Sessional pre-school in Chelmer Village, Essex
The Ark Centre
Ark Centre, 15 Springfield Lyons Approach, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 5LB · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Outstanding
- Quality of educationOutstanding
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
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Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
Ark Centre, 15 Springfield Lyons Approach, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 5LB · More nurseries in CM2
Stations
- Beaulieu Park18 min walk · 0.7 miles
Buses
3 bus stops within 400 m, including Sainsburys and Sainsburys Store.
Parks and playgrounds
- Chancellor Park Sports Area12 min walk
- Cornelius Vale Play Area playground9 min walk
- Playground11 min walk
- Playground11 min walk
NaPTAN, Department for Transport, checked 13 November 2026 · © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Essex there are about 2.9 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
Reviews on Toddly
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Write a reviewAbout The Ark Centre
The Ark Centre is a sessional pre-school at Ark Centre, 15 Springfield Lyons Approach, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 5LB, in Chelmer Village, Essex. It is registered for 6 children. Ofsted rated it Outstanding at its inspection in December 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It has a Google rating of 4.9 from 7 reviews (November 2026).
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ark CentreThis nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Buttercup Montessori Kindergarten LtdFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| Scallywags Nursery Chelmsford LimitedFull-day nursery | Outstanding | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.4 miles |
| Holders Farm KindergartenSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.6 miles |
| Tiddlywinks Day Nursery & Pre SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.7 miles |
| Rainbow Pre-SchoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
| Beaulieu Park Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- The Bishops' Church of England and Roman Catholic Primary School Primaryages 5–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected July 2023 0.6 miles
- Barnes Farm Primary School Primaryages 5–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected October 2022 0.7 miles
- Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Outstandinginspected March 2024 0.7 miles
- Springfield Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Report cardinspected March 2026 0.9 miles
- The Tyrrells School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Improved significantlyinspected January 2025 0.9 miles
- The Beaulieu Park School All-throughages 4–19Ofsted: Outstandinginspected January 2023 1.1 miles
- Perryfields Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: Outstandinginspected February 2024 1.1 miles
- Perryfields Infant School Primaryages 5–7Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected October 2022 1.1 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
What is The Ark Centre's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Ark Centre Outstanding at its inspection on 8 December 2023, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can The Ark Centre take?
The Ark Centre is registered with Ofsted for up to 6 children at any one time.
What is the nearest station to The Ark Centre?
Beaulieu Park is the nearest station we know of, 0.7 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact The Ark Centre?
You can call 01245 467355 and visit thearkcentre.org.
Tools for parents in Essex
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in EssexFees by age in Essex
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 4 November 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Contains Department for Transport NaPTAN data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Read reviews on Google
Last checked 4 November 2026 · Ofsted URN 2652830 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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