Roydon Pre-School C.I.C
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Harlow 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 September 2024. Open since 2011, with 30 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
CM19 5HHWhat 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, 30 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are content and happy at this welcoming setting. They form secure relationships with the kind and caring staff team. Staff make best use of the initial and ongoing information they obtain from parents to plan a meaningful curriculum around children's interests and developmental needs. All children make good progress in their learning and development. They show high levels of engagement as they enjoy exploring and experimenting how to use a rich range of objects in several small suitcases containing sand. Children are independent for their age.
They manage their own care needs with minimal support and persevere at tasks, such as putting on and taking off their coats.
Children are given the time to develop their critical thinking skills. They work out how to pour water into their chosen container when it runs out. Staff's effective use of questions encourage children to express their thoughts and ideas, these are truly valued by staff and used to help embed previous knowledge. Children remember a story set in Africa and pretend they are travelling there by train. They discuss the animals native to Africa and learn that giraffes, and other characters in stories have the same colour tongue. Staff are positive role models and consistently implement the setting's rules. This helps children to understand the high expectations in place.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the outdoor curriculum to fully support those children who prefer to learn outdoors n build on learning opportunities as they arise to extend children's understanding of healthy choices.
- 30 September 2024Good
- 29 November 2018Good
- 13 May 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Roydon Pre-School C.I.C
- 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.