The Chesterfords Community Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Saffron Walden for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £8.75 an hour for 2, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2024. Open since 2011, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year, price list dated 2026 - 2027.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | £8.75 | |
| 3 - 5 years3y to 5y | £8.00 |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £4.05 a half day optional supplement per half-dayincludes Snacks, Craft supplies and other non-food
- £8.10 a day optional supplement per dayincludes Snacks, Craft supplies and other non-food
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Universal funding for 3 – 4 year olds: 15 hours a week; Extended funding for 3 - 4 year olds: up to a total of 30 hours; Funding for 2 year olds: 15 hours for eligible working parents and other criteria.
Worth knowing. Taken over term time, all children are eligible for a a maximum of 15 hours of funding per week for 38 weeks per year. You can book a mixture of funded hours and full price sessions. The minimum daily booking is 3 hours.
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
CB10 1NSWhat 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, 8 October 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The caring and nurturing staff team creates a warm and welcoming environment where children settle well. Children actively seek out their key person when they arrive at the pre-school. This demonstrates the strong bonds they have formed.
Learning opportunities are created using children's interests and key topics that the pre-school follows. Practitioners enhance learning, and, as a result, children remain at activities for long periods.
The pre-school has a real community feel, and children are right at the heart of all that staff do. Staff use the local community area to build on children's knowledge of the world around them. This includes accessing the 'nature space' and visiting local shops and amenities. A visit to the local library enhances children's love of books.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to develop their knowledge and ability to set next-step targets that build on the areas children need to develop the most n focus supervision targets more precisely to support staff and raise the quality of their teaching to the highest level.
- 8 October 2024Good
- 14 December 2018Good
- 13 October 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Chesterfords Community Preschool
- Nappies
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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £8.75 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.