Saffron Walden Nursery School
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Saffron Walden for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 1993, with 49 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
CB11 3AQWhat 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.
- 4 June 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 24 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Inclusion is at the heart of everything that is done in this nursery. Staff place high importance on identifying and planning for children's individual needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children are happy and secure in this welcoming and friendly nursery. They enjoy the interesting and varied activities that are provided for them, both indoors and in the well-resourced garden. Staff support children's natural instincts to discover and explore. For example, children enthusiastically investigate a block of ice and are encouraged to
'rescue the animals' that are frozen inside. Staff chat with the children about what they are doing. Children behave well.
Staff follow the established routines of babies for feeding and sleeping, promoting continuity of care. Babies develop a strong sense of belonging and this continues throughout the nursery. Staff provide a warm and welcoming learning environment in which children are secure and confident to express themselves. They show genuine care and concern for the children. Children develop secure emotional attachments to their key person and other staff. Staff are caring and nurturing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to focus more closely on consistently supporting children's developing thinking and problem-solving skills n review and revise the organisation of the transition between routine activities, to ensure that children continue to enjoy a high standard of play, teaching and learning n support children in completing their self-chosen tasks, giving them timely reminders of when the routines need to change.
- 24 April 2024Good
- 16 May 2023Needs improvement
- 17 November 2022Inadequate
- 30 January 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Saffron Walden Nursery 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.