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Three Butterflies Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Jul 2025)
·
4.7(12 parent reviews) ·Building H7, Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1JY · Essex
Number of places
40 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jul 2025
Local authority
Essex

About this day nursery

Three Butterflies Nursery in Waltham Abbey offers a nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged three months to five years. The nursery is committed to providing a fun and engaging learning experience, with activities tailored to individual interests and developmental stages.

They focus on play-based learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, complemented by adult-led activities. The dedicated and experienced staff ensure a high quality of care and education, with a strong emphasis on continued professional development.

The nursery provides freshly cooked, healthy meals and offers flexible full-day and half-day sessions to accommodate parents' needs. They welcome parents to visit the setting to experience the friendly and welcoming atmosphere firsthand.

The nursery divides its care into the Caterpillar Room for infants, the Beautiful Butterflies room for toddlers, and the Sunshine Room for pre-schoolers, each with appropriate staff-to-child ratios to ensure personalised attention.

Our ethos

The nursery is committed to providing a fun and engaging play-based learning experience within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, complemented by adult-led activities. They focus on tailoring activities to individual interests and developmental stages, ensuring a high quality of care and education.

What it's like

Children are welcomed by happy staff and confidently explore activities. The effective key-person approach helps children form secure attachments and settle well, with staff knowledgeable about each child and their family. Management has implemented a curriculum offering a range of opportunities across all learning areas, with staff planning based on children's interests and fostering independent learning skills.

Flexible sessionsPlay-based learningFreshly cooked mealsExperienced staff

Pricing & funding

The nursery charges monthly for any additional hours and meals attended by funded children. Specific charges apply for lunch and tea for children accessing 15-hour or 30-hour free childcare allocations.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds

Good to know

  • Additional hours and meals are invoiced monthly for funded children.
  • Specific charges apply for lunch and tea for children claiming 15 or 30 hours of free childcare.
  • Meal fees are currently being reviewed.

Key facts

Opening hours

Mon-Fri: 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Session types

Full Day, Half Day

Established

2019

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Three Butterflies Nursery

Last inspected 25 July 2025 · Lynn Hartigan

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children are welcomed by happy staff and confidently explore activities. The effective key-person approach helps children form secure attachments and settle well, with staff knowledgeable about each child and their family. Management has implemented a curriculum offering a range of opportunities across all learning areas, with staff planning based on children's interests and fostering independent learning skills.

Inspector highlights

  • The provider has worked hard to make required improvements since the last inspection, engaging with an early years consultant and completing appropriate training.
  • The introduction of a curriculum based on children's interests, learning through stories, and a focus on supporting speech and language has improved children's progress.
  • Children are offered a broad curriculum that includes planned outings in the local environment and adult-led activities, such as forest school sessions.
  • Children learn how to stay safe and healthy through daily routines, with regular opportunities to develop physical skills and receive fresh air.
  • Children make progress in their speech and language as they participate in spontaneous singing sessions and engage in conversations with staff.

Areas to develop

  • 1improve opportunities in the curriculum to challenge children's thinking to consistently build on what they already know and can do
  • 2improve the organisation of transition times to ensure that all children are fully engaged and supported at these times
  • 3include more focused activities within the curriculum to support children's understanding of emotions and develop their vocabulary further, to enable them to express how they feel.
Inspection #10379700 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

their children have made good progress since attending nursery.

their children are in good hands.

communication is good and appreciate the daily updates with their child's key person.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

The curriculum focuses on supporting speech and language, which has improved the progress children make. Children make progress in their speech and language as they participate in spontaneous singing sessions, repeat simple words, use instruments, and engage in conversations with staff.

Outdoor space

Children learn how to stay safe and healthy through daily routines. They have regular opportunities to develop physical skills and receive fresh air as they play in the garden. The curriculum includes planned outings in the local environment and adult-led activities, such as forest school sessions, to enhance their learning.

Parent Reviews of Three Butterflies Nursery

4.7
(12)
ozlem ustun
10 months ago

As a first time very detail oriented mum it’s been very difficult for me to find a place suitable to match my opinion how my child should be taken care of during my absence. My main priority value is genuine love care and attention more than anything. My daughter attended this place for 2 years. It was perfect due to its size her settling in was very easy and the genuine vibe made her feel very happy. Every morning for two years she was very excited to go in and came out with a bright smile on her face. Everyday she expressed how much she liked it there to everyone she would talk to. Very proud and confident telling them about her teachers and activities. Today was her last day and she made me promise to take her for visits which again showed me how well she has been taken care of. I am a firm believer that children come with their own personalities my child is a very observant and required a lot of love care and attention to feel well. She has shown me and told me that this was the case in this nursery which made me very happy. As first time parents we have had some issues and concerns previously these have been dealt with attention and care which also made me give this review. We thank three butterflies team for the great time we had with them.

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Marieka Wilkins
a year ago

My daughter loves this nursery and adores her keyworkers. Josephine and the girls are brilliant and feel like a second family for my little girl. She goes in smiling and I really enjoy seeing all the pictures of her activities on their app. They are also really thorough with updating the online diary daily so I always know her sleep times and how much she has eaten.

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Vin
3 years ago

Being a single working mum, I needed assurance that wherever I left my Angel she would be looked after just as good as when she's with me..Three Butterflies does just that! My daughter has developed leaps and bounds ahead of her milestones thanks to the staff there. When she bounces into nursery in the mornings I know that is a place she feels happy and safe. They have been everso flexible and are not a money grabbing machine like most nurseries. A family extension is what they are and I am so happy they have been a part (and key in laying the foundations) of my daughter's journey of education. Highly recommended!

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Jennifer Prince
a year ago

Our child attended Three butterflies and loved it there. The staff were really friendly and were very involved in her development. Our child was very sad to leave the nursery and the staff were really sweet and loving.

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m4rzk4
5 years ago

Three Butterflies is the best place my son could be. Every morning he runs to the door with joy forgetting to say goodbye. All the staff is very well taking care of him, also they always find time to speak with me about any concerns. Tapestry jurnal they run helps me to be up to date with things my boy is doing at nursery. My and my son having best experience joining Three Butterflies.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Three Butterflies Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: September 2019

  • August 2025Good
  • July 2025Good
  • December 2024Requires improvement
  • October 2024Requires improvement
  • September 2021Good
  • August 2021Good
  • September 2019Requires improvement
  • September 2019Requires improvement

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