The Learning Tree - Sissinghurst
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Cranbrook for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2011, with 26 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 2BHWhat 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, 23 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy learning in the safe, secure and stimulating environment. They choose from a range of outdoor activities, such as using the climbing frame and riding tricycles, which develops their physical skills. Additionally, they learn about nature, for example when they collect leaves as they walk in the local school grounds. Furthermore, they learn to respect other living creatures when they visit the animals living on the school site.
Children successfully develop their problem-solving skills and concentration. For example, they work well together for a long time to build a wall using foam bricks.
Furthermore, they demonstrate their determination and resilience as they rebuild the wall several times when the wind blows it down. Children have many opportunities to develop their imagination. For example, they make ice creams with play dough and pretend to navigate through mud as they go 'on a bear hunt'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on strategies to support children who speak English as an additional language to express their choices and communicate their needs n develop ways to share ideas with parents to further extend children's learning at home.
- 23 November 2022Good
- 15 March 2017Good
- 11 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Learning Tree - Sissinghurst
- 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.