St. Edith's Preschool

School grounds and a curriculum shaped around children's interests give St. Edith's Preschool its character. In June 2023, children also grew strawberries and tomatoes in its garden. Based in Kemsing, within the grounds of Kemsing Primary School, it combines a preschool setting with a physical connection to the next stage of education. That connection does not guarantee a Reception place.

Ofsted rated the preschool Good at its June 2023 inspection. There is capacity for 24 children in total, and children are welcomed from age two until rising five, just before primary school. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance are offered, with funded attendance following its own timetable.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, development and care: children learn through play, with activities supporting their developing communication, independence and understanding. Alongside this, the Milestone Assessment Toolkit supplies developmental checkpoints used in curriculum planning. It gives staff a structure for considering children's development rather than treating activities as an end in themselves.

Planning combines termly preparation with responses to children's interests as they emerge. A weekly sequence covers shapes and colours alongside phonics and number work, changing the content each week. Other activities grow out of what interests the children. For parents, the useful distinction is between a planned learning sequence and room for an individual child's enthusiasm to influence the day.

In June 2023, staff selected resources with the interests of the children attending that day in mind. Children chose and explored those resources themselves. Adults used props and humour to help conversations make sense, while regular nursery-rhyme activities brought listening and movement together. These are concrete examples of learning through interaction rather than relying entirely on adult-led instruction.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden had a practical role in June 2023: children grew tomatoes and strawberries and discussed healthy eating with staff. Physical activity also included movement that raised children's heart rates. Everyday independence extended to muddy play, with children fetching boots or seeking an adult's help when needed. The emphasis was on doing things themselves, with support close by.

School preparation had a social element too. In June 2023, staff worked with local primary schools on reading activities and visits that introduced children to school life. Meeting older children and school staff gave that preparation a concrete setting, beyond conversations about what school might be like.

Tours take place before families complete the registration form, and settling sessions follow confirmation of a place. This creates a staged transition from home or another setting, rather than making the first regular session the child's only introduction.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children had close relationships with their key persons, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received timely help, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. Those findings belong to that inspection date. The current team structure includes both a SENCO role and a designated safeguarding lead role, providing identifiable responsibilities for additional needs and safeguarding concerns.

In June 2023, communication with parents included personal care and hygiene, alongside encouragement to choose clothes suitable for messy activities. That is useful practical partnership: clothing and care routines affect how comfortably a child can take part. The Milestone Assessment Toolkit also calls for practitioners to consider support with parents or carers when developmental skills are not emerging as expected, making family discussion part of the assessment approach.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is West End, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 6PU. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, with attendance following Kent County Council's suggested term dates across 38 weeks each year. This is a term-time arrangement, so it suits families whose childcare planning can accommodate the school holidays.

The paid session timetable offers a morning from 9am to 11.30am, an afternoon from 12.30pm to 3pm and a full day from 9am to 3pm. There are also combinations covering a morning with lunch, ending at 12.30pm, and lunch with an afternoon, running from 11.30am to 3pm. The minimum attendance is one full day or two sessions each week. That minimum matters when considering a gentle introduction through shorter visits.

Telephone enquiries are answered between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday. Registration requires a child's passport or birth certificate for identity checks associated with funding. This is an administrative step to prepare for when joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

The preschool accepts Free For 2, the 15 hour universal funding from the term after a child's third birthday, and the 30 hour parent working entitlement. Eligibility conditions apply. Funded attendance operates within the term-time calendar, with specified patterns rather than treating every possible booking as interchangeable.

For the 15-hour arrangement, funded sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am or noon to 3pm across five days. For the 30-hour arrangement, the funded day runs from 8.30am to 2.30pm across five days, with an extension to 3pm charged separately. Time outside the funding pattern attracts charges. The terms also describe lunch attendance charges and a three-day, 9am-to-3pm arrangement for universal funding in which the lunch hour is charged. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation; the fees and admissions page sets out the charging structure.

Withdrawal normally requires a term's notice, with that term's fees payable if notice is shorter. The exception is a completely free place where neither sessions nor the lunch hour are paid for: no notice period applies. Fees for absence through illness or holidays are non-refundable.

Attendance here does not guarantee admission to Kemsing Primary School. Families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school Reception place.

• Session timetable. The general timetable and the paid-session timetable give different afternoon start times and alternative day boundaries. At a tour, which exact timetable would apply to your child's chosen attendance and funding arrangement?
• Group engagement. In June 2023, some children lost interest during large-group activities without staff noticing promptly. The improvement priority was to organise these activities so that more children remained involved. How are children who disengage supported now?
• Lunch arrangements. Lunch attendance has its own place in the charging structure. What should your child bring for lunch and personal care, and how would those arrangements work alongside their funded hours?

St. Edith's suits families seeking term-time preschool attendance through morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those choosing a full day. Its interest-led planning, Milestone Assessment Toolkit and school-ground setting give parents specific reasons to consider it. The June 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, balanced by a clear improvement point about group engagement. The decisive practical step is to establish which session and funding timetable fits the family's week.