Nellies Pre-School

Volcano-building, pirate maps and children pouring their own drinks give Nellies Pre-School a concrete character: play combined with opportunities to do things independently. These were features of daily life in July 2023. Ofsted rated the setting Good at its 6 July 2023 inspection.

Based at Shepway Youth And Community Centre in Maidstone, Nellies has 26 places in total. Children attending in July 2023 were aged two to five; that age range describes the children at that time.

In July 2023, children chose activities and handled small practical tasks, including serving snacks. Construction materials became volcanoes, while pirate play involved making maps. These examples connected imagination with making, talking and taking responsibility.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the July 2023 activities illustrated how play could bring those elements together: staff introduced vocabulary such as eruption alongside children's interest in volcanoes.

Physical play included balancing and climbing with tyres and climbing structures. Children also explored Hanukkah through its traditions, bringing another country's culture into their learning. Larger group activities were less consistently successful: in July 2023, their organisation did not reliably keep the youngest children involved throughout.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities that included work with speech and language and occupational therapists, visual timelines and a dark den for children feeling overwhelmed.

Those practical supports offered different ways to understand routines or take a quieter moment. In July 2023, staff also helped children express feelings and discussed road-crossing safety. Children practised independence alongside learning how to look after themselves.

Parents received information about activities in July 2023, but communication about individual learning and next steps needed more detail. Knowing what a child enjoyed is useful; knowing what to practise next makes that conversation more actionable at home.

The address is Shepway Youth And Community Centre, Cumberland Avenue, Maidstone, ME15 7JN.

In July 2023, opening hours ran from 9am to 2pm on weekdays during term time. At that time, Nellies received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. These are dated operating arrangements rather than a current attendance offer.

• Learning at home. Communication about individual next steps needed strengthening in July 2023. Ask how those next steps are now shared with families.
• Younger children in groups. Larger group activities did not consistently retain the youngest children's attention in July 2023. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how these activities are organised now.

Nellies suits families who value imaginative play, practical independence and concrete support tools such as visual timelines. Its July 2023 provision combined these features with two clear improvement priorities: involving younger children during group activities and giving parents more useful guidance for learning at home. The dated weekday, term-time opening pattern is most relevant to families seeking care within the school-term calendar.