Kestrel Under Fives Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Chatham for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2024. Open since 1976, with 40 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 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
ME5 8TRWhat 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, 8 February 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff welcome children and families into their inclusive setting. Children arrive happy and demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They develop close attachments to their key person and familiar staff. The manager and staff are very good role models, who treat children with kindness and respect. Children learn to be kind and considerate. They form friendships with each other and play well together. Children develop good levels of confidence, independence and self-esteem. Staff encourage them to develop their self-care skills. For example, children learn to pour drinks and serve their snack. They also wipe their nose and dispose of the tissue in the bin.
The manager and staff identify areas for development impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic. They strongly focus on providing opportunities for children to develop their personal and social development and their speech and language skills. Staff build on what they know about children. They provide a variety of experiences that engage and excite children to learn. For example, staff inspire children to explore textures and colours during sensory play. Furthermore, they ask children to think of words that describe the texture. This helps to promote children's developing vocabulary and communication skills.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to be consistent in promoting behaviour management strategies to help children to learn what behaviour is expected of them n review and improve the organisation of daily routines to minimise the disruption to children's learning.
- 8 February 2024Good
- 17 May 2018Good
- 23 April 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Kestrel Under Fives Playgroup
- 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.