Squirrels Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Colchester for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. 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
CO4 9SRWhat 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.
- 14 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 2 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive keen to start their day. They are greeted by happy attentive staff, who are genuinely pleased to see them. An individually tailored settling-in process, along with good partnerships with parents, means staff know the children well before they start. This ensures children are settled, confident and excited to attend.
Children quickly busy themselves at a chosen activity. The management team are committed to provide good-quality teaching. The curriculum is planned to support children to develop skills they need to be independent learners and prepare them for a smooth transition to school. Activities provided are designed to build on what children already know, what interests them and includes termly themes, such as
'people who help us'. Children play in an inclusive environment. A variety of resources are easily accessible on open shelving and this encourages children to self-select and initiate their own learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to improve the use of effective questioning skills to give children more time to think and respond to questions n help staff to provide children with more opportunities to take responsibility for themselves and solve problems when negotiating how to share resources and resolve conflicts n strengthen training opportunities for staff to ensure they are effective to raise the quality of teaching to an even higher level.
- 2 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 21 January 2020Outstanding
- 30 April 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Squirrels Pre-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.