The Chapel Nursery

A restored chapel, open-plan rooms and daily Forest School give The Chapel Nursery in Dartford a clear character. Babies have their own ground-floor area, while preschool children use the floor above. Outdoor learning is part of the everyday timetable, rather than an occasional outing, with gardening and natural materials extending what children can explore.

The nursery cares for children from 3 months to 5 years and has 74 places in total. At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged it Good, found safeguarding effective and identified positive progress, including for children receiving additional support. That judgement needs to be read alongside later supervision concerns and their recorded outcomes, discussed below.

Full days and morning or afternoon half days serve different family routines. Later regulatory action makes everyday supervision a central consideration.

Rooms and Ages

Ladybirds & Caterpillars accommodates babies aged 3 months to 24 months in a separate ground-floor area, with care shaped around a questionnaire about home routines. The baby area uses a staff-to-child ratio of 1:3, the statutory minimum for children under two.

Butterflies Area, for children from 24 months to 3 years, sits beside the baby area and combines an open-plan learning space with garden play, sleeping mats in a quiet area and adjoining toilet and changing facilities. Child-chosen play sits alongside organised activities.

Bumblebees (Pre-School Room), for ages 3 to 5, occupies the first floor, where mark-making, role play, creative resources and maths and science areas support learning through play and increasing independence. Children's toilets and washing facilities are on that floor. Choosing snacks and helping organise activities make self-care part of the day, rather than a separate lesson.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, movement, relationships and the development of skills such as early literacy and mathematics. Here, organised group activities are balanced with children's own choices: cooking and singing sit alongside puzzles, pretend play and water play. Observation informs what staff plan next, so a child's interests can become the starting point for further learning.

Montessori influences are expressed through independence and challenges suited to a child's development; this is an influence on practice, rather than a claim to a wholly Montessori programme. The curriculum also uses natural objects and combines activities organised by adults with play initiated by children.

In February 2023, babies joined songs through sounds and gestures, while sensory exploration gave younger children opportunities to hear new vocabulary. Older children practised handling scissors and talked about familiar stories.

That same February 2023 assessment identified two weaknesses. Some organised group activities continued after children had lost interest, and changes between routines did not consistently give babies and younger children enough preparation or support.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School means hands-on exploration in natural surroundings, and sessions take place daily within the nursery grounds throughout the year, including wet weather. The mud kitchen, searches for small creatures, natural crafts and work with tools give outdoor play a practical purpose. Vegetable growing and seasonal planting add experiences that children can return to as things change.

Visits to nearby reserves are conditional on what is possible, rather than a fixed promise of off-site sessions. Scheduled library visits and nature walks also extend children's experiences beyond the nursery. Preschool trips include the supermarket, park and high street, connecting learning with places children encounter in ordinary family life.

The daily routine can change for outings.

Relationships and Communication

An application is followed by an invitation to a settling day with the baby.

A key worker system forms part of staff induction. Each practitioner also has a training plan and an annual appraisal, with induction continuing through the first six months.

Famly is the nursery's communication and management app, used to share photographs, messages and information about development.Parents can communicate from their phones; baby-room diaries also cover meals, naps and activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In February 2023, staff used tailored strategies with parents and other professionals when children needed additional help. Day-to-day learning plans were informed by observations and children's interests.

Later supervision findings carry greater weight for present decisions: following regulatory visits on 23 January 2024 and 13 February 2025, Ofsted recorded shortcomings involving a child left outside for a short period and supervision, especially during eating; the first outcome recorded corrective action, and on 6 March 2025 the safeguarding and welfare action was recorded as met. Both outcomes matter. They establish that action was taken, but the recurrence of supervision concerns remains relevant when discussing how staff account for children across rooms, outdoor play and meals.

Food comes from a central kitchen in Crayford, using a three-week menu cycle revised every six months. The nursery offers adjustments for dietary needs and allergies, so an affected family should discuss how its child's requirements will be handled in practice.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. A full day uses that whole window; the morning half day runs from 7.30am to 1pm, and the afternoon half day from 1pm to 6.30pm.

Attendance runs across the year, with closures on bank holidays, from Christmas Eve until New Year’s day inclusive, and for up to four staff-training days annually. Fees are calculated using 50 charged weeks and spread across 12 monthly payments. Families should therefore consider the annual attendance arrangement alongside the individual session they choose.

Applications require a registration form and registration charge before the child joins the waiting list; paying the charge does not secure a place. Offers require acceptance and completion of the contract and permissions within seven days. Priority criteria include children increasing existing sessions and siblings, while full-time attendance can take precedence over part-time bookings.

Extra sessions are requested through Famly and depend on confirmation. Once confirmed, they are chargeable and cannot be cancelled. Regular bookings require six weeks' written notice by email.

Getting There

The address is The Chapel, Constance Grove, Dartford DA1 2GA, and enquiries can be made by telephone or email to the manager. The Chapel is 5 minutes walk from the Dartford Station; services there are operated by Thameslink and Southeastern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with fully funded sessions for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds subject to session availability and staffing. Funding can also be used within ordinary bookings, with additional attendance charged privately; the resulting payment takes account of the local authority funding received.

Fully funded sessions have a termly intake and are allocated six weeks before term begins. Additional charges may apply, and attendance beyond the specified hours incurs charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the fees and attendance terms providing the payment structure.

When preschool children leave for school, transition documents and a learning history are passed on. This supports continuity by giving the receiving school information about the child's development and experiences.

• Supervision across the day. The January 2024 and February 2025 regulatory findings concerned children's supervision, with corrective outcomes recorded. Ask how staff now account for children during outdoor play, room changes and eating.
• Group activities and routine changes. In February 2023, some children lost interest in organised groups and younger children needed better preparation between activities. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how staff adapt group time and support these changes now.
• All-weather outdoor learning. Daily Forest School requires suitable clothing, including waterproofs and wellies. Consider whether this outdoor emphasis matches your child's preferences and your family's routine.
• The whole attendance cost. Funded sessions can carry additional charges and have specified hours. Request a written breakdown covering meals, snacks, non-food consumables and any attendance beyond the funded allocation before accepting an offer.

The Chapel Nursery suits families seeking full-day care or morning and afternoon half days, with daily outdoor learning and age-specific spaces. Its practical appeal lies in the baby home-routine questionnaire, toddlers' rest and toileting arrangements, and preschool opportunities to practise independence.

The February 2023 Good judgement is a useful starting point, rather than the whole decision. Later supervision concerns, despite recorded corrective outcomes, deserve equal attention. Families who value Forest School and play-led learning have concrete reasons to consider the setting, while the organisation of everyday supervision remains the issue to weigh most carefully.