Bright Horizons Longfield Day Nursery and Preschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Dartford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2000, with 89 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
DA3 7PJWhat 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.
- 14 September 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 23 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff create a warm and welcoming nursery. Children are happy to come in and settle quickly with staff playing alongside them. Leaders place an emphasis on supporting all children's well-being and ensuring they feel safe and ready to learn.
Staff encourage children to take part and have a go, and they give them lots of positive praise.
Staff plan a curriculum that considers every child's stage of development and supports them to build on their existing knowledge and skills. They plan activities that are inclusive and can be accessed by all children. Leaders and staff ensure that planned activities are adjusted to support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to also make good progress.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance activity planning to focus more precisely on the intended learning to offer all children more targeted support n strengthen the systems in place for monitoring and developing staff performance to establish more consistent teaching practice.
- 23 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 21 March 2019Good
- 11 August 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bright Horizons Longfield Day Nursery and Preschool
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.