St Winifred's Nursery
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Chigwell for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2000, 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
IG7 5PSWhat 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, 10 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and settle well into the nursery. They separate easily from their parents and become quickly engaged in their learning environment. Children have a strong sense of belonging at the nursery. Staff build clear bonds with children, helping them to feel safe and secure. Staff produce family books containing photos of children's family members, helping them to understand what makes them unique, and postcards are sent from family holidays, enabling children to talk about their experiences on return.
Staff plan a curriculum that is based around children's interests and ensure that these interests are reflected in the learning environment. For example, staff set out large floor puzzle pieces that children enjoy connecting together, helping to support their problem-solving skills. Staff understand what children know and what they need to learn next. For example, they identify that children need to build on their fine motor skills. They support this by planning activities, such as play dough and glue and sticking, helping children to strengthen finger muscles and improve their pencil grip.
Staff act as positive role models, promoting positive behaviour. They celebrate children's achievements with praise, which helps boost their self-esteem. Staff actively play alongside children, helping them to have positive attitudes to learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- guide staff to better support children to understand the importance of sitting down while eating n consider ways to help staff recognise when children are not fully engaged and support to redirect their learning.
- 10 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 6 February 2019Good
- 1 December 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Winifred's 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.