The Nursery, St Peter's Church

A converted church and a separate, two-storey Barn give this Maidstone nursery its character. The Nursery, St Peter's Church combines care for babies and young children with a term-time offer in The Barn at St Peters. These are different practical propositions within the same setting, rather than interchangeable versions of the nursery day.

Children are accepted from three months to five years, with capacity for 220 children overall. Ofsted rated the setting Good on 14 November 2022. That judgement provides a useful starting point, but the detail matters: outdoor learning, flexibility in teaching and support for children's home languages were all areas requiring attention.

The main nursery opens throughout most of the year, while the Barn follows school terms and offers full-day and shorter sessions. For families weighing attendance around work or older siblings, that distinction deserves as much attention as the building itself.

Rooms and Ages

The renovated St Peter’s Church provides a bright, spacious interior, with children organised into rooms according to age. Baby Room, Tweenies, Toddlers and Pre-School are the room names used in the nursery gallery. The arrangement gives families recognisable stages of care, although the overall capacity should not be mistaken for the number of children sharing any one room.

Behind the nursery, The Barn at St Peters has play accommodation across two floors. Its term-time pattern is part of its appeal: families can choose a shorter morning or afternoon rather than treating a whole day as the default. The physical separation also makes it important to understand which provision a child would attend.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage guides planning, linking children's learning through play with their development and care. Activities are shaped around individual interests and needs. The practical question is how those interests become experiences that extend a child's understanding, rather than simply fill a routine.

In November 2022, children chose activities for themselves alongside experiences organised by adults. Babies experimented with movement on a slide, with staff helping younger children position their bodies and offering simple instructions to older babies. Preschool children discussed ingredients in curry and used mathematical vocabulary during sand play. These examples connect learning with ordinary actions: moving, handling materials and talking about what is happening.

There was an important limitation at that date. Staff did not consistently make enough use of outdoor opportunities, and daily routines sometimes took precedence over spontaneous chances to extend learning. The distinction matters for a child who learns readily through movement or whose curiosity takes an unexpected direction. Having outdoor space is only part of the offer; using it purposefully is the other part.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with a week-long period, which can be extended to suit the family. That flexibility gives parents scope to build familiarity gradually rather than treating the first week as a fixed deadline. Settling attendance is charged at a reduced rate based on the child's intended attendance pattern.

The nursery operates an open-door visiting policy and does not use agency staff. These arrangements support opportunities for contact with the setting and continuity in the adults a child encounters. They should be read alongside the actual relationship with a child's key person, rather than as guarantees about how any individual child will settle.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children formed affectionate relationships with staff, parents knew their child's key person, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. In November 2022, families exchanged information with staff about children's learning and received details of activities and events. However, children's home languages were not being incorporated sufficiently. For multilingual families, everyday communication and recognition of a child's language are therefore central decision points.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2022, younger children received help with blowing their noses, while older children practised handwashing independently. Staff also modelled hygiene during nappy changes. These were concrete examples of care routines becoming opportunities to learn self-care, rather than separate interruptions to the day.

Food for the main nursery is cooked on site, with a menu repeated on a three-week cycle. The cook caters for weaning, vegetarian diets and dietary needs including allergies, giving families a practical basis for discussing their child's requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St Peter's Church, Buckland Road, Maidstone, ME16 0SL. The main nursery opens Monday to Friday between 7am and 7pm, across 51 weeks, closing for bank holidays and the Christmas-to-New-Year period. This is its opening window; the Barn has a separate session structure.

The Barn runs for 38 weeks and follows Kent school term dates. Its funded sessions for two-year-olds are mornings, 9am to noon, Monday to Friday. For children aged three to five, the choices are a full day from 9am to 3pm, a morning from 9am to noon, or an afternoon from noon to 3pm. The shorter options allow attendance to centre on one part of the day; the full-day option includes lunchtime.

Applications can begin by telephone or through the online registration form, which lets parents select the nursery or the Barn. The contact number is 01622 687878. Choosing the provision is a useful first step because opening periods, food arrangements and supplies differ.

Funding and Paid Extras

The Barn offers 15 funded hours for eligible two-year-olds and for three- and four-year-olds. Some working parents may qualify for another 15 hours, making 30 in total; the two-year-old offer also includes Free for Two funding. Delivery is term-time, and additional paid sessions can be purchased. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

For the main nursery, meals and snacks are included in the price, as are formula milk, bottles and nappies. Barn children attending the full day bring a healthy packed lunch, while drinks and snacks are supplied; families also bring nappies and wipes when their child needs them. The contrast affects both the daily packing routine and the comparison between funded attendance and private care.

• Outdoor learning and flexibility. In November 2022, outdoor opportunities were underused and staff did not consistently adapt learning beyond the routine. During a visit, ask how outdoor play and children's spontaneous interests now shape the day.
• Home languages. In November 2022, support did not sufficiently reflect children's home languages. Multilingual families should ask how familiar words and communication from home are incorporated into care and activities.
• Nursery or Barn. The main nursery's year-round opening differs from the Barn's school-term calendar, and their lunch and nappy arrangements differ too. Ask to see the provision your child would attend; the nursery advises avoiding visits between noon and 2pm because children may be sleeping.
• Dietary requirements. The kitchen caters for allergies and weaning, while full-day Barn children bring lunch. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current food arrangements for their chosen provision.

The converted church, separate Barn and flexible settling period give families clear reasons to consider this setting. It suits parents seeking care across most of the year, as well as those choosing a term-time full day, morning or afternoon in the Barn. Those options should be compared on their own terms, including lunch and supplies.

The Good judgement from November 2022 sits alongside specific improvement needs. The strongest decision will come from seeing how outdoor learning, flexible activities and home-language support work for the child concerned. The setting offers useful practical choices; the quality of that child's everyday experience remains the decisive consideration.