Cherubs Montessori Day Nursery

A dedicated baby garden, Montessori materials children can choose for themselves, and a sensory space for quieter moments give Cherubs Montessori Day Nursery a recognisable character. At 5 Castle View Road in Rochester, the provision stretches from babies aged 3 months to children preparing for school. There is capacity for 75 children in total. That whole-nursery figure should be kept separate from the number sharing any particular room.

At its March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Cherubs Good and judged safeguarding effective. The practical detail behind that judgement matters: in March 2024, babies explored animal sounds, older children experimented with colour, and climbing equipment gave children opportunities to test their movement and balance. Two weaknesses also need attention: waiting between activities and communication with other settings that children attended.

Families can choose full days, mornings or afternoons, with separate attendance windows for funded childcare. The combination of age-specific rooms, outdoor spaces and Montessori resources is the stronger reason to look closely at Cherubs.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room accepts children aged 3 months to 24 months, combining sensory toys and craft with a dedicated garden and sleep rooms equipped with individual cots, gentle lighting and music. Sleep has a space of its own. For parents choosing care for a very young child, that separation is a useful physical feature, alongside outdoor provision specifically for babies.

Nursery serves children aged 2 to 3 years, with puppets, pretend play, science and creative activities supported by an outdoor area for gardening, messy play and building dens. This gives toddlers several ways to explore an interest: they can act out an idea, investigate it with materials or carry it outside.

The Montessori Room welcomes children from 2 years to school age, using specialist materials, books, music and puzzles for activities children undertake with adult guidance. Preschool, for children from 3 years to school age, centres on practical exploration and creative work, including seedlings, cooking and materials such as clay and wood. Its Craft Room carries the children's own decoration, making their contributions part of the room itself.

A separate Sensory Room uses sound and light in a quieter setting, with opportunities for individual time. It adds another kind of space to a nursery whose other rooms include busy creative and physical experiences.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical experiences help children build skills as they grow. Montessori sits alongside that framework here, adding specialist materials and opportunities for children to choose activities and work at their own pace with guidance. The concrete offer matters more than the label. Children have things to handle, investigate and return to, rather than an approach described only in abstract terms.

Children's interests also shape planning. Practitioners use interactions during play to recognise what a child knows and develop the activity from there. That gives everyday conversation a purpose beyond simply supervising an activity.

In March 2024, mathematical work included decimal points, while a volcano experiment introduced mixing and colour changes. Babies washed farm animals and joined animal songs. These examples show different levels of challenge across the ages, rather than expecting the youngest children to follow the same activity as the oldest.

Preschool projects can include editing photographs on a computer and using programmes connected with current work. Practical materials remain prominent: water, sand and paint sit alongside growing and cooking. For families who value learning through making and trying things, this is a substantial part of the nursery's character.

Outdoor and Community Life

Three themed gardens provide different outdoor settings. The Baby Garden and Sensory Garden sit at the front of the house; the rear garden includes a climbing frame and surfaces with different textures that can be used in varying weather. A sandpit, muddy digger patch and construction areas give children materials to move and manipulate, while percussion equipment adds sound to outdoor play.

The gardens support more than running about. Planting, digging and building offer practical tasks children can revisit, and the separate baby space gives the youngest children their own outdoor setting. In March 2024, children grew runner beans and used equipment including rope ladders, connecting discussion about healthy food with growing produce and physical activity.

The Cherubs Bears extend an ordinary room relationship beyond nursery: each room has a bear that children may take home, on holiday or to an event. It is a simple, named connection between the child's nursery experience and family life.

Relationships and Communication

A key person forms the link between each child and their family. For babies, staff adapt the environment as needs change, alongside the dedicated sleeping and outdoor spaces. That makes the care arrangements as relevant as the activity choices when comparing the youngest provision.

Parent Zone provides parents with updates about children's experiences during the day. The room bear offers a different connection, through something the child can take home. Together, these give families both information about nursery life and a tangible link with it.

The team includes a graduate management team, a SENCO role and a curriculum officer role, with continuing professional development for practitioners. These are useful features of the staffing structure, rather than a substitute for evidence about children's experiences.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, made good progress, and that the quiet sensory room helped children who felt overwhelmed. The current Sensory Room offers light, sound and individual time in a calmer space. For a child who needs a pause from busy play, the physical arrangement is a relevant part of the care offer.

In March 2024, staff understood babies' routines and built relationships that helped children settle. Communication activities included songs for babies, conversations with older children and words from languages including Portuguese and Romanian. These examples connect care with children's ability to express themselves and recognise other people's experiences.

The same visit exposed a practical weakness: babies grew unsettled while waiting for lunch, and changes between activities were not consistently organised to keep children occupied. Some key persons also lacked knowledge of whether their children attended another setting. For families dividing care between providers, that second point concerns the consistency of shared learning and care.

Sessions and Attendance

Cherubs opens Monday to Friday, from 7am to 7pm. Full Day runs from 7am to 7pm, Morning from 7am to 1pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 7pm. These are actual attendance choices, so a family can compare a morning or afternoon arrangement with a full day rather than relying on the opening window alone.

Funded attendance has its own patterns: Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm and Short Day from 9am to 4pm. The 8am to 6pm pattern is reserved for children entitled to government funding. Hours added beyond the funded session are charged separately.

The nursery operates across 51 weeks and does not offer term-time-only attendance. Monthly invoices are spread evenly across that period; bank holidays and absence for holidays or sickness remain payable. Changes to permanent attendance require at least 4 weeks' notice and depend on capacity to accommodate the change. Extra sessions can be requested by email.

The contact form combines an enrolment enquiry with a visit request, allowing families to give a preferred date and morning or afternoon preference. Enquiries can also be made by telephone or email.

Getting There

The address is 5 Castle View Road, Rochester, ME2 3PP. Strood Station is ten minutes’ walk away and Rochester Station is ten minutes’ drive away, with rail connections to London destinations including Victoria and London Bridge.

Funding and Paid Extras

Cherubs accepts 2 Year Funding, 15 Hours Government Funding and 30 Hours Government Funding. Funding is stretched across the year: the stated weekly allowances become 11 hours and 22 hours respectively over 51 weeks. This fits year-round attendance rather than a term-time pattern.

Meals are prepared on site by two chefs, with menus following a 3-week rotation and breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea forming part of nursery sessions. For funded children, breakfast carries no extra charge, while nursery-provided lunch and tea are charged separately; families may instead supply packed lunch or tea according to their booked session.

Additional private hours are available alongside funded attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the parent information and fees page sets out the attendance and payment structure.

• Babies' routines. In March 2024, waiting for lunch left babies restless. On a visit, ask how staff now organise meals and changes between activities, alongside the Baby Room's sleeping arrangements.
• Care shared with another setting. In March 2024, some key persons did not know which children also attended elsewhere. Families using two providers should ask how information about care and learning is exchanged.
• Year-round payment. Funding is stretched over 51 weeks, term-time-only attendance is not offered, and holidays, sickness and bank holidays remain payable. Compare the whole attendance agreement with the weeks your family needs.
• Funded meals. Breakfast is included without an extra charge, but funded lunch and tea involve a separate charge or food from home. Choose the arrangement that fits the booked session and your child's dietary needs.

Cherubs suits families seeking morning, afternoon or full-day attendance across the year, including those using the separate funded Full Day and Short Day patterns. Montessori materials, practical preschool projects and different garden spaces give children several ways to learn, while the Baby Room's dedicated garden and sleeping provision make the youngest offer concrete.

The March 2024 Good judgement provides a useful inspection position. The reservations are practical and specific: transitions between activities and coordination with another childcare setting. Parents who value child-chosen activities and hands-on learning have clear reasons to consider Cherubs, provided its year-round payment model matches their needs.