Cre8tive Play, Sharen Jane's

A separate Baby Room and a garden shaped around children's interests give Cre8tive Play, Sharen Jane's a clear identity. At Friends Meeting House in Ashford, the emphasis is on learning through play, with painting, cooking and construction among the everyday activities. There is room for exploration indoors and outside.

The nursery has 37 places in total and accepts children aged three months to five years, although the Baby Room offer starts at nine months. At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Those are dated judgements, rather than a description of every aspect of today's provision.

Daily, school-hours, morning and afternoon patterns give families several ways to organise attendance. The return to full-time care dates from September 2026, while funded sessions follow a term-time model.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room occupies a separate space for children from nine months, giving the youngest children a dedicated setting for exploration and play. The Toddler Room serves children aged two to three, while the Preschool Unit is for three- to four-year-olds. These room bands matter alongside the nursery's broader accepted age range: a family choosing care for a younger baby needs to establish which arrangement applies.

In June 2024, babies investigated sensory materials with adult help, while toddlers and preschool children shared a large activity room. Staff also adjusted the environment for children learning to walk, creating opportunities to balance and move while holding on. That example shows how the room arrangement responded to a particular developmental stage at the time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides activity planning: children learn through play, with experiences chosen to support their development. Painting and sticking sit alongside cooking, construction and outdoor play. Progress is assessed and activities are planned around the next step for each child, giving practical purpose to the choices offered during the day.

Music Time is an additional music activity. It sits alongside the play-based programme rather than replacing it. In June 2024, a professional musician contributed to group sessions; that inspection-time example gives a more concrete picture of how music had been brought into children's experiences.

Language learning also took place within play in June 2024. Adults introduced words while children handled sensory materials, listened to their contributions and used songs and stories. Older children experimented with conversation through pretend telephone calls. These were ordinary play situations used to develop communication, rather than separate formal lessons.

Outdoor and Community Life

The gardens are changed regularly to respond to children's interests. Local outings include garden centres and a soft play centre, with seasonal changes providing another reason to explore the surrounding area. The appeal is the connection between what children notice and what they do next.

In June 2024, children examined snails in the garden and drew the creatures' different sizes and markings. The spacious outdoor area also supported movement and other developing skills. Nature provided material for conversation and drawing, as well as space to play.

Relationships and Communication

Settling has a practical starting point: families can have three free settling visits, each lasting two hours, before making their booking. This gives children time to become familiar with the setting before attendance begins. The terms also provide for consideration of additional resources for special needs if settling proves difficult.

In June 2024, staff gathered information about children's preferences and home routines when they joined. Children turned to their key person for help, and adults used encouragement as children played together. For babies, understanding routines helped connect care at nursery with care at home.

Parents can discuss concerns or suggestions with staff. A closed parent Facebook group shares glimpses of children's activities, and monthly newsletters can be sent by email. These give families ways to follow nursery life between conversations with practitioners.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In June 2024, staff sought professional advice for children with additional learning needs, and a quiet space was offered to mothers feeding their babies. These are specific examples of the support available at that point, rather than a blanket promise about provision for every need.

Later safeguarding action is material to the choice: Ofsted recorded that actions concerning safeguarding-lead cover and premises safety were met on 11 July 2025, and that further safeguarding-policy and staff-training actions were met following the nursery's response on 5 May 2026. The April 2026 visit also identified a failure to notify a significant event; new procedures followed, and the document states that this had not affected children's safety or nursery operations.

Staff undertake continuing early-years training. That ongoing development is relevant to families, but the dated safeguarding findings remain the important account of how requirements were assessed.

Sessions and Attendance

Fee-paying Daily sessions run from 8am to 6pm. School Hours sessions are 8.30am to 3.30pm, with Half Day Morning from 8am to 1pm and Half Day Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. Separately charged early starts can begin at 7.30am. The nursery operates Monday to Friday.

Funded Daily sessions run from 8am to 6pm, funded School Hours from 8.30am to 2.30pm, and funded Half Day Morning from 8am to 1pm. The shorter funded School Hours day is worth distinguishing from its fee-paying counterpart when planning collection.

The nursery returned to full-time care from September 2026. Closures include bank holidays, the final week of August and the period between Christmas and New Year. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email at officecre8tiveplay@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Free early education is offered to eligible children from nine months. The 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements are delivered over 38 weeks during term time, and funded sessions are non-flexible. Additional hours are charged privately. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains the funding and additional-hours structure.

Breakfast and tea are included in payments where applicable, while cooked meals and desserts carry a separate charge. This distinction matters when comparing the overall cost of different attendance patterns.

An enrolment charge applies except to children accessing only Free Early Education, and it is non-refundable if the place is cancelled. Once attendance has begun, changes or cancellation require four weeks' written notice, with full fees applying. Additional hours or sessions must be booked at least 24 hours ahead.

• Safeguarding follow-through. Actions were met in July 2025 and again following the May 2026 response. Ask how safeguarding-lead cover, staff training and policy understanding are maintained in daily practice.
• Routines and sustained learning. In June 2024, changes between activities sometimes left children unsure what was expected, and adults did not consistently extend learning. During a visit, discuss how staff now prepare children for transitions and keep activities engaging.
• Matching the booking to your child. The Baby Room starts at nine months, and funded School Hours finish earlier than fee-paying School Hours. Before enrolling, establish the room arrangement, attendance calendar and treatment of meals and non-food consumables for your chosen pattern.

Cre8tive Play suits families seeking daily attendance, a school-hours day or morning and afternoon sessions, with play-led learning and an adaptable garden. The separate Baby Room adds a useful option for younger children from nine months. The June 2024 Good judgement provides a positive starting point, but the subsequent safeguarding actions deserve attention even though their outcomes were recorded as met. The strongest decision will match the actual room, funded or private session and care arrangements to the child's needs.