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Tiddlywinks Preschool

Ofsted: Needs attention·
5.0(2 parent reviews) ·Bishop William Ward School, 22a Coach Road, COLCHESTER, CO6 4AT · Essex
Number of places
40 places
Age range
1–4 yrs
Last inspected
Mar 2026
Local authority
Essex

About this day nursery

Tiddlywinks Preschool, established in 2011, is a childcare setting for children aged 1-4 years, located in Colchester. The preschool operates all year round, from 8:30 am to 5 pm on weekdays.

It is committed to inclusivity, providing funded early education for all eligible children. The preschool adopts the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, with a strong focus on children's communication and language development.

Leaders and staff work closely with parents and external professionals to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored support and necessary resources. The setting emphasises building strong relationships with parents, ensuring a smooth transition for children.

Tiddlywinks Preschool encourages independence through practical tasks, such as involving children in setting the table with ceramic plates and teapots. Children have the freedom to move between indoor and outdoor spaces, engaging in activities like making mud kitchen cakes and exploring role-play areas.

Staff plan outings to local community spots, including an orchard and the postbox, to broaden children's experiences.

Our ethos

The preschool fosters a "learning through play" ethos that encourages development through various activities and holistic opportunities. They emphasise individual growth and uniqueness through a strong key person system and positive family relationships, helping each child become strong, capable, confident, and self-assured.

What it's like

Children at Tiddlywinks Preschool experience varying levels of support in their play and learning, hindering consistent development of vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills. Despite this, children settle well, enjoy their time, and make choices about their activities, including moving freely between indoor and outdoor spaces. Staff are consistently caring and kind, providing comfort and reassurance, and praise children to motivate positive behaviour and boost self-esteem.

Focus on communicationInclusive SEND supportPromotes independenceOutdoor learning

Pricing & funding

The nursery charges age-banded fees for three-hour sessions, with different rates applying to children aged one, two, and three to five years old. Additional services such as lunch club, hot meals, and late afternoon finishes can be booked separately.

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Lunch club is available for all children for one hour.
  • Late finishes from 15:30 to 16:00 can be booked daily.
  • Hot lunch is available as an optional daily extra.

Key facts

Opening hours

8:30 am to 5 pm on weekdays

Age range

12 months to 5 years old

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2011

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Needs attention

Last inspected Mar 2026

Headline: Needs attention

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
—
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementNeeds attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
1 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Tiddlywinks Preschool

Last inspected 17 March 2026

Safeguarding effective

Actions the provider must take

  • ensure the curriculum is implemented through well planned and purposeful activities that link to children's individual learning needs
  • support staff to strengthen the quality of their interactions to ensure that teaching is responsive to the individual learning needs of children

What it's like to attend

Children at Tiddlywinks Preschool experience varying levels of support in their play and learning, hindering consistent development of vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills. Despite this, children settle well, enjoy their time, and make choices about their activities, including moving freely between indoor and outdoor spaces. Staff are consistently caring and kind, providing comfort and reassurance, and praise children to motivate positive behaviour and boost self-esteem.

Inspector highlights

  • Children's communication and language development is a central focus of the pre-school's curriculum.
  • Leaders and staff work with parents and external professionals to make sure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support and funding.
  • Staff help children learn to be responsible and independent by involving them in tasks and supporting them with ceramic plates and teapots and using a toaster.
  • Leaders and staff build strong, positive relationships with parents, gathering details to ensure a smooth transition and keeping parents well informed.
  • Leaders and staff show they understand the needs of children who attend and are aware of the curriculum's learning intentions.
  • Leaders are aiming to provide high-quality experiences to children.

Areas to develop

  • 1Not all children achieve consistently well in all areas of their learning to give them the secure foundational knowledge they need as they move on to school. Children's skills and knowledge do not always build and develop rapidly over time and learning is often incidental.
  • 2Not all children receive consistently high-quality education due to inconsistent implementation of the curriculum. Some staff do not yet consider how to build on children's existing knowledge and skills when planning activities.
  • 3Leaders are still in the early stages of implementing plans to improve quality of education and staff practice, and these changes are not yet fully embedded to ensure improvements happen quickly enough.
Inspection #10390081 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Leaders and staff work with parents and external professionals to make sure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support and funding. They secure additional resources and use them effectively to help children take part in pre-school activities and remain safe. Children with SEND are supported by on a one-to-one basis, by staff who are guided in their roles by leaders. Tailored strategies are in place to support children with SEND to make progress from their starting points. This ensures barriers to learning are reduced and children receive targeted support that reflects their individual circumstances and needs. Additional funding is used effectively to support children's individual needs and parents are involved in decisions about how funding is used.

Outdoor space

Pre-school children move freely between indoor and outdoor spaces to suit their interests. Staff plan a range of outings in the local community, including visits to a local orchard and walks to the local postbox, which helps to widen children's experiences. Children spend time outdoors daily. They make pretend cakes in the mud kitchen, build castles using recycled materials and help plant seeds.

Parent Reviews of Tiddlywinks Preschool

5.0
(2)

Reviews from Google for Tiddlywinks Preschool. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: September 2011

The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Requires improvement). We're re-checking it against the original report.

  • August 2025Requires improvement
  • January 2020Outstanding
  • December 2015Outstanding
  • September 2011Good

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