Whitstable Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Whitstable for babies from a few weeks old up to school age, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2023. Open since 2005, with 35 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 Hours (Universal): For all 3 and 4-year-olds. 15 Hours (Working Parents): For children aged 9 months to 3 years. 15 Hours (2-Year-Olds with Support): For 2-year-olds with specific government support (e.g., Universal Credit). 30 Hours (Working Parents): For children aged 9 months to 4 years.
Worth knowing. Completely Free funded patterns include: No Session Fees, No Additional Charges (No additional hours may be added on top of these funded sessions), Term Time Only option available on this pattern, Parents may provide own meals and snacks, Optional nursery meals available (at an extra cost), No mandatory additional charges, Subject to availability.
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
CT5 4LZWhat 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, 21 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have great fun attending this calm, home-from-home nursery. Staff have developed secure bonds with children, who feel comfortable in their environment.
Babies and toddlers show high levels of enjoyment. They smile and clap their hands as staff sing their favourite songs and rhymes. Pre-school children display high levels of confidence as they engage in regular conversations with staff and their friends. Children are exposed to a language-rich environment.
Children have plenty of opportunities to become independent learners. Staff have created an inviting environment that encourages children to follow their interests.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff more closely in adapting group activities to ensure that all children, particularly quieter children, are able to fully engage and benefit from the learning opportunities n help staff to develop the youngest children's communication and language skills even further by giving them more time to process language and respond to simple questions.
- 21 March 2023Good
- 16 August 2017Good
- 13 October 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Whitstable Day Nursery
- What it costs
- 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.