Ofsted record

Tiddlywinks Preschool

Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER · URN EY424384

According to Ofsted's inspection on 17 March 2026, Tiddlywinks Preschool in Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER was graded on 6 areas of its report card: curriculum and teaching — Needs Attention; achievement — Needs Attention; behaviour and routines — Expected Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Expected Standard; inclusion — Expected Standard; leadership and governance — Needs Attention. Source: Little Bees Nursery Intelligence, from Ofsted's published record.

  1. Inspected 17 March 2026

    6 months ago

    Report card — six areas graded separately.

    Curriculum and teaching Needs Attention
    Achievement Needs Attention
    Behaviour and routines Expected Standard
    Welfare and wellbeing Expected Standard
    Inclusion Expected Standard
    Leadership and governance Needs Attention

    What each grade means

    Each area is judged separately. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result.

    Curriculum and teaching Needs Attention
    Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.
    Achievement Needs Attention
    Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.
    Behaviour and routines Expected Standard
    The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.
    Welfare and wellbeing Expected Standard
    The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.
    Inclusion Expected Standard
    The bar every provider must clear. Meeting it is the pass, not a mediocre result.
    Leadership and governance Needs Attention
    Below the expected standard in this area. It has to be put right, but it is not judged urgent.
  2. Earlier inspections

  3. 21 May 2025 Requires Improvement
  4. 29 November 2019 Outstanding
  5. 1 December 2015 Outstanding
  6. 12 September 2011 Good

On the register

Ofsted URN
EY424384
Provider type
Childcare on Non-Domestic Premises, Full day care
Ages
1 to 4
Registered places
40
Registered since
7 April 2011
Local authority
Essex

Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER · CO6 4AT. Location from the Ofsted register.

On the Early Years Register.

Common questions

When was Tiddlywinks Preschool last inspected by Ofsted? +

Tiddlywinks Preschool in Great Horkesley, COLCHESTER was last inspected on 17 March 2026. That inspection used Ofsted's report card framework, which replaced single-word overall ratings for early years settings in November 2025.

What did Ofsted say about Tiddlywinks Preschool? +

Ofsted graded 6 areas: curriculum and teaching — Needs Attention; achievement — Needs Attention; behaviour and routines — Expected Standard; welfare and wellbeing — Expected Standard; inclusion — Expected Standard; leadership and governance — Needs Attention. Each area is judged separately, so a setting can be stronger in one than another.

Is "expected standard" a good grade? +

Yes. Expected standard is the bar every provider has to clear, so meeting it is the pass rather than a mediocre result. Strong standard and exceptional sit above it; needs attention and urgent improvement sit below.

What ages does Tiddlywinks Preschool take? +

Tiddlywinks Preschool is registered for children aged 1 to 4.

How many children can Tiddlywinks Preschool take? +

Tiddlywinks Preschool is registered for up to 40 children at any one time. That is a registration limit, not the number currently attending.

How long has Tiddlywinks Preschool been registered? +

Tiddlywinks Preschool has been registered with Ofsted since 7 April 2011. Its unique reference number (URN) is EY424384.

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Inspection and registration information is published by Ofsted and reproduced by Little Bees Nursery Intelligence under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Little Bees is not affiliated with Ofsted. The grade descriptions are our plain-English summaries of where each grade sits against the standard, not Ofsted's own criteria.

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