St. Mary's Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Ashford for from 2 years 6 months up to 5 year olds, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 1994, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 hours Free Early Education and subject to availability 30 hours Free Early Education; Free for Two Early Education for eligible two and a half year olds.
Worth knowing. Payments will only be asked for hours above the 15 hours free Early Education, unless in receipt of 30 hours and for optional extras such as hot lunched (packed lunched may be brought in).
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
TN23 1NDWhat 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, 30 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children feel safe and valued in this warm and nurturing nursery. They arrive at the setting happy and leave their parents with ease. The provider ensures that the children's well-being and enjoyment are at the heart of everything the nursery does.
Children are welcomed with a variety of activities on offer to them. They engage in activities of their own choosing and become immediately engrossed in play from the moment they arrive at the setting. For example, children engage at the creative table, creating individual artwork that develops their imagination and creativity.
Children benefit from regular access to outdoor play, and they explore the outside area with confidence and independence.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to more consistently extend children's language during child-led play.
- 30 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 4 February 2020Good
- 3 July 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St. Mary's Nursery
- What it costs
- Nappies
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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.