Nettlestead & Wateringbury Preschool & Out of school Club
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Maidstone for from 2 years up to school age, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £21.75 a session for 2 year old, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 2011, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 year old2y to 3y | £21.75Pre-school 2 year old, 3 hrs | |
| 3 year old3y to 4y | £21.45Pre-school 3 year old, 3 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.50 a session Preschool Snack
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £2.00 a session Preschool funded session tea
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Free Early Education Entitlement for 2, 3 & 4-year olds, up to 30 hours a week.
Worth knowing. We offer the Free Early Education in 3-hour blocks, Monday to Friday 9am – 12 noon & 12 noon – 3pm and in our wrap around care (breakfast club 7.30am -9am / After school club 4.30pm session.
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
ME18 5ERWhat 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, 7 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate that they feel incredibly happy and safe. The pre-school staff know the children well and greet them with open arms on their arrival. Children show high levels of maturity as they separate from their parents and carers with ease. They settle down quickly in the well-planned environment, which meets their needs and interests. For instance, children show maturity as they experiment with making their own play dough, needing little assistance from staff. They show high levels of involvement, experimenting and exploring quantities.
Children show a natural desire to want to know more. For example, during a planting activity they asked relevant questions about the roots and their purpose.
Skilled staff are on hand to support children's learning, explaining about how plants use their roots to 'absorb' water to grow. Children show that they understand what the staff are saying as they later discuss the need to 'water the roots so they grow', finding watering cans and old pots to collect water to do this.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide a consistent approach to behaviour management to fully support all children to understand behaviour expectations n support staff understanding of how to teach children the skills to recognise and manage possible risks and challenges in their play.
- 7 February 2023Good
- 9 May 2017Outstanding
- 10 June 2016Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Nettlestead & Wateringbury Preschool & Out of school Club
- 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.
- Is £21.75 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.