The Colourwheel Montessori
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Braintree for babies from 9 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £95.00 a day for 2yr olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2008, with 51 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.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2s and 2 year oldsbirth to 2y | £95.00 | £6.50Early Start £47.50Morning or Afternoon, 5 hrs | £9.50Additional hours | |
| 2yr olds2y to 3y | £95.00 | £6.00Early Start £47.50Morning or Afternoon, 5 hrs | – | |
| 3 & 4 year olds3y to 4y | £95.00 | £5.50Early Start £42.50Morning or Afternoon, 5 hrs | £8.50Additional hours |
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £2.15 an hour Extra Services Chargevoluntary charge per funded hour, includes All food cooked by our in-house chef, which meets
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
30 hours of funding per week for 38 weeks of the year for eligible children from the term after they turn 9 months old; all 3 & 4 year olds are eligible for 15 hours of funding per week for 38 weeks of the year.
Worth knowing. Voluntary charge of £2.15/funded hour.
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
CM77 8ZZWhat 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, 6 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children smile with delight as they enjoy their time at this nurturing nursery. They wave goodbye to their parents at the door and happily greet staff by name. They freely access the vast array of learning activities available throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors. An inviting and stimulating learning environment enables children to make independent choices in their play. Children have opportunities to develop their fine motor skills by doing up buttons and fastenings on clothing boards, a skill which supports children to learn how to dress themselves.
Children of all ages show curiosity and positive attitudes to learning. Staff excitedly engage in activities, which helps all children remain focussed in their play. Young babies immerse themselves in a rice-play activity and enjoy using different utensils to pick up the rice and pour it into their bowls. Supportive staff extend this to introduce colour names to children to widen their vocabulary. Staff capture older children's attention while building with small bricks. Children respond positively to one another and proudly identify whose turn it is to build next. Staff continually praise children for their efforts. This helps children to take pride in their achievements.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the organisation and deployment of staff during mealtime routines, so that the needs of all children are considered n support staff to consistently demonstrate good hygiene procedures with younger children, to help them learn effective care practices.
- 6 March 2023Good
- 23 August 2017Good
- 30 May 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Colourwheel Montessori
- 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
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 £95.00 a day 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.