and help them to make consistently good progress in all areas of learning.
- 24 October 2022Good
- 24 January 2017Good
- 5 April 2016Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Playdays
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- 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.