The Winning Child Nursery

A Forest Garden, three age-based rooms and a Christian ethos give The Winning Child Nursery a clear identity in Dartford. Outdoor exploration sits alongside play, stories and activities led by adults, while the religious element deserves careful attention from families choosing their child's everyday surroundings.

The setting accepts children from 6 months to 5 years at Rehoboth House, Brent Way. Its latest overall grade is Good, dated 13 October 2022. That judgement is dated: later safeguarding action also matters to the decision, including a welfare requirements notice whose actions were confirmed as met in March 2025.

Full days, mornings, afternoons and a school-hours option offer different attendance patterns. Free settling sessions and an allocated key person give families a structured starting point, while the Forest School programme adds child-led exploration of nature to the ordinary nursery day.

Rooms and Ages

Wee Winners accommodates babies aged 6 to 24 months, with movement between stages taking account of development; its emphasis is on movement, communication and early relationships, and the room includes soft toys, colourful hanging decorations and displays. The baby-room staffing ratio is one adult to three children.

Winning Tots serves children aged 2 to 3, bringing together the prime and specific areas of learning through indoor and outdoor experiences. Winning Stars takes children aged 3 to 5, revisiting earlier learning and preparing them for the next stage of education through activities planned by their key person.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play, including language, movement, relationships, early literacy and mathematics. It is the common foundation for early-years provision. Here, a mixture of children's own choices and adult-led activities shapes the routine, with staff planning activities each week and using their evaluations to decide what comes next.

Forest School adds a more specific approach: children explore the natural environment and make discoveries, with practitioners supervising while allowing them to lead. The Forest Garden supports outdoor learning through the seasons. Alongside it, the outdoor play space combines grass with concrete surfaces, giving the day more than one kind of setting for active play.

The flexible routine includes circle time, garden play, quieter periods and stories, Bible stories or rhymes. Christian activities are therefore part of the day, rather than an occasional celebration. The nursery welcomes families from every faith, but that welcome sits alongside an explicitly Christian identity.

In October 2022, children used pictures as well as gestures and speech to communicate needs and feelings. Younger children practised climbing towards a slide, while older children recreated familiar experiences through pretend play.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who works with the family and helps tailor care. Free settling sessions allow parents to share information before the child starts, and the Getting to Know You form gathers interests, home languages, medical needs and routines. It also asks about sleep, comfort objects and toileting.

For Wee Winners, progress information is shared with parents every six weeks. Periodic parent consultations provide another opportunity to discuss development, while families can raise concerns with the key person or manager.

In October 2022, room changes involved reassurance from the existing key person and a handover to the next one. Teachers were invited to meet children before their move to school. The special educational needs coordinator worked with external agencies and arranged individual plans: these are concrete support mechanisms from that visit, rather than a general assurance about present-day outcomes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Babies sleep in cots, with mats used for older babies; toddlers also rest on mats. Preschool children can rest when needed, although routine naps are generally discouraged. Families whose child still needs a daytime sleep should weigh that distinction carefully when moving between rooms.

Safeguarding history requires equal attention. July 2023 regulatory action addressed staff-allegation procedures, notifications, accident records and parent communication; policies and communication procedures were subsequently revised. Following a March 2025 visit, Ofsted issued a welfare requirements notice covering safeguarding procedures, staff understanding, insufficient baby-room staffing and training in babies' care needs. Its monitoring visit on 21 March 2025 confirmed appropriate baby-room staffing, completion of baby-care training and that the safeguarding and welfare actions had been met. That outcome matters, but so does the recurrence of safeguarding concerns.

The October 2022 findings also identified uneven behaviour guidance for preschool children, especially those still learning the setting's expectations. Snack routines did not consistently let older children do as much for themselves as they could. Those are specific areas to explore when considering how independence and boundaries are handled now.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Rehoboth House, Brent Way, Dartford, Kent DA2 6DA, and opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm. Private booking patterns are a full day from 7am to 6pm, a morning from 7am to 1pm, an afternoon from 1pm to 6pm, or School Hours from 9am to 3pm.

Funded attendance uses its own patterns. For the 15-hour entitlement, mornings run from 8am to 1pm or afternoons from 1pm to 6pm across three days. The 30-hour patterns are mornings from 7am to 1pm across five days, School Hours from 9am to 3pm across five days, or full days from 8am to 6pm across three days. Funding is delivered during term time over 38 weeks.

The nursery otherwise operates throughout the year, closing on bank holidays, between Christmas and New Year, and for two annual staff-training days. Fees remain payable for these closures. Booked sessions missed through illness or holidays are neither refunded nor exchanged, which matters when comparing the monthly cost with actual attendance.

Families can contact the nursery by telephone or email, and completed registration forms can be returned electronically or handed in. Paid places require a deposit equivalent to two weeks of the chosen sessions after an offer; FEE-only children do not pay a deposit. A month's written notice applies, including to funded attendance, and the deposit is returned subject to notice and deductions for outstanding fees.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 30 Hours for Working Parents for eligible children aged 9 months or above, Universal entitlement for 3-4 years old, and Free for Two (FF2) for eligible two-year-olds. Funding begins from the term following the child's birthday, subject to eligibility. Working-parent funding requires a positive HMRC eligibility decision, while hours beyond the funded allocation are charged privately. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their chosen combination of sessions and extras.

Drinks and snacks are included, while meals carry a separate session charge, including during funded attendance; parents supply babies' formula, any special meals, nappies, wipes and creams. Fresh meals are offered daily, and the nursery's dietary arrangements accommodate allergies, although food brought from home must be ready to eat because it cannot be reheated or prepared there.

A non-refundable registration charge applies under the current registration terms. Outings, celebrations and entertainment beyond usual activities are excluded from ordinary fees. Monthly payments are made in advance.

• Christian participation. Children whose parents decline Christian activities stay in the same room. Staff try to engage them in alternative activities, but children may still hear or learn the Christian songs and stories. Discuss what that means during Bible stories and songs before deciding whether the ethos suits your family.
• Safeguarding follow-through. The March 2025 actions were confirmed as met, following earlier action in July 2023. At a visit, ask how staff now apply allegation-reporting procedures and maintain appropriate baby-room staffing throughout the day.
• Preschool independence. October 2022 findings highlighted inconsistent behaviour guidance and missed opportunities at snack time. Ask to see how newer children learn expectations and how children manage everyday tasks themselves.
• Food and funded attendance. Term-time funding, separate meal charges and parent-supplied essentials affect the practical package. Families managing allergies should confirm current food arrangements and discuss how their chosen sessions work across school holidays.

The Winning Child Nursery suits families who want an explicitly Christian setting, nature-based learning and a choice between morning, afternoon, school-hours and full-day attendance.

The decision also needs a clear view of the regulatory history. The Good judgement dates from 2022, and subsequent safeguarding action cannot be replaced by that headline grade. The March 2025 confirmation that actions were met is significant.