Shepherdswell Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Dover for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 15:00, 5 days a week. £7.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 1992, with 28 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Shepherdswell Pre-School charges £7.50 per hour ( with effect from January 2024).
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Up to 15 hours or 30 hours for qualifying parents, Free for 2 funding, Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), disability access fund (DAF).
Worth knowing. 08:30-09:00am is chargeable and not included in Free Early Education; parental declaration form (termly); original birth certificate or passport; eligibility code the term before.
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
CT15 7NNWhat 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, 9 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe on arrival at the pre-school and separate quickly form their parents at the main door. They instinctively know the routine as they independently find their pegs and self-register their names on the tree. Children swiftly settle and engage in play with their peers. They freely explore what is on offer.
Children make continuous progress from their starting points. Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For instance, any gaps in learning are quickly identified through thorough assessments that take place regularly. Targeted intervention is successful in ensuring that these gaps are quickly closed.
Children behave very well during their time at the pre-school. They are deeply engaged as they lead their own learning through play. They share and take turns with scissors independently, as they decorate their Christmas trees with buttons and ribbons. This has a positive impact on their attitudes towards learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- further support children's early literacy skills and develop their understanding of how marks carry meanings n embed training to improve teaching and develop children's understanding of other cultures and religions.
- 9 December 2022Good
- 15 June 2017Good
- 31 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Shepherdswell Preschool
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- 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 £7.50 an hour 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.
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.