The Grove Daycare Nursery

Child-led play, practical environmental habits and family dining give The Grove Daycare Nursery a clear character. At 42 The Grove in Gravesend, children encounter natural materials, learn about reusing resources and gradually take on everyday responsibilities. The emphasis is on participation: choosing how to play, helping at mealtimes and finding things out through experience.

The nursery has capacity for 60 children and accepts ages from 3 months to 5 years. At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective. Two improvements remained: keeping children occupied when routines change, and explaining more clearly why particular behaviour needs to stop. These are useful points to weigh alongside the positive judgement.

Full-day and half-day care are offered, with the detailed booking terms requiring at least two full days. Personalised settling sessions and a key person give families a structured introduction, while an online journal carries information about everyday care and learning.

Rooms and Ages

Olive room caters for babies, whose families supply measured formula milk. For the older children in the willow room, mealtimes become an opportunity to practise independence: with adult help, preschool children lay tables, serve food and clear up.

Across the nursery, rooms use natural materials and resources intended for exploration and creative play. Wood, bamboo and metal make up most toys and resources.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, including language, physical development, early number work and emotional development. Alongside it, the curiosity approach adds an unstructured, child-led style in which children's interests help shape their play. The curriculum page explains this combination.

Sustainability has concrete content here. Children explore recycling, reducing waste and reusing materials through play, while the Global Goals, an environmental and social sustainability scheme, inform topics explored through books and activities. Nursery operations reinforce those ideas with recycling systems, biodegradable nappies and wipes, and cleaning products chosen for their environmental properties.

In May 2025, animal activities were adapted to children's stage of development: younger children investigated animal noises, while older children discussed habitats and markings. Babies' communication activities used music, singing, gestures and changes in vocal tone.

World Book Day in March 2026 brought stories into practical play. Children dressed as favourite characters, counted and explored foods through The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and guessed which animals were hidden in boxes inspired by Dear Zoo. The garden also became a setting for acting out stories.

Outdoor and Community Life

Easter Chicks in April 2026 gave children a living subject to observe. Eggs hatched in an incubator, and children discussed growth, being gentle, using quiet voices and what the chicks needed as they ate, drank and rested. The chicks subsequently went to Second Chance Animal Rescue in Swanley. This was a dated experience with a clear practical lesson in care, rather than a claim that animals are a permanent nursery feature.

Community experiences also include learning about celebrations beyond children's own families. In May 2025, children had visited a temple to learn about Vaisakhi, a Sikh festival.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is arranged around the individual child. Before starting, families have a series of sessions with an allocated key person, and the schedule is agreed together. That gives the adult responsible for understanding the child's needs time to learn about their preferences and family routines before ordinary attendance begins.

Communication continues through daily conversations, parent meetings and an online learning journal. Updates cover activities, food, nappy changes and learning moments; the app also carries photographs, videos and diary entries. Families can call during the day.

Mother’s Day Stay & Play returned in March 2026 for its second year, bringing families together for play and food. Father’s Day Stay and Play in June 2026 included a dinosaur trail, a goal-shooting challenge and crafts. These occasions give adults a chance to share nursery activities with their children, beyond receiving an account of the day afterwards.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children made good progress and that staff supported children with SEND effectively, including using signs and visual prompts to help communication. In May 2025, additional funding also supported resources such as musical instruments, and a calm space gave children somewhere to go when feelings became overwhelming.

For a child with a medical condition, the nursery arranges a risk assessment with the family and manager before the first day, then shares the relevant information with those providing care. Families can also supply familiar words when English is not their child's first language. Both arrangements make information from home part of day-to-day support.

An in-house cook prepares meals on site, with breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks made fresh; adults eat alongside children. The nursery publishes a nut-free kitchen policy and adapts food for dietary requirements declared in writing, so allergy-affected families should discuss current arrangements before attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. Full days and half days are offered, while the booking terms specify a minimum of two full days.

Closures include bank holidays, staff training days and the period between Christmas and New Year. On 24 December 2026, opening hours shorten to 7am to 2.30pm. Families needing care that afternoon will need another arrangement.

Getting There

The address is 42 The Grove, Gravesend, Kent DA12 1DP. Gravesend Station is a 5 minute walk away. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01474 263 125 or by email to info@thegrovedaycarenursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is delivered through a stretched scheme across the year. Options include 30 hours for eligible working parents of children from 9 months, 15 hours for disadvantaged two-year-olds, and 30 hours for working parents of two-year-olds. For ages 3 to 5, the nursery offers universal 15-hour funding and a 30-hour working-parent option. Eligibility still determines which option applies to a family.

Private fees include meals and nursery supplies such as nappies, wipes, nappy cream and sun cream; families provide formula for babies. Funded hours carry separate optional charges for meals and consumables, with a specific consumable-charge condition for children aged 3 to 5 who are not fully toilet trained. Additional non-funded hours are charged separately. The fees and funding page sets out the structure; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

A non-refundable nursery registration charge is payable, and a deposit is required when a nursery place is accepted. The deposit is refundable on leaving, subject to the terms, but that refund does not apply to children who never start. Absences do not generate refunds or replacement attendance, including when a child is ill or away on holiday. Families should build that position into their childcare budget.

• Shorter attendance patterns. Half-day care sits alongside terms requiring at least two full days. During a tour, ask how a proposed half-day pattern fits those terms before committing.
• Changes between activities. In May 2025, some children became uncertain or disruptive when routines changed, and explanations for stopping behaviour were inconsistent. Ask staff to demonstrate how they now handle these moments and explain boundaries.
• Funded-place extras. Meals and consumables can carry optional charges during funded hours, with an additional condition linked to toilet training for ages 3 to 5. Request an itemised quotation showing funded hours, additional hours and the supplies relevant to your child.
• Food allergies. The nursery's kitchen policy excludes nuts and meals are adapted to declared needs. Confirm how your child's allergy information reaches the cook and practitioners, including when those needs change.

The Grove suits families seeking either full-day attendance or a shorter half-day pattern, provided their booking fits the minimum-full-day terms. Its clearest attractions are child-led learning, practical environmental habits and a personalised settling process backed by regular communication. Recent story activities and the chick-hatching experience give those ideas concrete substance.

The May 2025 Good judgement is balanced by specific improvements around routine changes and explanations of behaviour. For a family choosing this nursery, those everyday interactions and the itemised cost of funded attendance are the most useful subjects to explore alongside its play and care arrangements.