Squirrel Lodge Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Sittingbourne for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. £80.00 a day for two year olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 2016, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
48 weeks a year, price list dated April 25 - April 26.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under two'sbirth to 2y | £85.008am-6pm: Under two's | £45.008am-1pm / 1.15-6.15pm: Under two's, 5 hrs | £9.35: Under two's | |
| Two year olds2y to 3y | £80.008am-6pm: Two year olds | £42.508am-1pm / 1.15-6.15pm: Two year olds, 5 hrs | £8.80: Two year olds | |
| 3 & 4 year olds3y to 4y | £75.008am-6pm: 3 & 4 year olds | £41.008am-1pm / 1.15-6.15pm: 3 & 4 year olds, 5 hrs | £8.25: 3 & 4 year olds |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £0.80 Meals and snacks: breakfast
- £1.25 Meals and snacks: snack
- £2.25 Meals and snacks: tea
- £3.00 a session Forest School
- £4.50 Early drop off 7.30-8am or Late pick up 6-6.30pm
- £5.00 a session Forest School (two sessions)
Funded hours
15 hours universal funding for 3- and 4-year-olds; 30 hours extended funding for eligible working parents of children aged 9 months plus; 15 hours free for two funding for eligible 2-year-olds.
Worth knowing. Funded hours are provided free at the point of delivery. If you want a funded space with no wrap-around hours, you will use 10 hours funding per week for Universal funded places and 20 hours funding per week for extended funded places. If you want to pay for additional wrap-around hours, we will deduct 12 hours (universal funding) or 24 hours (extended funding) from your invoice. Optional charges include meals and snacks, consumables, forest school, events and outings. No registration or adminis.
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
ME10 5JLWhat 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.
- 1 December 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 31 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide a stimulating environment for children to learn in. They deliver a curriculum centred on exploration and discovery through play. Staff focus heavily on encouraging children to be independent and confident, while placing a high importance on children's well-being. Staff develop a strong key-person system, which supports children to safely feel able to express their wants and needs.
Children enjoy playful interactions where they show they feel comfortable and safe.
Staff use children's likes and interests to plan engaging and exciting activities. For example, children eagerly run to the water tray and outdoor potion-making station ready to explore textures and colours. Staff take the time to develop strong and trusting relationships with children, providing reassurance, comfort and cuddles when needed. Staff are good role models. Children treat their peers with respect and care, including them in play and offering them resources.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's confidence in their teaching strategies to consistently support children with communication and language needs n strengthen planning to identify more precisely what children need to learn next so they are consistently challenged in their learning.
- 31 July 2024Good
- 24 October 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Squirrel Lodge Nursery
- 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 £80.00 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.