Dawes Community Childcare Centre

Independence here has a practical shape: serving a snack, clearing a table and washing a plate. In September 2024, children at Dawes Community Childcare Centre practised these tasks as part of their day, with younger children learning alongside more experienced peers. These are small responsibilities with a useful purpose: children get repeated opportunities to do things for themselves.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the centre Good and found safeguarding effective, with assessments and prompt referrals helping children who needed additional support to make good progress. The judgement came with two clear priorities: allowing children more room to pursue their ideas and improving conversations so they could give fuller answers.

Based at The DCA Centre in Hernhill, near Faversham, the setting has 36 places in total and an age range of 12 to 60 months. Morning and afternoon preschool sessions sit alongside Lunch Club and school-age wraparound clubs.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its everyday meaning can be seen in the September 2024 examples of stories, conversation, movement and practical independence, rather than a day organised solely around adult instruction.

In September 2024, the morning gathering included signing feelings and talking about what had made children happy or sad. Stretching was paired with counting in both directions. That combination gave children ways to express emotions while bringing movement and number into a shared routine.

Books appeared at several points in the day. In September 2024, children listened to stories together and predicted what might happen next; younger children also shared books individually with their key person. Choosing a book and exploring its flaps offered a different kind of participation from listening in a group.

Cultural learning also had concrete examples that month: staff introduced foods, clothing and words associated with different cultures, while children shared aspects of family life. The starting point was something children could taste, hear or talk about, making cultural differences part of an ordinary conversation.

The balance between planned activities and children's own play needed attention. In September 2024, moving children to another activity sometimes cut short an absorbing investigation. For a parent, the important distinction is between offering stimulating activities and giving a child enough time to explore one fully.

Relationships supported everyday care in September 2024. Younger children spent individual story time with their key person, and staff helped families with changes such as toilet training. Daily updates covered what children had done and what learning would come next, giving parents something concrete to build on at home.

Meals also created opportunities for conversation. In September 2024, staff and children ate together and explored foods, including the texture of a fig, bringing healthy eating into a shared experience.

Preparation for school involved direct contact with a new setting. In September 2024, children visited a local school for play sessions and opportunities to meet teachers. This was preparation through familiarity: children could encounter the people and surroundings before the transition itself.

Sessions and Attendance

Preschool runs Monday to Thursday. The Morning Session lasts from 9am to 11.30am, Lunch Club from 11.30am to 12.30pm, and the Afternoon Session from 12.30pm to 3pm. These are separate named parts of the day, so the practical choice includes either preschool session and the lunchtime arrangement.

Breakfast and After School Clubs provide school-age wraparound care Monday to Friday. Breakfast runs from 8am to 8.45am; the after-school club runs from 3.15pm to 5.30pm, finishing at 5pm on Friday. These clubs serve a different purpose from the preschool sessions and should be considered separately when planning care for siblings.

Getting There

The address is The DCA Centre, The Playing Fields, Fostall, Hernhill, Faversham, ME13 9JG. Childcare enquiries can be made by telephone on 01227 751665.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered for children aged 3 and 4 and for eligible 2-year-olds. Eligibility matters for the younger age group; the offer should not be read as applying automatically to every child of that age.

• Time to explore. In September 2024, some changes of activity interrupted children's investigations. At a visit, ask how staff now protect time for children to pursue an idea.
• Conversation that goes further. In September 2024, children sometimes had too little time to answer questions fully. Ask how practitioners encourage longer responses during play and shared routines.
• The lunchtime arrangement. Lunch Club sits between the two preschool sessions. When discussing a place, ask what families supply and how meals and non-food consumables are charged across funded and paid attendance.

Dawes suits families seeking a morning preschool session or an afternoon session, with a separate lunchtime option and school-age clubs for a different care need. The September 2024 picture gives the setting a recognisable character: practical independence, shared stories and conversations rooted in children's experiences. The useful questions concern how much uninterrupted play children get and how staff give their language room to develop.