Rolvenden Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Cranbrook for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 4 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 1982, with 18 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
TN17 4NDWhat 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, 16 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children of all abilities are confident and happy during their time in the friendly and welcoming pre-school. Children enjoy the company of staff. They have a positive attitude towards learning. For example, children show pride when staff praise them for their achievements. All staff have high expectations of children's abilities and plan activities they know children will enjoy. When children have an interest in role play and writing, staff encourage them to 'write' their recipes down as they 'bake'.
Staff teach children about different concepts. For instance, they learn about what happens when they mix water with food colouring. They explore what happens when they transport the liquid to and from different-sized containers.
Staff are positive role models. All children behave well and are polite. They are caring and thoughtful. For example, they remember each other's favourite dressing-up outfit and kindly pass it to them. Children show empathy and understanding of other children's differing needs. Staff teach children good physical skills and support them to learn to move in different ways. This is demonstrated when they confidently and safely use equipment, such as climbing frames and ladders. Children are confident to communicate their thoughts and ideas. They are excited to enthusiastically sing their favourite songs with confidence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- refine further the planning of all individual activities to focus more specifically on the intentions for children's learning
- enhance the support for children to develop a love of books to extend their interest in literacy.
- 16 July 2024Good
- 11 September 2018Good
- 10 October 2017Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Rolvenden 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.