Smiles Montessori Pre-School (Bushfair) Limited
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Harlow for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2024. Open since 2023, with 72 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
CM18 6LYWhat 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, 17 December 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children show that they are happy at the setting. They arrive ready and eager to start their day. Older children meet the familiar staff at the door and go to join their friends for breakfast or to play. Babies come into their room with their parents, who help to settle them. Relationships between staff and children are warm and caring.
Throughout the day, babies and children seek support and actively involve staff in their play. Children smile, laugh and frequently have expressions of deep concentration. Staff are highly skilled at promoting children's personal development.
Older children easily articulate their feelings and enjoyment of the activities that staff provide. Children are confident, especially in the presence of the adults that they know well. Staff provide children with very clear guidance about how to behave. They are positive role models, and this helps to ensure that children understand what is expected of them.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to precisely match experiences to children's individual learning needs to ensure they are always meaningful.
- 17 December 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Smiles Montessori Pre-School (Bushfair) Limited
- 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.