Next Steps Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Dover for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:30 to 23:30, 5 days a week. £44.10 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2024. Open since 2016, with 50 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 | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £44.10 | £18.903 hour morning or 3 hour afternoon, 3 hrs | £6.30extra wraparound hours or supervised lunch hour |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £25.00 annual administration feewhen starting at the preschool
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £2.00 a week consumables costper child, includes fruit, snack, baby wipes, sun cream and activities
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £6.30 an hour funded hours over the amount claimedif children funding goes over the amount they have claimed for on
Funded hours
Free Early Education universal funding for three and four-year-olds which is 15 hours a week; Free Early Education funding for eligibility working parents for two year olds to apply for 30 hours from Sept 2025; extended funding for three and four year olds to apply for up to 30 hours a week.
Worth knowing. The preschool offers one delivery pattern for all Free Early Education funding but if children funding goes over the amount they have claimed for on their funding forms they will be charged at the rate above (£6.30 an hour). A parent/carer declaration form will need to be completed every term and your hours must be booked.
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
CT17 9LWWhat 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, 25 April 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children and families are at the heart of this kind and caring pre-school. Staff welcome children at the door with smiles and cuddles. This effectively supports children's emotional well-being. Staff promote children's positive attitudes to learning well. They encourage children to do things for themselves. Older children butter their own toast at snack time and wash up their plates. Younger children immediately put their coats away on their pegs. This effectively supports children's independence skills. Staff successfully encourage children's good behaviour. They frequently praise children and are good role models. Children behave very well.
They celebrate their friends' achievements, saying that their attempts are
'amazing'. This effectively supports children's self-esteem and confidence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the deployment of staff so that children receive more consistent support to extend their learning during their play n support staff to implement further strategies to encourage younger children's early communication skills.
- 25 April 2024Good
- 13 June 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Next Steps Preschool
- 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 £44.10 a day 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.