Schoolgate Nursery
Outstanding★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Harlow for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2001, with 26 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
CM17 9EUWhat 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, 22 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive and are extremely happy and settled in this all-inclusive, supportive nursery. They are greeted with warmth, making them feel welcome and valued.
Staff consistently provide high-quality care and education to meet all children's individual needs through meaningful and exceptionally well-organised play experiences. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who speak English as an additional language, make very rapid progress.
Children have exceptionally high levels of independence. They are excited to be at the nursery and have strong bonds with staff. Children enjoy the challenges and love sharing their achievements with others. For example, they confidently show that they can put their coats on to go outside. Children ask questions and boldly suggest possible answers or opinions. Staff listen and extend children's learning to help them think deeper on subjects. Children are very imaginative and highly creative thinkers. They adore playing with the imaginary nursery dog, feeding and taking him outside for walks. Children enjoy role-play activities on the wooden train, pretending to travel to the zoo to meet the animals. They extend their activities independently, for example by walking around the pretend zoo to meet animals and interact with them.
- 22 March 2022Outstanding
- 19 June 2015Outstanding
- 2 July 2010Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Schoolgate Nursery
- 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.