St Peters Busy Bee's Pre-School

A nature walk to the local pond once a term gives this Bearsted pre-school a recognisable rhythm: children explore their surroundings, feed ducks at the pond and talk about what their senses tell them. Back at the church hall, choosing between indoor and outdoor play is part of the day. This is an independent, committee-run setting with 30 places in total, accepting ages two to four.

Ofsted rated St Peters Busy Bee's Pre-School Outstanding on 11 May 2023, with Outstanding judgements across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. Its appeal combines that dated assessment with practical, current details: a garden for exploration, parent contributions to developmental records and support with toilet training when children are ready.

Attendance is term-time, with morning sessions, shorter days and longer days offered across Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The calendar matters as much as the daily timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care across seven areas of learning: here, play, conversation and resources chosen around children's interests support their development. Staff and children help select resources each day. That gives children's current interests a place in planning, rather than expecting everyone to engage with the same materials.

In May 2023, children built models using recycled materials and worked out how to lengthen tracks for toy vehicles. Adults used questions to extend their thinking, including how to make a model flower tower taller. These examples show learning through practical problems: children could try an idea, discuss it and change what they were making.

The cooking and gardening club added another connection between activity and everyday life in May 2023. Children grew cucumbers and then ate them at snack time, linking growing food with eating it. Books, rhymes and songs also featured throughout the setting at that time, giving children different ways to join conversations and shared activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can move between indoor play and the garden through a free-flow arrangement. The enclosed outdoor space combines grass with artificial turf; sand play and tricycles give children different reasons to spend time outside. Feeding birds and investigating worms and spiders bring observation into ordinary play.

With the River Len close by, a nature walk to the local pond happens once a term. Children visit the local pond to feed ducks, with conversation along the route about sounds, smells, sights and textures. The outing extends learning beyond the hall and garden while keeping it connected to a familiar local place.

In May 2023, children searched outdoors for insects and marked their discoveries on lists. They also signed their names on clipboards to take a turn on the bikes, and older children helped younger ones with equipment. These were practical opportunities to use early writing, manage turns and help a friend.

Relationships and Communication

Starting arrangements include a taster session before the child's first day, with further sessions considered by the manager alongside advice from parents and the keyworker. Families complete admissions paperwork beforehand. This gives the setting information about the child before regular attendance begins, while allowing the settling process to respond to individual needs.

The unique child profile records a child's development when they start. Parents then contribute regularly alongside the keyworker's comments across the seven areas of learning. Daily conversations and questionnaires provide further routes for families to share information; the password-protected parents area contains forms, newsletters and announcements.

Parents can also take part in the committee's termly meetings, with an AGM in July. The committee deals with procedures, finances and fundraising, so involvement reaches beyond updates about an individual child. For families who want a role in how a small pre-school operates, that is a concrete opportunity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and SEND support exceptional, describing funded one-to-one help, staff learning sign language and strong progress in children's communication. Those findings belong to that visit. Current staffing roles include a SENCO and a safeguarding lead, providing identifiable responsibilities for inclusion and safeguarding within the team.

In May 2023, the setting employed seven staff, including five with relevant level 3 early-years qualifications. This is a dated staffing picture, rather than a measure of today's group sizes or deployment.

Toilet training is not a condition of attendance: staff work with families when their child is ready. The admissions policy also provides for translated information and interpreters where needed, helping families take part in the registration process. Parents supply a packed lunch and water bottle; drinks and the daily snack are included in the fees, and the snack bar lets children choose from fruit, vegetables and carbohydrate foods.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Peter's Church Hall, Button Lane, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 8NJ, just off the A20 Ashford Road. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

The pre-school operates on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, closing on Wednesdays. It runs for 38 weeks, follows local primary-school holiday periods and closes on bank holidays. Families therefore need a separate plan for Wednesdays and school holidays.

The session choices are 9am to 12.45pm, 9am to 2.30pm, 9am to 5pm and 9.30am to 5pm. Morning and afternoon attendance can be split. Attendance patterns can be adapted to individual circumstances where this preserves continuity for the children; that is a conditional flexibility, rather than unrestricted hourly booking.

The waiting list follows registration-date order. Existing families are consulted about increasing their sessions before bookings are opened to new starters, though requested days are not guaranteed. Visits are arranged at a mutually suitable time.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes universal 15-hour funding for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, 30-hour funding, 15/30-hour funding for two-year-olds and Free for two funding (FF2). Funding is delivered term-time. Eligibility depends on the relevant entitlement, and funding codes must be supplied at registration.

Funding allocations use a four-day week. The 15-hour allocation fits the 9am to 12.45pm morning pattern, while the 30-hour allocation can cover 9.30am to 5pm; additional attendance outside the applicable allocation is paid privately. Eligible families wishing to use 30-hour funding must tell the manager before their child starts, and these bookings are accepted on a first-come basis.

Parents provide nappies, wipes and nappy bags. Lunch also comes from home, while snacks and drinks are included; these arrangements apply alongside the funded and paid attendance structure. Extra outings, celebrations and entertainment beyond usual session activities are excluded from the fees.

A voluntary sustainability donation supports extras including dance classes, cooking club and craft materials, and families may remove it from their invoice. Fees are paid monthly in advance, with no refunds for illness or absence; late payment and late collection attract charges. Families receive current prices in the nursery's written quotation. For children who do not qualify for free early education, joining the waiting list requires a refundable deposit, returned with the first invoice.

• Four-day, term-time calendar. Wednesday closure and school-holiday breaks are part of the attendance model. Weigh these alongside the choice between mornings, shorter days and longer sessions.
• Funding and start times. The 15-hour morning pattern begins at 9am, while the 30-hour day begins at 9.30am. Choose the pattern against your daily schedule, including any additional paid time.
• Settling into the hall and garden. A taster session precedes the start date, with further sessions considered individually. During a visit, ask how the keyworker would support your child as they become familiar with indoor and outdoor play.
• Costs during absences. Illness and other absences do not bring a fee refund. Include that condition, parent-supplied lunches and personal-care supplies in your childcare budget.

St Peters Busy Bee's Pre-School suits families seeking term-time morning attendance or a longer day, with a local outdoor routine and opportunities to contribute to the setting's committee. The May 2023 Outstanding judgement carries weight, while the garden, termly pond walks and developmental conversations give its offer specific substance. Wednesday closure and the holiday calendar are decisive practical considerations: this is a choice to make around both the child's experience and the family's weekly routine.