Pennies Day Nursery, Hockers Lane, Maidstone

A cottage-style building near Bearsted gives Pennies Hockers Lane its character, with the North Downs nearby and access to the M20. The setting combines a rural location with a practical connection to a main road, a useful pairing for families whose childcare arrangements need to fit a commute.

At its 1 December 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good across all assessed areas and found safeguarding effective. That judgement is dated: the detail below distinguishes the experiences observed in December 2021 from today's practical arrangements.

Pennies has 55 places in total and accepts children from three months up to 60 months. Whole-nursery capacity does not describe the number of children sharing an individual room, so it should be read as a measure of the setting's overall scale.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent language, this brings learning and everyday care together: play, conversation and relationships all contribute to a child's development.

In December 2021, sensory exploration gave children concrete things to investigate. Younger children experimented with paint, while older children examined fruit teabags and considered their scent and colour. These were activities with something to talk about, rather than simply materials to handle. Staff introduced more precise vocabulary during experiments with coloured water, connecting unfamiliar words to something children could see happening.

Activities also drew on children's interests. In December 2021, staff planned experiences around what they knew about individual children, and the day included both smaller gatherings and larger groups. Familiar stories, songs and dancing sat alongside exploration. This combination gave children opportunities to join others and to spend time with an adult over a favourite book.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2021, the large outdoor space contained climbing frames, an obstacle course and ride-on toys. Children practised balance and worked out how to move around one another, making the garden a place for physical challenges as well as play. Chalk and walkers added different ways to use the space.

Cooperative games brought another kind of challenge. In December 2021, children played What's the time Mr Wolf? with support for sharing turns and working together. Waiting, negotiating and joining a game were part of the experience, alongside movement.

Cultural learning also involved families. In December 2021, children encountered different festivals and shared foods they enjoyed at home. This connected nursery activities with children's family lives and gave them concrete examples of differences between households.

Relationships deserve close attention here. In December 2021, the key-person arrangement helped older children build relationships with staff, but younger children and those newly attending sometimes took longer to establish secure bonds. Strengthening that early connection was the improvement priority. For parents of babies, this is a more useful point to examine than the overall grade alone.

At the December 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received additional help to participate in learning, including collaboration with physiotherapists over suitable equipment. The practical mechanism matters: support included adapting access to activities, rather than expecting every child to use the same equipment in the same way.

Communication support took several forms in December 2021. Children with identified language needs received targeted help, while staff asked families whose children spoke another language for familiar words to use at nursery. That linked support to the child's own starting point and home experience.

Moving between groups was also planned around readiness in December 2021. Staff used engaging activities to help children make the change, including preparing festive play dough. The useful distinction is between a move organised around the child and one treated simply as a change of room.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. For working parents, the closure pattern matters alongside the daily opening window: holiday cover needs to account for both.

Getting There

The address is Thornbank, 149 Hockers Lane, Weavering, Maidstone, ME14 5JY. The location near Bearsted and the M20 makes the route relevant to families travelling through this part of Maidstone.

Enquiries can be made on 01622 630207 or by email to hockerslane@pennies.co.uk. Funded early education forms part of the offer; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The first relationship. The December 2021 improvement priority concerned bonds with younger and newly attending children. During a visit, ask how the key person supports the first sessions and how cover works when that adult is away.
• The cottage and outdoor space. A cottage-style building is part of Hockers Lane's character, while the December 2021 account describes substantial outdoor play. Use a showround to explore how your child's day moves between those spaces.
• The weekly arrangement. Opening spans the working day and attendance runs across the year, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Ask which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would fit your family's week, including the treatment of meals and consumables.

Pennies Hockers Lane suits families seeking childcare across the year in a cottage-style setting near Bearsted. Its December 2021 account gives a concrete picture of sensory investigation, language-rich play and physical activity outdoors. Those details make the experience easier to assess than a grade by itself.

The deciding care question is the early relationship with the key person, especially for babies and children new to nursery. Families comfortable with the location and closure pattern should give that part of a showround close attention.