Westbere Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Canterbury for children from birth to 8+, open 09:15 to 15:30, 4 days a week. £6.00 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 1973, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
The pre-school charges £6.00 an hour
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 hours for 3/4 year olds, 30 hour 3/4 year funding, funding for free for 2 year olds.
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
CT2 0HAWhat 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, 10 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed into the pre-school by staff who are friendly and caring. Most children separate confidently from their parents or carers. The few children who are a little unsure are given extra support and cuddles. This is effective in building these children's confidence to say goodbye and enter preschool happily. Children have freedom to choose from a range of exciting, varied and accessible learning opportunities. They enjoy exploring activities inside and outside, which capture their attention and interest. For example, children play imaginatively when feeding and dressing the dolls before putting them to bed.
Children behave typically for their age. They understand the simple rules in place to keep them safe. They listen well to staff, cooperating with routines such as tidyup times and sitting for welcome time, stories or singing. Staff recognise that since the COVID-19 pandemic, some children need a little more support as they learn to share and take turns. This support is offered calmly and consistently by the patient staff, and as a result, children have built good friendships and enjoy playing games together.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- deploy staff more flexibly to encourage children to have consistent opportunities to explore their own interests in learning n use opportunities to share best practice to further support and coach new staff and help them develop their knowledge and skills.
- 10 May 2023Good
- 11 May 2017Good
- 4 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Westbere Preschool
- 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
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 £6.00 an hour 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.
- 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.