Little Quackers Nursery & Pre School

A nature trail on site, a baby unit with space for sleep and crawling, and a preschool room opening straight into a garden give Little Quackers Nursery & Pre School a clear practical character. This East Malling setting combines care for younger babies with opportunities for older children to become more independent. Its capacity is 60 children, with an accepted age range of 3 to 60 months.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children making good progress from their starting points. The detail behind that judgement matters: activities drew on children's interests, families received practical support, and care routines were discussed with parents. There were also two specific improvements to make: clearer pronunciation of letter sounds and more consistent inclusion of children in learning interactions.

Hourly bookings and emergency or ad hoc care sit alongside fixed permanent sessions. That combination gives the nursery a different appeal from a setting built around a single daily attendance pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Our baby unit has sensory resources, a sleeping area, a feeding chair and soft play for crawling, with activities including treasure baskets, songs and outdoor play. These are useful distinctions for a baby whose day still moves between feeding, rest and short periods of exploration. Parents can supply breast milk, and existing feeding and sleep routines form part of the care arrangements.

Our Babies/Toddler Room emphasises walking, talking and potty training, with messy play and access to a large outdoor area. Children also spend parts of the day with older groups. The move towards preschool therefore includes contact with older children as well as help with everyday skills, while parents can work with staff on changing nap routines and difficult eating habits.

Our Pre School Room combines free play, creativity and growing independence with direct access to a large garden. Cooking, technology, reading and role play sit within its activity choices. School preparation sits alongside child-chosen play.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play and everyday experiences support communication, physical skills and increasing independence. Monthly themes organise activities across the rooms, with tasks adapted to children's stage of development. Age groups also mix.

In February 2025, staff used children's interests to shape activities. Toy cars and sponges turned water play into an opportunity to explore transport and hygiene together. Babies encountered textures and tastes while adults encouraged their early vocal sounds; older children practised following instructions and changing how loudly they played musical instruments. These examples show how an ordinary play resource can carry more than one learning purpose.

Spanish fun lessons add language activities to the preschool offer, alongside cooking and opportunities to use computers and technology. In February 2025, specialist music and Spanish sessions also formed part of the support available to children.

Language work at that visit included stories, songs, simple signing and additional activities for listening and attention. Early letter-sound work was also underway. However, pronunciation needed greater accuracy, and staff sometimes concentrated on children already involved in an activity rather than bringing others into the interaction. Both points matter when judging how learning opportunities reach individual children.

Outdoor and Community Life

Nature trail on site is an activity shared across the baby, toddler and preschool provision. It adds an outdoor experience beyond the rooms themselves, while preschool children have direct garden access and babies have outdoor walks and play.

In February 2025, the outdoor space supported ball play, ride-on toys and climbing. Oral-health activities included pretend play and a daily tooth-brushing routine. Movement and personal care were therefore part of the learning day, rather than separate topics introduced only through group discussion.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key worker and an online daily diary. The baby's days system gives parents access to their own child's information, including photographs, food, toileting and activities. That makes the account of a day more concrete than a brief verbal summary, especially for parents of children who cannot yet explain what they have done.

In February 2025, staff checked home routines with parents and discussed proposed changes before introducing them. Familiar songs accompanied nappy changes, and close relationships with key people helped children explore activities. That continuity helps connect care at home and nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that assessment helped staff address gaps in children's learning and that collaboration with parents and external agencies supported their care and education.

In February 2025, families facing disadvantage received help through additional sessions, meals, home-learning resources and access to community-centre support. Staff also used quiet spaces to help children pause and think about feelings, and reminded them calmly about kindness and taking turns. Support extended beyond the activity table to daily relationships and family circumstances.

Preparation for school includes working with parents and schools to ease the transition.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St James Centre Trust, Chapman Way, East Malling, ME19 6SD. Opening hours run from 7am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Care operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year.

Hourly rates allow bookings by the hour, and emergency or ad hoc care is also offered. Permanent sessions must follow a fixed pattern, and term-time-only attendance is excluded. Families therefore need to distinguish the flexibility of an occasional booking from the regular commitment attached to a permanent arrangement.

After-school care and a holiday club are additional services, separate from the nursery rooms. The holiday club uses activities associated with the after-school provision, including cooking, physical activities and technology. Payments are due in advance at the beginning of each month; emergency ad hoc arrangements can differ.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is offered through a stretched arrangement, alongside privately paid hours. The funding options include 30 Hours Free Early Education for 3 and 4yr olds and 15 hr Delivery pattern and FF2 working and disadvantaged. For the latter, the stated pattern is six funded hours per day on two days, between 9am and 3pm, spread over 51 weeks. Day choices are subject to availability.

The annual funding allowance needs attention. Where attendance exhausts that allowance, additional hours must be paid for or the child must stay at home during uncovered time.

For parents buying no additional hours, meals involve a voluntary contribution towards lunch and dinner or a healthy packed lunch from home; packed lunches need an ice block. Lunch is included when daily paid wraparound care meets the nursery's monthly spending threshold. Current prices and the terms relevant to a family's attendance pattern should form part of the nursery's written quotation, using the funding information as the starting point.

• Permanent care is fixed. Hourly and ad hoc options sit alongside permanent sessions that must follow a regular pattern, with no term-time-only arrangement. At a visit, discuss how the proposed booking would work across school holidays.
• Letter sounds and participation. February 2025 brought two improvement priorities: accurate pronunciation and ensuring children are consistently included in learning interactions. Ask how staff have addressed both in everyday practice.
• Funding needs an annual plan. The stretched offer can leave attendance beyond the funded allowance, requiring payment or time away. Request a written outline showing funded time, additional care and the meal arrangement for the proposed pattern.
• Baby-room scale. The baby unit combines sensory play, feeding and sleep facilities. Ask how many babies would usually share the room during the intended sessions and how rest is managed alongside play.

Little Quackers suits families seeking hourly or emergency ad hoc care, as well as those using the stretched daytime funded hours. The baby facilities, direct preschool garden access and daily online communication offer concrete reasons to consider it, while monthly themes and the on-site nature trail give the nursery day a recognisable shape.

The February 2025 picture combines encouraging progress and practical family support with specific weaknesses in letter-sound modelling and the inclusion of children in activities. Those priorities deserve attention alongside the booking commitment and stretched funding calculation. For families whose routines fit those terms, the combination of care, outdoor access and communication has clear practical value.