Tiny Oaks Day Nursery

A purpose built indoor sandpit, garden access and a carefully staged introduction give Tiny Oaks Day Nursery a recognisable character beyond its High Street address. This Edenbridge nursery has capacity for 70 children, accepting babies from 3 months through to children aged 5. Its offer combines age-group rooms with practical support for the family, including meals prepared on site and regular development reports.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that special educational needs coordinators helped staff and families organise additional support when learning gaps emerged.

The strongest practical features are the continuity of a key person during settling, the different indoor play areas and the opportunity for older children to take activities into the garden. Core and shorter days are both offered.

Rooms and Ages

Saplings, for children under 2, has a bright, open-plan room with sensory equipment and temperature monitoring, giving mobile and non-mobile babies space to explore while staff attend to their comfort.

Acorns, for ages 2 to 5, combines a Story Corner with construction, messy play, sand and water activities, supervised garden access for toddlers and child-sized toilets that support growing independence.

Preschool children work in small groups, with adult-led activities shaped by their interests. Daily free flow garden access lets them choose to take play outdoors.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, movement, social development and the beginnings of literacy and mathematics alongside exploration and creative work. Tiny Oaks connects adult-led activities with children's interests rather than treating those areas as separate lessons. Construction, stories and messy play give children different ways to practise developing skills.

In February 2025, Acorns explored Colour Monster, a story about confusing emotions, through creative activities and conversations about feelings. Making things gave children a concrete starting point for discussing sadness, anger and happiness.

That month, Kent fire rescue visited Acorns. Exploring the vehicle and equipment, trying uniform and acting out firefighting connected discussion of people who help them with a real community service.

In March 2025, Acorns celebrated World Book Day with character costumes, shared books and stories. Making pancakes and building a garden obstacle course added food preparation and physical challenges to that month's activities.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor play surface absorbs impact, while the indoor sandpit provides another place for hands-on exploration. Preschool children can move between their room and the garden during the day, taking learning outside by choice. Local educational outings and visits from businesses or emergency services also connect the nursery day with the surrounding community.

In February 2025, Acorns visited Edenbridge High Street restaurants and brought menus back for discussion about foods and their countries of origin. In March 2025, garden activities included gardening and the mud kitchen. The balance is useful: local experiences provide material for conversation, while outdoor resources allow children to investigate through touch, movement and making things.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is structured. Three free introductory sessions build from one hour to an hour and a half, then two hours, with the same key person involved throughout. The first includes a form covering interests, favourite toys and allergies; subsequent sessions introduce time apart from parents and experiences such as meals or a nap. This gives staff and families concrete information about how a child manages the change.

The sessions are flexible and usually take place in the week before the child starts. Staff record each stage so that the next step can respond to the child's experience. A key person is assigned at the first session, shares information with colleagues and prepares a development report every 6 weeks. For parents, that creates a regular point for understanding what their child is learning and discussing support.

In November 2023, children moving between age-group rooms were accompanied by their key person during introductory sessions. Staff also encouraged everyday independence, including hygiene and finishing food before leaving the table. These are modest but useful examples of care and learning meeting in the same routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The nursery has designated safeguarding lead roles within its team. Its facilities are designed for accessibility, and information gathered during settling includes individual needs and allergies. These arrangements help families assess how their child's individual needs will be accommodated.

In November 2023, children rested in cots or on mats, with staff making regular visual checks. The same visit identified two areas needing more attention: staff were sometimes positioned in ways that left children needing help with disagreements, and work on children's cultures and heritage needed to go further. Those points concern everyday experience as well as policy. Children need adults available to help resolve disputes and opportunities to recognise their own family background in nursery life.

An on-site chef prepares meals and snacks each day, with menus selected by a professional nutritionist. Breakfast, lunch, tea, snacks and drinks are included in private fees, and the nursery caters for dietary requirements.

Sessions and Attendance

Tiny Oaks is at 55-57 High Street, Edenbridge, TN8 5AL. It operates Monday to Friday over 51 weeks, closing on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year. There are also three staff training closure days each year, notified to parents ahead of time, with fees continuing on those days.

The core day runs from 8am to 6pm; the shorter day runs from 8.30am to 4pm. Early care from 7.30am to 8am and a late stay from 6pm to 6.30pm must be arranged in advance. The minimum booking is two sessions each week. This gives families two different day lengths, with additional care at either end of the core day where booked.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by calling 01732 605341. Emergency childcare is also offered where possible when a family's usual carer cannot provide care.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 or 30 hours of funded education and care starting in the term after a child's third birthday. The entitlement is stretched over 47.5 weeks, becoming 12 or 24 hours a week respectively; the remaining 3.5 weeks are charged at the normal private rate. Families therefore need to distinguish the stretched funded allocation from the hours in their chosen day.

Nappies, wipes and creams are included in private fees. Funded sessions carry a separate consumable charge, with different categories for children aged 3 months to 3 years and children aged 3 or over who no longer wear nappies. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the sessions and fees page explains the attendance and funding structure.

School preparation includes guidance for families on communication, dressing, eating independently and recognising feelings. Starting Reception is signposted as a resource for practising those skills at home. The emphasis is on everyday independence and communication, rather than presenting school readiness as an academic checklist.

• Settling around your child's routine. Three free settling sessions introduce time apart, meals and potentially a nap. Discuss how their timing will fit your child's usual routine.
• Conflict and belonging. In November 2023, children did not consistently receive enough help with disagreements, and cultural and heritage work needed development. Ask how staff now support disputes and incorporate your family's language and traditions.
• Your funded attendance pattern. Funding is stretched over 47.5 weeks, with separate consumable charges and private charges for the remaining 3.5 weeks. Match the written quotation to the core or shorter day you intend to book.
• Dietary requirements. Food is prepared on site and dietary needs are catered for. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements during their visit.

Tiny Oaks suits families seeking Our core hours, from 8am to 6pm, or the Shorter day, from 8.30am to 4pm, with a minimum of two sessions a week. Staged settling, regular key-person reports and indoor play areas with garden access give families concrete reasons to consider it.

The November 2023 findings identified gaps in help with disagreements and recognition of children's cultures. Those everyday aspects of care matter alongside the practical appeal of its two day lengths.