Cherrytree Nursery School

A former primary school built for railway workers’ children gives Cherrytree’s Wainwright Place setting a recognisable Ashford identity. The nursery now serves children aged two to five, with capacity for 92 children in total. Its character combines practical independence, parent contact books and an outdoor area used for physical play.

At the 27 March 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be Strong standard, with achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare, curriculum and teaching, and leadership all at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. These are separate judgements, rather than an overall grade. The clearest reservation concerned transitions between activities: unnecessary waiting sometimes left children restless.

Morning, lunchtime-finish and full-day sessions serve different family routines. The distinction between term-time nursery attendance and separately booked holiday playscheme sessions matters just as much as the daily finish time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides activity planning around children’s development, with observations used to decide what they should try next. In parent language, this means learning through activities and play, with staff recording what children can do and using that information to shape later experiences. Development is considered individually rather than assumed from age alone.

In March 2026, independence was a clear part of the nursery day. Children approaching school age chose projects from shelves they could reach and stayed involved in them for sustained periods. Staff encouraged another attempt when something proved difficult, or helped children consider a different way to solve the problem. Accessible resources made choosing and persisting part of the activity itself.

Numbers also appeared within everyday play in March 2026. Staff introduced shape, measurement and space alongside counting. Younger children heard repeated, simple vocabulary, while older children practised language in exchanges with adults and other children. This gave learning a practical setting: words and numbers were used while children were doing something.

Makaton signing, used to help children communicate their needs, was part of the March 2026 approach. Signing was used across age groups, giving children a consistent way to communicate.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large outdoor area supported movement and coordination in March 2026. Children also worked together outside, shifting equipment and including friends in their play. Climbing equipment gave them opportunities to try physical challenges with adult supervision.

Outdoor clothing is part of the practical preparation for attendance. Children can play outside in different weather, so families are asked to supply suitable outerwear and wellingtons when wet weather calls for them. Naming removable clothing helps staff return it to the right child.

Relationships and Communication

A Personalised Initial Profile (PIP) records what a child can already do at home. This gives staff a starting point that includes the family’s knowledge, rather than depending entirely on what the child demonstrates at nursery. Observation sheets then record achievements during attendance and inform subsequent planning.

Contact books carry regular messages between home and nursery, and parents are encouraged to contribute information about development at home. An annual parent evening provides a separate opportunity to discuss progress.

In March 2026, key persons spoke with children about their feelings and circumstances that might affect their day. Staff responded to anxiety or upset with reassurance, and settling sessions helped new children become familiar with their routine. Visual timetables also made the sequence of activities easier to understand, although the transitions themselves remained an improvement point.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its March 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that individual support drew on local-authority collaboration, specialist teachers and speech and language therapists, with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making progress from their starting points. The practical detail behind that judgement included staff training informed by specialists and spaces for physical and sensory activities indoors and outside.

During March 2026, staff included children in simple exercises advised by medical specialists and sat alongside them while they ate. Stories and conversations addressed kindness, while adults helped children share and take turns.

Moving to primary school involves a written account of the child’s development for the receiving teacher. Parents can add comments and must authorise the nursery to send it.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Wainwright Place, Newtown, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0PF. Opening hours are 8.45am to 3pm on weekdays, with three booking windows: a morning from 8.45am to 11.30am, a longer session finishing at 1pm, and a full day finishing at 3pm.

Term-time nursery attendance follows Kent County Council education dates. The optional holiday Playscheme accepts children from two until their eighth birthday and usually runs at Newtown on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It requires a separate booking for each holiday, excludes bank holidays and the Christmas/New Year break, and may occasionally close for a day at the end of the summer holiday. It therefore serves a different purpose from a year-round weekday booking.

Applications go to the chosen branch and are retained until a suitable place becomes available. The Newtown contact number is 01233 639367, with email enquiries to newtown@cherrytreens.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes up to 15 hours per week for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, eligible two-year-old provision and up to 30 hours per week subject to eligibility. Funding is delivered during term time, without stretching it across holidays. The funded year covers 38 weeks, while holiday Playscheme attendance is paid privately.

The free 15-hour attendance pattern combines two days from 8.45am to 3pm with one morning from 8.45am to 11.30am. Sessions outside that pattern attract charges, so distributing attendance across more days can change the cost even where the total hours look similar. Newtown’s allocation of fifteen two-year-old funded places per term follows a first-come rule; the five totally free 30-hour places per term are also allocated first come to families with a valid code. Further acceptance is discretionary and depends on space.

Morning snacks are included in session charges and funding, with voluntary contributions welcomed; children staying beyond 11.30am bring lunch and a drink from home. Lunchboxes cannot be refrigerated, so families need to plan how to keep packed food suitable until lunchtime.

Art materials and ordinary activities are included, while parents supply nappies, wipes and any sun cream needed for topping up; a charge can apply when nappies or wipes have not been brought. In-house special activities and visitors are included, while optional outings may attract a charge.

A deposit applies except to children attending funded hours only under Free for 2. For funded-only places that require one, it is returned within six weeks of the first session unless a different arrangement is agreed in writing; for privately paid or partly paid places, refund conditions include notice and settlement of outstanding charges. Paid places require four weeks’ notice, whereas a fully funded place cancelled after the term’s headcount week carries no leaving payment. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, with the charge structure set out on its fees and funding page.

• Transitions between activities. In March 2026, waiting between parts of the day sometimes unsettled children. During a visit, ask how staff now manage those changes and help children understand what comes next.
• Funding tied to attendance. The free 15-hour pattern uses two longer days and a morning, while holiday sessions are privately paid. Compare that exact pattern with the days your family needs before committing.
• Lunch and changing supplies. Families provide packed lunches for later finishes and bring nappies and wipes. Discuss any dietary or medical requirements alongside the lunch-storage arrangement.
• Holiday cover. Newtown’s Playscheme usually operates on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and needs separate holiday bookings. Its pattern suits occasional holiday attendance better than a need for weekday cover throughout every holiday.

Cherrytree suits families choosing between morning attendance, a lunchtime finish and a day ending at 3pm, especially where term-time provision is the main requirement. The home-development profile, contact books and school-transition report create useful connections between family knowledge and nursery learning. The March 2026 inclusion judgement is a strength, balanced by a specific weakness in activity transitions. Funding choices and separately booked holiday attendance deserve close attention: the best fit depends on the actual pattern a family needs.