Lilliput Pre-school
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Canterbury for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2009, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
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
CT1 1PAWhat 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, 20 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children of all ages and abilities are confident and very happy during their time in the inviting and welcoming pre-school. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of their curriculum, and how they implement this successfully. All staff have high expectations of children's abilities and carefully plan challenging and engaging activities to motivate them to learn. When children have an interest in a story about a gingerbread person, staff encourage them to learn more about this.
For example, children look at a recipe book and 'write' down the ingredients to go on to make their own gingerbread. Staff teach children about different concepts as they explore and investigate. For instance, children learn about what items float and sink and confidently talk about what items absorb water.
Staff are positive role models. All children behave well and are polite. They are caring and kind. For example, they help each other to tidy up. Children learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles. For instance, they independently follow thorough health and hygiene routines. Staff support children to gain good physical skills and learn to move in different ways. This is demonstrated when children confidently build and negotiate obstacles, such as balancing on planks of wood and crates, and navigate safely using equipment such as a rope swing.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide guidance for staff to be more aware of where they would be most effectively situated to engage children in activities even more swiftly n support staff to have a clearer knowledge about whether children attend another setting and how to build more effective partnerships with staff there.
- 20 May 2024Good
- 13 June 2018Good
- 25 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Lilliput Pre-school
- What it costs
- 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
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.