Theydon Bois Preschool Group
OutstandingBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Theydon Bois for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 1999, 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
CM16 7JYWhat 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 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive and flourish in this excellent pre-school. They are very happy and their confidence soars. Staff are extremely sensitive to children's emotional needs and this helps children to settle quickly. Staff provide children with individual nurturing care and support for their needs. Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff set gentle but firm boundaries for children's behaviour. This is reassuring for children and they quickly learn about the staff's expectations of them.
All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make exceptionally good progress in their learning. They progress rapidly from their starting points. Staff are swift to identify any gaps in children's learning and provide one-to-one support when children need additional help. Parents say they are highly delighted with the progress their children make, particularly with their speech and language and confidence.
Staff ensure that learning is fun for the children. They are led by children's choices and change activities according to children's interests and preferences. Children are extremely curious and love to explore their environment. They flock to activities when staff prepare science experiments for them to observe. For example, they watch in awe as they see a model of a volcano begin to emit steam. Staff cleverly extend children's learning by asking them questions about where they might have seen steam before. This encourages children's thinking skills and recall.
- 8 July 2024Outstanding
- 30 October 2018Good
- 15 December 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Theydon Bois Preschool Group
- 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.