Scallywags, Medway

Separate sleeping space for babies, gardens linked to the youngest rooms and a gradual move into preschool give Scallywags, Medway a recognisable character. This purpose-built nursery in Rainham puts considerable thought into the physical setting: daylight, neutral colours and resources children can choose for themselves. Its appeal starts with those concrete arrangements rather than a slogan about care.

At its 7 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall. That judgement is a dated assessment, while the current room arrangements provide their own practical reasons to consider it. The nursery has 104 places in total and welcomes children aged 0-5, with a progression through Baby Room, Wobbler Room, Toddler Room and Pre-School Room.

Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room combines singing, books, sensory exploration and climbing with daily garden access, while separate rooms for sleep and changing preserve the main space for play. That separation matters: rest has its own place rather than sharing every activity happening around it.

Wobbler Room brings larger furniture and toys, child-selected activities and free-flow garden access, with an emphasis on movement, communication and social and emotional development. It is the next step for confident walkers. Choosing between indoor and outdoor play gives children some control over their day as their mobility increases.

Toddler Room supports language and independence through messy activities, a quiet book area and a familiar story explored each month, alongside regular use of the astro garden and forest school garden. Its carpeted and wipe-clean areas allow quieter play and messier exploration to happen in different parts of the room.

Pre-School Room has a smaller little preschool area followed by big preschool, combining play with key-person activities such as puzzles, early writing and stories. Little preschool begins at around 2 years and 10 months. The move to big preschool is discussed with parents when their child is ready and confident.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation, physical exploration and growing independence give it practical expression. The Curiosity Approach adds an emphasis on accessible resources, self-selection and time to explore at an unhurried pace. Children can follow an interest rather than having every activity selected for them.

Substantial windows, lampshades and restrained colours shape the rooms; self-selection areas help children find resources and begin playing.

In June 2022, babies experimented with sound by bringing wooden spoons together, while older children investigated what happened when colourful sweets dissolved in water. Toddlers explored a lemon-scented, sticky mixture. Children had time to investigate sound, change and texture.

Language also threaded through the June 2022 nursery day. Babies heard repeated sounds, rhymes and songs; older children held extended conversations with staff. An activity about eyes introduced words including vision and sight, connecting new vocabulary to something children could investigate directly.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor provision has several different surfaces and uses. Baby Room and Wobbler Room each have an astro-turf garden; the rear gardens include natural grass and astro-turf, and can be used together or separately. The front garden has raised planters for growing plants with small groups. That gives outdoor learning a quieter, hands-on element alongside opportunities for larger movements.

Babies sometimes go out into the community and receive visits from soft play and Jo Jingles, an occasional visitor to the room. These sit alongside everyday activities rather than replacing them. In June 2022, physical challenges included a low climbing frame for babies and a bridge and steps for older children, illustrating how opportunities for movement were adapted to different stages.

Relationships and Communication

A baby's home routine is incorporated into nursery care, and the room aims to keep practitioners consistent. Each baby has a key person, usually the practitioner with whom they feel most comfortable. The relationship includes support for parents as well as the child, making communication about routines part of the care arrangement.

Before a baby starts, at least three taster sessions are recommended, with further sessions possible when needed. Practitioners receive training in safe sleep and weaning. These arrangements give settling a practical shape: time to become familiar with people, continuity in everyday routines and support around important changes in baby care.

In June 2022, parents exchanged information with staff about their children's development, and families could borrow books, including titles in children's home languages. Reading therefore extended beyond nursery activities into something families could share at home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged additional funding to be used exceptionally well for communication support, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with a speech therapist regularly working alongside staff and children. This is a useful, specific example of support at that time, rather than a general promise about every child's needs.

Current toddler arrangements include starting potty training in agreement with parents, naps after lunch when requested and a book space with sensory and nature resources to support emotional regulation. Parents can request a sleep limit or allow a nap without one. These are small but consequential choices for families trying to keep nursery and home routines compatible.

Meals are cooked on site, with ingredients adapted for dietary needs, including dairy-free and gluten-free diets. The nursery has a nut- and grape-free food policy and uses herbs and spices rather than adding salt to dishes.

School preparation is rooted in everyday independence. Preschool children practise dressing, asking for help and using the toilet, and a school leaver party marks their departure. Toddler transition visits begin at 2 years and 9 months, giving children opportunities to become familiar with little preschool before moving there.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks each year, with public-holiday closures. This provides a substantial weekday opening window.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01634 232300 or by email to managementteam@scallywagsmedway.co.uk. The nursery welcomes children aged 0-5, so families can consider the progression from baby care through preschool within one setting.

Getting There

The address is Playfootball.Net, London Road, Rainham, Gillingham, ME8 7RJ. The nursery is underneath the bridge, a useful location detail when planning a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private paid care are offered. In June 2022, funding supported early education for children aged two, three and four; that historical detail should be kept separate from an individual family's current funding arrangement.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page provides the starting point for discussing paid attendance and financial support, while the quotation gives families a concrete basis for planning their childcare budget.

• Attendance and funding. Opening spans weekdays from 7.30am to 6.30pm across 51 weeks, and both funded and private care are offered. Ask which booking patterns fit your plans, how funding would be delivered, and whether meals and non-food consumables are included, charged separately or supplied by parents.
• Settling a baby. The recommended starting point is at least three taster sessions, with more possible. Use a visit to discuss how the key person would incorporate your baby's home routine and organise sleep.
• Food allergies. On-site cooking and ingredient substitutions sit alongside a nut- and grape-free policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and how food-based sensory activities would be adapted for their child.
• The preschool move. Transition visits start at 2 years and 9 months, before little preschool at around 2 years and 10 months. Discuss how readiness is assessed and how parents participate in decisions about the later move to big preschool.

Scallywags suits families who value a considered progression from baby care to preschool, practical attention to routines and outdoor access built into the youngest children's day. Separate baby sleep space, self-selection areas and the staged preschool move give that proposition substance.

The June 2022 Outstanding judgement is a strong inspection position, but it remains dated. The current reasons to consider this nursery are concrete: varied gardens, support for everyday independence and settling arrangements that make room for individual needs. Those features give families clear reasons to consider Scallywags.