Borden Village Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Sittingbourne for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2011, with 26 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Kent
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Kent 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
ME9 8JSWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 6 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into the setting confidently and happily. They greet their friends, including the staff, enthusiastically. Children feel safe and secure. They understand and follow established routines. For example, at the end of the morning, they help to tidy the activities away before lunch. Those children who are going home collect their belongings without reminders. Children understand how to keep themselves safe. They are reminded to use both hands to move a plank of wood and to wear hats outside in the sunshine. Children have positive attitudes to their learning. They persevere and concentrate, sharing and taking turns. For instance, children devise a game where they take turns to fill each other's jugs with water, run and pour it out. Children behave well. Staff use books to support children in understanding their feelings, such as when they have been upset.
The curriculum has been adapted to ensure that it meets the needs of the children in the setting. Children are able to build on their learning sequentially. For example, activities support the development of simple mark making into early writing.
Children enjoy listening to stories as a group. They join in with repeated refrains and make comments about the characters.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus planning more sharply on ensuring that activities precisely match individual children's next steps in learning.
- 6 July 2023Good
- 5 December 2017Good
- 5 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Borden Village Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.