Clocktower Childcare

Milk crates, natural materials and a wooded corner of the school grounds give Clocktower Childcare its character. This Snodland setting puts children’s chosen play ahead of worksheets or matching pieces of artwork, with mixed ages sharing the space rather than staying in separate age-based rooms. It is a clear choice of approach. Families who value exploration and outdoor play have plenty here to weigh up.

Clocktower cares for children aged two to four and has capacity for 50 children. At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in care routines and the organisation of transitions. Those concerns matter alongside the appealing outdoor offer.

Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions run across 48 weeks of the year. The four room bases provide a smaller point of reference within a setting where children can explore beyond their own room.

Rooms and Ages

Bluebell, Poppy, Fern and Sunflower are the four team rooms, with each child’s base determined by their key person. These are mixed-age bases rather than separate toddler and preschool stages. Children keep their belongings there, spend some time on mindfulness at the beginning of a session and return for lunch with their key person; otherwise, they can choose where to play throughout the setting.

That arrangement gives the day both an anchor and considerable freedom. A child has somewhere familiar to return to, but their choice of activity need not depend on which room they belong to. Family photographs and warm lighting contribute to the domestic feel, while wooden resources and natural materials replace the usual bright plastic toys.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage shapes learning through play, exploration and activity, covering language, physical development, relationships and the foundations of literacy and mathematics. It is the common framework for early education. Clocktower delivers those areas through The Curiosity Approach, using open-ended materials and real objects that children can adapt to their own ideas.

Crates, tubes and cable reels can become building materials; shells, twigs and stones invite sorting and investigation. The point is choice rather than a predetermined finished object. A crate might become transport in one game and furniture in another, allowing children to change the purpose of a resource as their play develops.

Mathematics also sits within ordinary activity: measuring ingredients, experimenting with water and constructing with blocks. Staff can bring writing into an imagined shopping trip or talk through the qualities of objects during play. Formal writing exercises are not the expectation, and children are not required to produce a card or drawing to take home. Families looking for a steady stream of completed craft projects should understand that distinction.

The Curiosity Approach information explains how these materials fit the nursery’s approach. Its value for parents is concrete: it shows what children will handle and how much control they have over what they do with it.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest Adventures means daily activity in a small wooded area within the school grounds. It offers shade in warmer weather and opportunities to investigate nature, run and climb. A portable toilet with a privacy tent supports time spent there, including for children learning to use the toilet.

In October 2023, children used planks and crates to construct together and examined growing tomatoes, with staff introducing words to describe their textures. In the sensory garden, picked herbs became ingredients for pretend mixtures. These examples show how outdoor activity can combine movement, conversation and shared problem-solving.

Local walks can also follow children’s interests. Buying missing ingredients for a cake is one example of how an idea can extend beyond the setting. Such outings form part of ordinary nursery life rather than a programme of separately announced trips. Wellies can stay at Clocktower, while families send suitable wet-weather clothing when needed.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with contact before the first session. Families in the immediate area receive a home visit so that the child can meet their key person and staff can learn about favourite toys, preferences and dislikes. Families living further away have a video call instead. This gives staff practical information to use when preparing for the child’s start.

A key person oversees learning, although the free movement around the setting means children also build relationships with other staff. Clocktower ensures children see their key person at least once a week; families should understand that this is different from having the same adult alongside their child throughout every session.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, records development and allows families to contribute experiences from home. Newsletters and text messages provide other routes for communication, and parent consultations take place three times a year. Regular Stay & Play sessions let relatives take part too, with one family member attending at a time.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCo worked with outside agencies, arranged referrals and supported children while they awaited interventions, with children with SEND making good progress. The current team includes a SENCO role. For two-year-olds, a written progress check is discussed with parents once the child has settled, highlighting development and areas where further help may be useful.

Comfort and conversation are central to the response to separation distress. Staff acknowledge feelings rather than telling children to stop being upset; if distress becomes excessive, they contact the parent so the family can decide what happens next. Children do not have to be toilet-trained before starting, and staff work with families on readiness and independence.

Millie’s Mark is a first-aid endorsement, and Clocktower provides paediatric first-aid training for all staff. Its Sun Safe Nursery accreditation concerns sun protection, with families expected to apply sunscreen before attendance and supply a suitable hat. These arrangements sit alongside designated safeguarding roles and recruitment checks; they do not replace the dated safeguarding judgement.

In October 2023, outdoor hygiene checks were inconsistent: staff did not reliably check toilet cleanliness or ensure enough handwashing water before children used the area. Lunchtime changes also interrupted play and reduced children’s engagement. The improvement priorities were clearer staff responsibilities for care and better organisation when moving between activities.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Snodland CP School, Roberts Road, Snodland, ME6 5HL. Weekday sessions are mornings from 9am to 1pm, afternoons from 1pm to 5pm, or full days from 9am to 5pm. These are three separate attendance choices, so families can consider an afternoon alongside the longer patterns.

Clocktower opens for 48 weeks annually, closing on bank holidays, over Christmas and New Year, and on other dates that vary each year. Its planned annual intake is in September, with place offers beginning in spring. Joining the waiting list does not guarantee a place. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01634 240530 or by email to office@clocktowerchildcare.co.uk.

Children in their final nursery year are called Risers, and staff work with local schools on their transition. Sharing school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place: families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school application.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are both offered. Funding includes Free Early Education from the term after the child's third birthday, Free for 2 funding and the Working Parent Entitlement for eligible families. The 30 hours entitlement is stretched across 48 weeks, giving up to 24 hours each week at this setting rather than a term-time pattern.

Families using working-parent funding supply their eligibility code for validation with Kent County Council and renew eligibility every three months. Funding is conditional on eligibility; it should not be treated as an automatic entitlement to a particular attendance pattern.

Parents supply lunch for morning and full-day attendance; Clocktower provides snacks and drinks during sessions, while families supply food needed for special dietary requirements. Its lunchbox policy excludes whole nuts and peanut butter, and allergies are logged through Be Aware of Me, a staff notification system graded by severity.

Parents also supply nappies and wipes when needed and apply sunscreen before their child attends. These practical responsibilities should be included when planning the daily bag and routine.

There is a one-off joining charge for new children. Invoices are issued by term, with payment made monthly in advance, and fees remain payable during holidays or sickness; collection without warning after the booked finish may incur a late charge. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation, with the fees and payment terms explaining the charging structure.

• Care routines outdoors. In October 2023, checks on the outdoor toilet and handwashing water were inconsistent, and lunchtime transitions disrupted learning. Ask how responsibility for these checks and changes of activity is organised now.
• A busy, shared setting. Children use mixed-age room bases and can explore throughout Clocktower, which has capacity for 50 children. During a viewing, discuss how a child who prefers quieter play is supported within that arrangement.
• September intake and settling. Offers begin in spring for the planned September intake, and waiting-list membership carries no guarantee. Open Morning tours are booked by telephone or email, usually take around 20 minutes and may include other families; use the questions afterwards to discuss the home-visit or video-call introduction and the approach to settling.
• Allergies and food from home. Families provide special-diet food, and an epi-pen requires an Allergy Action Plan signed by the child’s GP. Confirm current allergy practice and how your child’s needs would be handled before committing.

Clocktower suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a full day, and who want children to choose their play, handle real materials and spend substantial time outdoors. The wooded area, mixed-age room bases and home-to-nursery introductions give that approach practical substance.

The balance needs care. A busy shared setting and limited emphasis on finished artwork will suit some children and parental preferences better than others. The Good judgement provides a dated assessment of quality, while the October 2023 concerns about hygiene checks and transitions deserve specific answers. For families comfortable with its style, Clocktower offers a clearly defined nursery experience.