Roman Road Pre School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Ingatestone for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2023, with 28 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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
CM4 9EYWhat 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, 5 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive eager to learn at the setting. Practitioners settle children in for the day ahead with familiar welcome songs. Children sing loudly and use their excellent physical skills while completing the actions. This invigorates and motivates the children, who then run to find their favourite activities. Children put on hard hats and high-visibility vests, ready to become builders in the construction area. They build towers and squeal when they topple over. Practitioners encourage children to describe what they are doing. Children reply, saying, 'I am building a tall tower'.
Practitioners implement a balanced, child-centred curriculum. Children learn through exploration in the garden. They hunt for bugs under the grass and say, 'I
have found a worm and a millipede', excitedly showing practitioners. Children carefully place bugs in containers and use magnifiers to study them. Practitioners ask questions to support children's language skills. Children respond confidently, describing how some bugs have 'eight legs' and 'run quickly'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help practitioners to use their knowledge of what children already know to focus their teaching more precisely on what children need to learn next n guide practitioners to provide children with more opportunities to develop their independence and do things for themselves.
- 5 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Roman Road Pre School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.