Puffin Pre-School Ltd
Ofsted report card Apr 2026Takes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Dunmow for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:45 to 15:15, 7 days a week. £21.00 a session for 3/4 year olds, and they take the funded hours. Inspected under Ofsted's new report card in April 2026. Open since 2023, with 37 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
£21 for 3/4 year olds
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Funded hours
Full funded day 9am-3pm.
Worth knowing. Voluntary contribution of 50p per funded session* (1 session = 3 hours).
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
CM6 1DGWhat Ofsted found, area by area
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives a standard in each of seven areas rather than one overall grade. Expected standard means it is doing what it should.
What 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.
- 29 April 2026Report card seven areas graded separately Safeguarding: Met
Still missing for Puffin Pre-School Ltd
- 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Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date.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.
- Is £21.00 a session 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.
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.