Nuffy Bear Day Nursery at Medway

At the April 2024 inspection, colour mixing, passing trains and children serving their own meals illustrated learning through experiments, outdoor play and everyday independence. Nuffy Bear Day Nursery at Medway operates within Nuffield Health Club in Rochester, with care spanning babies through to children preparing for school.

At its 26 April 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, highlighting teaching shaped around children's interests and strong relationships with their key people. The examples beneath that judgement matter more than the label: children investigated coloured water, negotiated sharing and practised doing things for themselves.

Children aged 3 months to 5 years are accepted, and the setting has 25 places in total. Those places describe the whole nursery, rather than the size of any individual group. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with full-day and AM/PM booking patterns.

Rooms and Ages

Three age-based areas organise the nursery day: Baby takes children from 3 months to 2 years, Toddler covers ages 2 to 3, and Pre-school covers ages 3 to 5. This gives families a clear progression through the setting, with environments arranged around children's development.

In April 2024, babies joined familiar songs with movements and sounds, while older children sustained conversations about their ideas. These examples show how communication looked different across ages: an adult responding to a baby's sounds and an adult extending an older child's thinking both made conversation part of learning.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In parent terms, the day brings together opportunities to communicate, explore, develop physical skills and practise relationships through play and routines.

In April 2024, activities were planned around children's existing skills and interests, with an emphasis on healthy habits, independence, friendships and communication. Older children experimented with coloured inks and water, considering both how colours changed and how much water they were using. Staff used questions to help them explain their thinking. The activity combined hands-on exploration with the language needed to describe a discovery.

Sharing also had a practical tool. In April 2024, children used sand timers to manage turns and work through disagreements between themselves. Rather than leaving cooperation as an abstract instruction, this gave children something concrete to use when another child wanted the same resource.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supplied different challenges for different ages in April 2024. Babies watched trains pass and shared their reactions with staff; toddlers practised climbing the steps of a small slide, with adults supporting them while leaving room to try.

That combination is useful for parents weighing outdoor provision. There was something to notice as well as something to climb, and the physical challenge was matched to children's development. The slide example also shows the balance between help and independence: adults supported the attempt rather than taking over the task.

Relationships and Communication

In April 2024, children had a consistent key person, with a buddy arrangement giving parents another specific contact when that practitioner was away. Room moves were planned with families. For a young child, the practical value is continuity; for parents, it is knowing whom to approach rather than having to explain everything afresh to whichever adult is present.

Daily conversations and parents' evenings were part of communication in April 2024. Staff tracked children's development and discussed it with families, alongside advice for continuing learning at home. This made communication about more than the day's activities: parents could also discuss what their child was learning and how to support the next steps.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND provision highly effective, with the special educational needs coordinator working alongside families, staff and other professionals to identify concerns early and plan targeted support. The useful detail is the mechanism: concerns led to coordinated strategies and activities adapted to the child, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Mealtimes offered another opportunity to practise independence in April 2024: children washed their hands, gathered tableware and helped themselves to food, while younger children received assistance at the handwashing station. Everyday care was also a learning opportunity.

Nine childcare staff worked at the nursery in April 2024. Management held individual discussions with staff about their teaching and agreed development plans, linking professional development to what happened during activities. That is a dated staffing snapshot, separate from the nursery's current capacity.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm. Full-day, AM and PM sessions provide different booking patterns, so families can consider either a whole day or a shorter part of it. It operates throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas; the Christmas closure matters for families whose work continues through that period.

Enquiries can be made through the nursery's contact form or by calling 01634 292900. The nursery is based at Nuffield Health Club, Medway Valley Leisure Park, Chariot Way, Rochester, ME2 2SS.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is the funding position at the inspection date, rather than a promise of eligibility or a particular funded booking today.

Private full-day and AM/PM care have separate prices, with materials and consumables charged separately. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation and consider those additional charges alongside their chosen attendance pattern.

• Baby care and room moves. The Baby area spans 3 months to 2 years, and room transitions were planned with parents in April 2024. During a visit, ask how settling, sleep routines and the move to Toddler would work for your child.
• The complete booking cost. Full-day and AM/PM patterns carry separate materials and consumables charges. Request a written quotation for the intended days, including how meals and any funded hours would be treated.
• Support tailored to your child. The April 2024 SEND finding centred on early identification and cooperation with families and professionals. If your child needs additional support, discuss how those strategies would translate into their daily activities and communication with you.

This nursery suits families choosing full days, mornings or afternoons who value practical independence and close relationships with key staff. The April 2024 examples give substance to that choice: experimenting with water, using timers to share and tackling the garden slide all put children in an active role.

Its strongest case rests on those everyday details and the dated inspection judgement. The financial decision needs equal attention, with separate materials and consumables charges considered alongside the attendance pattern that works for the family.