Tolleshunt D'Arcy Pre-school
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Maldon for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £39.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 2014, with 22 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 01.09.24.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £39.00All day | £19.50Morning or Afternoon, 3 hrs |
Funded hours
Funding is available, subject to eligibility.
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
CM9 8UBWhat 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, 20 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come in eagerly to this pre-school and are greeted by welcoming and caring staff. They wave goodbye to their parents at the gate and walk in happily with staff. Children show that they feel safe and secure and have great relationships with all staff. They walk off freely and make their own choices in activities they would like to do. Children behave well, manage their own conflicts and take turns with others. Children spend a significant amount of their day outdoors. They show delight in the outdoor environment, running around smiling and engaging in a game of hide and seek with others. Staff provide regular opportunities for children to explore the local woodland area to inspire children's natural curiosity by exploring the world around them and the changes in the environment.
Children show positive attitudes to learning and are supported by staff to develop the skills needed to be ready for school. Children enjoy using technology to recite and act out familiar stories with staff using actions, promoting a love for literature.
Staff support children to learn about the importance of being healthy, including their oral health. Children demonstrate their independence, self-serving their own healthy and nutritious snacks and pouring their own drinks.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to make sure routine tasks are organised in a way that allows children to complete activities to their satisfaction n review the organisation and teaching during group activities to ensure two-yearold children are consistently supported in their learning.
- 20 October 2022Good
- 18 January 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Tolleshunt D'Arcy Pre-school
- 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 £39.00 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.