Oaklands Day Nursery

Gardening with real tools and conversations prompted by treasured objects give Oaklands Day Nursery a recognisable character. Its converted house and spacious grounds in Tonbridge provide the setting for Garden Champions, an activity that follows growing food through to harvesting, and Chatter Box Session, where older children discuss favourite belongings brought from home. These are practical ways to connect learning with children's own experiences.

Oaklands cares for children from 3 months to 5 years and has 87 places in total. At its 13 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found that children made good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and judged safeguarding effective. That dated assessment must be read alongside subsequent regulatory action concerning safeguarding, staffing and supervision.

The appeal is concrete: daily outdoor learning, a key person system and activities that give children something meaningful to talk about. The cautions are concrete too. Independent access to resources and the organisation of lunchtime were improvement priorities in May 2025, while later welfare findings deserve attention before choosing the setting.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: play, movement, language and relationships sit alongside early reading, number work and exploration of the world. Oaklands uses observations of each child's development and interests to plan activities, with an individual progress tracker covering the areas of learning. This gives planning a connection to the child rather than relying solely on a shared activity timetable.

Chatter Box Session adds a clear home-to-nursery link. Older children decorate a box with a parent or carer and fill it with favourite objects, then discuss the contents with their key person and other children in a small group. Taking turns to explain an object and ask questions gives conversation a personal starting point. Families participate in preparing the activity, rather than simply hearing about it afterwards.

Wake up and shake up uses cross-lateral movements as an energising activity. It brings physical movement into the learning offer, alongside the more conversational Chatter Box Session. The value of these additions lies in what children actually do, rather than the programme names alone.

In May 2025, babies explored textures while making playdough, and children practised balance and stretching with soft-play equipment. Older children collaborated on a ball-run assembled from guttering and tubes, experimenting with how changing its slope affected the movement of the balls. These examples show hands-on experiences across different stages of development.

There was also a limitation in May 2025: some activities were difficult for children to reach or use independently. Adults consequently had to supply too much of the activity. For parents, the relevant distinction is between resources being present and children being able to choose and use them for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Garden Champions gives outdoor learning a sustained task. Children use gardening equipment to prepare ground, sow and tend plants, then harvest produce; they also discuss the suitability of the area with a practitioner before starting. Growing food offers a reason to revisit the same activity as plants change, rather than treating the garden solely as somewhere to expend energy.

The produce is picked and prepared with the nursery chef for use in that day's menu. This connects growing with eating in a way children can follow. Daily opportunities to learn outdoors also make the spacious grounds part of the ordinary nursery experience.

In May 2025, outings included the library and local shops, where children bought resources. Parents were also invited to contribute recipes associated with their cultural backgrounds. These experiences brought everyday community life and family knowledge into children's learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling sessions introduce children and parents to their key person. That practitioner observes development, responds to the child's feelings and provides a familiar source of comfort, while sharing information with the family. For a child adjusting to nursery, continuity matters as much as the activities on offer.

Electronic Learning Journals combine photographs, videos and written observations, accessible through an app. Parents can contribute information and images from home for use in individual planning. Termly meetings provide a separate opportunity to discuss progress with the key person, alongside daily exchanges and an open-door policy. The combination gives families both regular conversation and a record they can revisit.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In May 2025, staff supported children learning English through simple signing and greetings in their home language as well as English. Visual reminders and gentle prompts helped children practise sharing and taking turns. These were specific responses to communication and social needs, rather than a single approach applied to every child.

Lunchtime needed closer organisation in some rooms in May 2025. Children could become unsettled, staff attention was affected and sleep routines could be interrupted. This matters especially for families whose child's day depends on a predictable transition from eating to rest.

In its compliance document dated 15 June 2026, Ofsted recorded required actions on safeguarding policies, staff responsibilities and maintaining staffing ratios following the 12 May 2026 visit, confirmed the resulting actions were met following the response on 12 June 2026, and recorded a further visit that day finding requirements unmet but corrective action taken through revised supervision procedures. The document also recorded another failure to notify a significant event, repeating a concern from May 2025; the nursery subsequently made a staff-ratio notification on 18 May 2026.

Seasonal menus follow a four-week rotation and meals are prepared by chefs, with menus designed by the nursery chef and a paediatric dietician for different age groups. Weaning arrangements are developed with parents, keeping the family involved as a baby moves towards solid food.

Sessions and Attendance

Oaklands opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, across the year. It closes for bank holidays and for one week over Christmas and New Year. The opening window provides scope around working hours, while the seasonal closure needs to fit the family's care arrangements.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 01732 353486. One-to-one visits can be booked by telephone, giving families an opportunity to discuss settling and see how the day is organised.

Getting There

The address is 8 Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2PJ, close to the town centre and train station. Forecourt parking is limited, so the on-site parking arrangement deserves consideration when planning journeys with a young child.

Funding and Paid Extras

Oaklands offers 15 hours and 30 hours funded childcare, with the extended entitlement subject to eligibility criteria. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, and the fully funded attendance arrangement is on Mondays and Fridays; that restriction matters for families needing care on other weekdays.

The fees and funding page explains the funding arrangement. Current prices should be obtained in the nursery's written quotation, so the agreed attendance and charges can be considered together.

• Safeguarding and supervision. The June 2026 compliance document records repeated notification concerns and further supervision findings, alongside corrective action. At a visit, ask how the revised procedures work during changes of activity and staffing.
• Independent play and lunchtime. In May 2025, access to some resources restricted children's choices, while lunchtime organisation sometimes disrupted rest. Look at how children select activities and how eating, clearing away and sleep now fit together.
• Funded days and costs. Fully funded attendance is on Mondays and Fridays, with entitlement stretched across 51 weeks.

Oaklands suits families seeking year-round weekday care with daily outdoor learning and a strong connection between home experiences and nursery activities. Garden Champions and Chatter Box Session give its learning offer substance, while key person relationships and electronic journals provide practical routes for family involvement.

The decision needs care. The Good judgement dates to May 2025, and the subsequent compliance findings make present-day supervision and safeguarding procedures central considerations. Families considering fully funded attendance must also be comfortable with the Monday and Friday arrangement.