Step Start Nurseries Braintree
Good★ 2.9 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Braintree for children from birth to 5, open 07:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 2023. Open since 2020, with 75 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
CM7 9RWWhat 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.
- 29 July 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 26 May 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy at the nursery and readily leave their parents at the door.
New children are offered comfort and reassurance as they adapt to nursery life.
This helps to build secure bonds with their key persons. Children quickly join their friends and engage in play. Young children explore materials in their 'dinosaur swamp'. They use their fingers to pull apart the swamp materials and sprinkle them over the dinosaurs. Other children focus on making a home for the animals out of a cardboard box, and decorate it with crayons.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- encourage staff to consistently support children to understand the actions and consequences of their behaviour, to strengthen their knowledge about what is right and wrong n review the organisation of group and story times so that children can remain focused and engaged n encourage the less confident children to contribute and express their ideas during group activities.
- 12 January 2023Good
- 8 February 2022Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Step Start Nurseries Braintree
- 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.