Wendens Ambo Pre School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Saffron Walden for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £8.00 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 2015, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
As of September 2026 our fees for any non-government-funded hours will be £8.00 per hour + a voluntary £1 per hour Fair Funding and Consumables Supplement.
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Children attending this setting may be eligible for government funding from the January, April or September following their 2nd birthday for up to 15 hours per week and following their 3rd birthday for up to 30 hours* per week, for 38 weeks.
Worth knowing. Children are only allowed to claim the amount of funded hours they are registered to attend as at the headcount date. A separate and voluntary £1 per hour Fair Funding and Consumables Supplement will be charged for all hours (funded and non-funded), except for children qualifying for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP). *30 free hours is offered on an entirely discretionary basis to qualifying families and may be withdrawn, at our discretion, should an increased uptake begin to impact on the pr.
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
CB11 4JXWhat 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, 21 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate they are keen and eager to learn as they excitedly arrive at pre-school. They are greeted by attentive, nurturing staff. Children are enthusiastic, demonstrate they are settled and happy and become engrossed in their play, leaving their parents with ease. Children's individual interests and developing needs fully inform the curriculum. They are aware of the high expectations of the staff, who are good role models and speak with respect and kindness to the children.
Children's speech and language development is good and staff are skilful in their interactions with them. They are aware of the importance of introducing new words to help children's conversation skills and how to pose questions to encourage them to think. For example, children interested in body parts show sustained concentration and have meaningful conversations as they learn about lungs, the spine and kidneys and where they are positioned in the body. Children flourish outdoors and know how to keep themselves safe. They tell visitors to the preschool they need to wear wellington boots and a coat to keep warm and dry. They are positively encouraged and supported to take care of their personal needs.
Children learn the skills required for independence and for transition to school, and successful future learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- plan more opportunities within the curriculum to challenge children's thinking to consistently build on what they already know and can do n plan and provide more opportunities for children to expand their enjoyment of books.
- 21 November 2023Good
- 5 February 2018Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Wendens Ambo 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 £8.00 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.