Chalk Village Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Chalk, Gravesend for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 2007, with 36 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
DA12 2NDWhat 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, 27 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are greeted at the door by staff and make their way to the hall. They arrive happily and settle into the activities available. For example, staff support children to choose what they would like to play with. Some children explore play dough, while others role play and dress up. Children who find it hard to settle in are given the time and reassurance they need. Staff provide children with comfort when they get upset. Staff encourage children to engage and interact at story time.
For example, staff read the book 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' and encourage children to pretend to walk through the cave stamping their feet. Children show delight as they listen intently to the story. This helps to support children's attention and listening skills.
Staff encourage children to use their imaginations. For example, they offer them a cardboard tube and suggest that it is a telescope. Children ride tricycles in the outdoor area and stop to look through their 'telescopes' to see if they can see any birds. Staff follow the children's interests when planning activities. For example, staff pick daffodils from the garden after the children noticed they had started to grow. Staff encourage children to count the petals as they paint pictures of the daffodils. Some children use scissors independently to create pictures, and staff remind them how to do this safely.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the systems already in place to monitor staff practice and identify areas for improvement, in order to support children's learning n strengthen how information is shared with parents about the skills their children are developing to help parents support and extend their children's learning at home.
- 27 February 2024Good
- 11 May 2018Good
- 12 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Chalk Village 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.