Carmel Caterpillars Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Sittingbourne for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 4 days a week. £13.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 1974, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £13.00Morning or Afternoon |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 a day Weekly fee for consumablesincludes healthy snacks
- £3.00 a session Lunch cover session
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours, plus 2-year-old funding.
Worth knowing. We ask that all children contribute £2 per day attended towards consumables, including the healthy snacks provided. The £3 lunch cover is payable by all children staying for lunch, including those covered by Free Early Years Entitlement.
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
ME10 1JBWhat 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, 9 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children receive a warm welcome when they arrive at the pre-school. They arrive happy and eager to access the resources available. Children know to hang their coats and bags up on their pegs and wash their hands before settling down to the activities. At the start of the session, children sit together and say 'hello' in different languages to each other. Staff support them to remember the rules of the preschool. They go through the expectations and children recite these confidently. For example, children know that they must wash hands before snack time and must only use the cold tap, and that they must walk in the pre-school.
Children approach each activity with a positive attitude. They demonstrate what they know and have learned. For instance, children recall a game they played previously. They shout 'stop' when they need to stop and 'go' when it is their turn to go. Outside, children have free access to a secure garden. They practise balancing along wooden planks and independently take turns. For example, children remind each other whose turn it is and wait patiently for their go. They are reminded to do this safely and seek out adults to hold their hands and help them balance when they need it. Children are developing good physical skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the opportunities for children to improve their concentration and focus, to ensure they are fully engaged in their learning n improve the systems in place for liaising with other professionals, and seeking additional support for children, in a timelier way.
- 9 March 2022Good
- 8 June 2017Good
- 5 June 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Carmel Caterpillars Pre-School
- Meals
- Nappies
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.
- Is £13.00 a session still the rate? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.