Writtle Green Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Chelmsford for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. £8.00 an hour for 2 year olds (&non-funded 3 year olds), and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 1999, with 19 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated 01.09.25.
| Age | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 year olds (&non-funded 3 year olds)2y to 3y | £6.00additional hours over funded hours | £8.00 | |
| 3 & 4 Year olds3y to 4y | £5.10additional hours over funded hours | £6.80Charge for funded 3 & 4 Year olds |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 a day Snackpaid termly, includes morning snack and a biscuit and drinks in the
Funded hours
Funded 3 & 4 Year olds.
Worth knowing. We do not restrict where you can use your funded hours.
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
CM1 3LYWhat 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, 12 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed into the setting by the staff and separate from their parents and carers with ease. Staff are kind, caring and attentive to children's needs. This helps children to develop strong and trusting relationships with staff.
Children are happy, settled and clearly enjoy being at the pre-school. As they play and engage with activities, they giggle and laugh as they naturally chat to staff and each other.
Staff have a high expectation for all children. They provide a stimulating environment that reflects children's interests, promotes their curiosity and builds on their knowledge and skills. Children are keen to join in with activities and are positive, independent learners. They make up their own games and confidently select different resources to help them extend their play. Staff encourage and support children to practise new skills and take safe risks. For example, they model techniques and teach children how to balance and climb safely as they walk across planks and scale the climbing wall.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the quality of staff interactions with children to help them consistently challenge and extend children's learning even further
- ensure that staff routinely engage with highly focused professional development opportunities to help improve their practice and drive the quality of teaching even higher.
- 12 September 2024Good
- 6 November 2018Good
- 26 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Writtle Green Pre-School
- 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
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.
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.