Wickham Bishops Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Church Road for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:30 to 16:00, 4 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 2000, with 36 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
The government funds children the term after their third birthday for 15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year these sessions an be taken flexibly over 38 or 51 weeks. There is additional funding for 3 and 4 year old children whose parents meet specific financial requirements, see www.childcarechoices.gov.uk . We accept funding for 2 year olds who meet criteria as specified by Essex County Council.
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
CM8 3JZWhat 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, 28 June 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children understand that when they arrive at nursery, routines have changed because of the pandemic. Staff wearing face masks now meet them and their parents at the main gate. Children competently learn about undertaking risk assessment for themselves. They help complete daily checks, including making sure that the main gate is padlocked to keep everyone safe. Children develop their knowledge over time, and staff are very vigilant to support and further this learning. During snack time, staff teach children that grapes need to be cut to prevent them choking and older children explain this to younger ones.
Children use their exceptional imaginative skills to create and share stories. They talk about visiting 'Aliens in outer space'. Staff prompt children who fluently explain that to get there, 'you have to walk a really, really long way'. While sharing their adventure children make sounds, which they describe are the 'alien's language'.
Children are very eager to extend their story, talking knowledgably about what aliens like to eat and do. Other children join in with great excitement, confirming that they too have enjoyed meeting real aliens. Children are articulate and develop very high levels of self-esteem. Extremely encouraging relationships between children and staff build independence and resilience. Behaviour is exceptional, older children negotiate turn taking, while younger ones respond very quickly to the gentle guidance from staff.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the supervision of staff to ensure an effective program of professional development is wisely planned, and chosen with care, to take account of the context and performance of the setting.
- 28 June 2021Good
- 21 November 2019Inadequate
- 13 November 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Wickham Bishops Nursery
- What it costs
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.