River Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Dover for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 April 2025. Open since 1992, with 26 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
CT17 0RAWhat 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, 29 April 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend playing and interacting with staff.
They confidently explore the broad range of activities and resources that are purposefully organised to reflect their interests and needs. For example, staff place sensory activities close to the door to capture the interest of children who are reluctant to separate from their parents. Children also make extremely good use of the inviting reading area and well-equipped home corner. With the support of staff, children become motivated, independent learners. They work together to create complex role play games and enjoy the freedom to relax and look at books with a friend.
Children confidently use their evolving language to share information from home or to express their ideas. Throughout the pre-school, children learn to conduct lively back-and-forth conversations. They develop good social skills as they play cooperatively with others and learn to share and take turns. Staff place a lot of focus on supporting children's emotional well-being. For example, they make sure that each child understands what is going to happen next in the pre-school routine.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the curriculum for expressive arts and design to allow children to benefit from the same high-quality opportunities as for all other areas of learning.
- 29 April 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 9 July 2019Outstanding
- 19 March 2015Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for River Pre-School
- 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.