Full-day nursery in Bath Side, Essex
The Ark Centre
The Ark Centre, 36 Main Road, Harwich, CO12 3LU · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- 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
- Ofsted registrationRegistered since July 2005Reference EY312761Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 24 June 2025Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places26 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 30 September 2026Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
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
The Ark Centre, 36 Main Road, Harwich, CO12 3LU · More nurseries in CO12
Stations
- Harwich Town2 min walk · under 0.1 miles
- Dovercourt10 min walk · 0.4 miles
Buses
7 bus stops within 400 m, including DaRT Harwich, Lighthouse and Mayflower Avenue.
Parks and playgrounds
- Cox's Pond1 min walk
- Mayor's Garden5 min walk
- Cliff Park8 min walk
- Playground4 min walk
- Bathside Play Area playground5 min walk
- Cliff Park Play Area playground9 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
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Write a reviewAbout The Ark Centre
The Ark Centre is a full-day nursery at The Ark Centre, 36 Main Road, Harwich, CO12 3LU, in Bath Side, Essex. It is registered for 26 children. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in June 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ark CentreThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Harwich Connexions Noah's Nursery LtdFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.3 miles |
| Harwich Centre Pre-SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.9 miles |
| Shotley KidzoneFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 2.2 miles |
| The Peartree Kindergarten (Felixstowe) LtdFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 2.3 miles |
| Little Hoppers Pre-SchoolFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 2.5 miles |
| Little JeM's Catholic NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 2.7 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- Harwich Community Primary School and Nursery Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected October 2023 0.3 miles
- The Mayflower Primary School Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Goodinspected February 2022 0.8 miles
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primaryages 5–11Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected May 2023 1.2 miles
- Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected February 2024 1.4 miles
- All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dovercourt Primaryages 4–11Ofsted: Goodinspected April 2024 1.5 miles
- Harwich and Dovercourt High School Secondaryages 11–16Ofsted: Report cardinspected January 2026 1.4 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 Good at its inspection on 24 June 2025, 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 26 children at any one time.
What is the nearest station to The Ark Centre?
Harwich Town is the nearest station we know of, under 0.1 miles away in a straight line.
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
- 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
- Food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Last checked 30 June 2026 · Ofsted URN EY312761 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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