2J's Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Rochester for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2006, with 60 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 & 30-hour childcare funding.
Worth knowing. Consumable charges for funded places: £2 full day, £1 per session; opt-out available with required items list.
What childcare usually costs in Medway
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Medway from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
ME2 2LHWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 27 June 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 8 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children leave their parents and carers with ease. They are greeted warmly by staff and show great independence in the morning routines. Children settle straight down to activities that interest and engage them. The curriculum is ambitious for all children. It currently has a focus on emotions, self-regulation, communication, and language development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. Staff break down next steps into small achievable tasks. This provides all children with the support they need to succeed.
Children are keen to explore the wide range of activities on offer. They enjoy time spent engaging with the staff. For example, children ask staff to join them in playing a game of 'Hungry Hippos', and staff allow children to take the lead and follow their direction. Staff take a keen interest in learning about the children and what they do outside of the pre-school, to develop an understanding of their home lives and interests.
Children behave well. They show that they know the staff's expectations. Staff act as positive role models and are quick to support children in making the right choices. For example, when children show an interest in throwing beanbags, staff make this into a game for them to throw into a basket. This channels the children's interests in a safe and constructive way.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the opportunities for children to develop a love of stories and books to further support their literacy and language skills n review and strengthen the arrangements for the deployment of staff to ensure they get to spend quality time with their key children.
- 8 February 2024Good
- 4 May 2018Good
- 18 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for 2J's Pre-School
- What it costs
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.