Step Start Nurseries Fyfield
GoodBirth to 5Open a few years
A day nursery in Ongar for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2025. Open since 2025, with 70 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
CM5 0GNWhat 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, 7 August 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy in this child-focused, nurturing nursery. They are eager to explore an impressive range of activities and authentic resources that enable them to recall real-life experiences through their play. Staff are committed to supporting all children to reach their full potential. They identify and consistently review what children need to learn next so that they learn through a sequenced approach.
Babies have plenty of opportunities to explore using their senses. Staff respond to their curiosity by showing them how to make swirls in sand on the floor. This motivates babies to copy this action and discover how the sand falls as they reach up and sprinkle it. Younger children collect natural items and mix them in a saucepan in the mud kitchen. Staff interactions enhance children's imagination and expand their vocabulary. They show them how to turn a tap left and right and introduce them to words, such as 'ingredients', and their meaning. Older children learn to solve mathematical problems. Staff teach them about quantities, size and weight. This challenges their critical thinking as they make comparisons and predictions.
Staff have high expectations for all children. They teach them important skills, such as how to respect other's space when lining up and to walk sensibly from the outdoor area to their rooms. Children learn about cultural festivals, such as
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- refine the organisation of transition times for younger children, particularly before and during lunch, to minimise waiting time for children n make the most of the outdoor area for older children to fully support those children who prefer to learn outdoors and minimise disturbing children who are resting.
- 7 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Step Start Nurseries Fyfield
- 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.