Steps to School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Sevenoaks for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 2007, with 54 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
Free for Two funding, Working Parents Entitlement for 9 months, 2 year olds, and 3 and 4 year olds, 30 hours extended funding.
Worth knowing. We have a written agreement with KCC that we can only offer up to 6 hours funding per day, and therefore charge for the 4 remaining hours (£7.00 per hour). We also claim the funding in a 'non stretched' pattern (aka term time only), therefore hours outside of term time will require the full daily rate charged.
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
TN15 8JZWhat 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, 25 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Babies show high levels of curiosity as they explore their environment. They move freely around the room, engaging in a variety of sensory experiences. This shows babies feel safe and secure. Staff are attentive and cheerful as they interact with babies. For example, babies become highly excited when staff engage in playing
'peekaboo'. This helps children to build positive relationships.
Children develop good social skills. Staff provide opportunities for them to engage in back-and-forth conversations with their friends during their play. For example, while children are building sand castles, they actively share the resources and work out how to take turns to ensure it is fair. As a result, children play harmoniously together and are keen to share their thoughts and ideas.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve daily routines to ensure staff are effectively deployed to support children's learning n reflect the culture and diversity of the children attending the nursery, to help them make connections between their own and others' heritage.
- 25 April 2023Good
- 24 August 2017Good
- 14 April 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Steps to School
- What it costs
- 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
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.