Bertie's Nursery

Floor-to-ceiling windows, a wooded outdoor area and a playroom arranged for children to choose their own resources give Bertie's Nursery a clear character: childhood here centres on play, exploration and independent choice. Sharing Davington Primary School's site in Faversham, it has capacity for 30 children aged three to five. Its strongest practical features are the freedom to move between indoors and outdoors, quieter spaces for conversation and an individual approach to settling.

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Bertie's Outstanding overall and found effective safeguarding, exceptional support for children with SEND and strong progress in communication and language.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run during term time, with an early drop-off option. This is preschool provision with a school-day rhythm, rather than childcare extending into the evening or school holidays.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the framework for learning, development and care: children build language, physical skills and relationships through play, alongside early experiences of reading, mathematics and creativity. At Bertie's, that translates into listening games, stories, number rhymes and shape hunts. Water play and cooking introduce capacity; constructing towers gives children practical problems to solve. Mark-making can involve outdoor chalk, shaving foam or paper and pencils, giving children different materials to experiment with as they begin mark-making.

Choice is built into the physical arrangement. Resources, many made from natural materials, are labelled and stored so children can select them and put them back. Quieter pockets within the playroom offer somewhere to talk, rest or play in a smaller space. The windows look towards trees, school fields and a fishing lake, giving children a view of seasonal change as well as their immediate play environment.

Communication-Friendly Spaces is an approach to arranging surroundings so children have places to listen, converse and concentrate. Its practical expression includes a quieter book area with cushions, blankets and plants, attention to noise and less visual clutter. This is more useful detail than a general promise to promote language: the environment itself creates opportunities for a child to pause, listen and be heard.

In December 2022, children's suggestions shaped activities. A reading of The Tiger Who Came to Tea led to their ideas for masks and a tea party; outdoor play drew on We're Going on a Bear Hunt. The Colour Monster was explored in different languages, allowing bilingual children to share language from home. These examples show how books became starting points for imaginative play and discussion, rather than stopping at story time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play has substantial space in the day. Children can choose between the playroom and outdoors for much of it, using Bertie's fenced area as well as school outdoor spaces. Wet-weather clothing is supplied for each child, and outdoor play takes place in all weather.

The mud kitchen supports mixing and experimenting with natural materials. Elsewhere, children investigate small creatures, practise on scooters and trikes, explore sand and water, and develop ball skills. The wooded area provides opportunities for balancing and climbing. Adults support children in judging manageable risks, including using sticks outdoors and handling real tools for woodwork. The emphasis is on learning how to use things thoughtfully, with supervision.

Davina and Davey, the nursery's take-home bears, connect nursery life with family experiences. A different child takes them home each week with diaries for recording their adventures. This gives families a shared activity and children something personal to bring back into conversation.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is organised around the child's key person and has no fixed time limit. Parents stay until they and their child are comfortable, including the child being able to accept comfort from a practitioner. The key person usually attends most or all of that child's sessions; when absent, a buddy provides another familiar point of contact. That continuity matters most during the early weeks, when a child is learning who will help them.

The Well-Being & Involvement approach looks at whether children feel comfortable and confident, and whether they become absorbed in what they are doing. Staff screen these aspects three times a year, discuss concerns with parents and use children's interests from home in planning. The practical implication is that engagement and emotional comfort receive attention alongside what a child can demonstrate or produce.

Communication continues through informal conversations and scheduled parent meetings twice a year. Tapestry is the online learning journal used to document children's interests, strengths and next steps. Creating my Bertie's Story gathers parents' starting information; My Bertie's Story records achievements and support needs when a child moves on, and is shared with the receiving setting only with parental permission. These arrangements give families several ways to contribute, rather than relying on a single progress meeting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Bertie's works with Speech and Language Therapists and the area advisory team. When practitioners have concerns about development, parents are involved before possible support from other professionals is discussed. This describes a route for identifying needs and planning help, rather than a blanket promise about every child's experience.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that personalised plans, collaboration with families and professionals, and the use of funding supported substantial progress for children with SEND, while staff understood how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns. In December 2022, families also received daily information about learning, and children took home well-being boxes and transition books. These are useful examples of the support observed then; the current communication arrangements above provide the practical detail for families choosing now.

Sessions and Attendance

Bertie's is at Davington Primary School, Priory Row, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7EQ. Attendance runs Monday to Friday in term time, with school holidays closed. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and full days from 9am to 3pm. Early drop-off can begin at 8.30am or 8.45am.

That choice allows families to use a shorter session or combine morning and afternoon into a full day. Even with early drop-off, the day ends at 3pm, so the attendance pattern needs to fit the family's work and collection arrangements. Telephone and email provide direct enquiry routes.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2022, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. That establishes its participation at that time, rather than a promise about a particular child's current entitlement. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

Moving on to School

The school grounds are part of Bertie's setting and outdoor provision. Attendance at Bertie's does not guarantee a Reception place at Davington Primary School; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. The nursery's transition record is shared with the receiving school or setting with parental permission, providing information about strengths and areas needing support rather than an admissions advantage.

• Term-time rhythm. Morning, afternoon and full-day choices all finish by 3pm, and school holidays are closed. These arrangements suit families whose wider childcare plans fit the school calendar.
• An individual settling pace. Parents remain until their child is comfortable, with no fixed settling deadline. During a visit, discuss how that process would work around your child's existing routines and your own commitments.
• The complete cost arrangement. Request a written quotation covering current funded-hour arrangements, additional paid attendance, food and non-food consumables. Assess the complete package against the sessions you intend to use.
• School-site expectations. Bertie's uses outdoor space at Davington Primary School, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Keep the nursery decision and the school application as separate decisions.

Bertie's suits families seeking either morning or afternoon preschool sessions, as well as those wanting a full school-length day during term time. Its strongest features work together: children can choose resources independently, move outdoors for much of the day and find quieter places for books and conversation. The individual settling process and key-person buddy arrangement add practical continuity.

The December 2022 Outstanding judgement gives an important quality reference, while the current day-to-day offer has a recognisable emphasis on outdoor exploration, communication and children's interests. The deciding practical consideration is the calendar and 3pm finish. For families whose routines fit those boundaries, Bertie's provides a clearly described preschool experience with meaningful opportunities for parents to contribute.