Tiggywinkles Pre-School and Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Dartford for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Open since 2001, with 36 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
DA2 7NEWhat 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, 24 January 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their play and learning experiences, have fun at this setting and make friends. They settle well to their chosen activity and select from the resources that staff provide. Staff plan the environment based upon children's learning needs and interests. This enables all children, including those who are new to the setting, to feel at home and at ease with the familiar toys. Children thoroughly enjoy outdoor play. They relish the opportunity to expend their energy, for example when playing games like 'What's the time the manager/'.
Children learn about managing feelings and how to be kind and supportive of others. They discuss with staff what to do if someone falls over and how to care for them. Children then use this knowledge in their play. For example, when a child dropped their doll, they immediately picked it up and gave cuddles, making sure that it was not hurt. Children behave well and are learning how to share and take turns under the effective guidance of the well-qualified staff team. For example, staff offer simple explanations about how children can resolve their disputes. This enables any incidents to be brought to a swift and amicable conclusion and helps children to begin to understand how to manage their own behaviour.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve how changes in the daily routines are managed, to enable children to conclude their chosen play and to minimise the disruptions to their learning n build upon staff awareness of those children who may not seek out staff, to enable them to have the same opportunities for interactions and further increase learning experiences.
- 24 January 2022Good
- 1 February 2017Good
- 6 June 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Tiggywinkles Pre-School and Playgroup
- 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.