Play A Way Activity Centre

A dedicated sleeping area for babies, outdoor play for every age group and school collection from two named primaries give Play A Way Activity Centre a practical identity. This Christmas Street nursery in Gillingham accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has capacity for 52 children. Its offer spans early nursery care and clubs for school-aged children.

At its April 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be at the Expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are area judgements rather than an overall grade. The detail beneath them matters: communication and physical development feature heavily in the nursery day, alongside specific improvements needed in teaching, independence and communication with parents.

Year-round nursery opening sits alongside breakfast and after-school clubs, with Christmas and bank-holiday closures.

Rooms and Ages

Babies aged 3 to 23 months use a bright, spacious room with a dedicated sleeping area, while their key person introduces exploration play and works around their development. Having somewhere specifically set aside for sleep gives rest a clear place in the baby day.

For children aged 2 to 5 years, creative work, messy play, building, pretend play and movement form the older children's activities, with a quiet space and sleep mats for those who need rest. Children move into the pre-school room after their third birthday. Activities there prepare them for school, so the room change brings a shift towards preparation for school.

Groups for toddlers and preschool children take account of development as well as age. This matters for children whose interests and abilities do not fall neatly into an age band: their key person chooses activities with the individual child in mind.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play providing opportunities to practise communication, movement and everyday skills. Here, activities are chosen according to children's ages and development rather than simply giving everyone the same task.

In April 2026, books were shared throughout activities and children could borrow them for home. Staff also used signs, pictures and words from children's home languages. These are concrete ways of making communication part of play and connecting nursery experiences with family life.

Mathematics took physical forms at that visit. Older children worked with shapes and position while building sizeable outdoor models; younger children counted objects in sand and steps. Treasure-map play brought imagination into the mix. Such activities give children something to handle, build or explore while they practise language and number.

There was also a clear teaching limitation in April 2026: staff sometimes missed chances to change an activity so that children could take their understanding further. Families should weigh the appealing activities alongside how practitioners respond when a child is ready for more challenge.

Outdoor and Community Life

Every child has access to the secure outdoor play area. In April 2026, physical play included climbing equipment, a trampoline and stepping stones, while babies and toddlers had opportunities to climb and crawl. These provided different ways to practise balance and movement rather than relying solely on seated activities.

For school-aged children, the Activity Centre's collection and drop-off service covers Saxon Way Primary School and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School. This is a practical school-club connection, separate from the preschool room's work preparing younger children for school.

Relationships and Communication

Two free settling days are offered for babies, with staff working to follow their familiar routines. A key person selects activities suited to each child. Together, those arrangements give families a specific starting point for settling: familiar care routines alongside someone taking responsibility for the child's nursery experiences.

The Online Learning Journal lets parents follow updates about their child's development. It provides a continuing connection with nursery learning rather than limiting communication to collection time.

In April 2026, communication also included electronic messages, handovers and written accounts of children's development, but leaders acknowledged that exchanges with parents were uneven. The journal is therefore useful to consider alongside the consistency of day-to-day contact. A digital channel alone does not answer how reliably each family receives information.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with SEND, made progress from their starting points, that individual support involved parents and other professionals, and that the key-person arrangements helped care follow children's personal needs and familiar sleep routines. This connects support with actual mechanisms rather than a general promise of inclusion.

A SENCO role sits alongside leadership of the toddler room. That gives families an identifiable role for discussing additional needs within the nursery's structure.

In April 2026, additional resources included story sacks for use at nursery and home, with spending also directed towards equipment for movement and coordination. Staff gave parents guidance on healthier lunchbox choices. During meals, however, adults sometimes did tasks children could manage themselves, reducing opportunities to practise independence.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Christmas Street, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1TD. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across the year apart from Christmas and bank holidays.

For school-aged children, breakfast club runs on weekdays from 7am to 8.30am and includes school drop-off. The after-school club runs from 3.30pm to 6pm with collection from the covered schools, giving families two different ways to extend the school day. Holiday club also runs during school holidays and half terms.

After-school activities include games, crafts and sport, with support for children who want to begin homework. Breakfast club includes a meal, and children attending after-school club receive a hot meal.

Visits can be arranged through the Activity Centre's contact route or by calling 01634 280167.

Getting There

The nursery is close to Gillingham town centre, its railway station and bus routes, with the A2 and Medway Tunnel also identified as nearby traffic routes. Those connections are useful context for families combining childcare with journeys across the area.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged 3 to 5 years and for 2-year-olds. All major childcare vouchers are accepted. Families should obtain a written quotation for current prices.

• Teaching challenge. In April 2026, staff did not consistently extend activities when children could take their learning further. During a visit, ask how practitioners adjust a familiar activity for a child who has already mastered it.
• Independence at meals. Adults sometimes took over manageable tasks in April 2026. Ask how the nursery now gives children time to practise serving, handling food and completing everyday tasks themselves.
• Communication between updates. The Online Learning Journal provides development updates, but parent communication was uneven in April 2026. Discuss how handovers and longer conversations work alongside it.
• The funded booking agreement. Funded childcare covers the stated age groups. Ask for the proposed attendance pattern and an itemised agreement explaining meals, consumables and any additional hours before committing.

Play A Way Activity Centre suits families seeking nursery care from babyhood through preschool, as well as those needing breakfast club or after-school club for children attending Saxon Way Primary School or St Mary’s Catholic Primary School. The baby sleeping area, settling days and Online Learning Journal give families concrete arrangements to assess.

The April 2026 position calls for a measured judgement. Communication, physical play and personalised care have substantial detail behind them, while teaching challenge, children's independence and consistent parent contact deserve attention. Those are the useful points to test during a visit.