Spring - Harlequin
GoodBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Witham for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 2016, with 37 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
CM8 1NAWhat 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, 25 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and settled in this welcoming environment. They develop close relationships with the kind and nurturing staff, helping them to feel safe and secure. Babies contentedly snuggle up to staff and are comforted by their affection.
Staff know and follow their care routines well, ensuring their individual needs are met. Older children initiate conversations with staff, confidently talking about their experiences outside of the nursery. Staff support children in their independence.
For example, children make their own play choices, learn to wash their hands, feed themselves with cutlery and put on their coats and shoes.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- promote further development of staff's teaching skills to extend children's learning as far as possible n support staff to focus more precisely on what children need to learn next when they plan activities, to help them make the best possible progress.
- 25 January 2024Good
- 16 May 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Spring - Harlequin
- 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.