Smallville Nursery

A mud garden, growing areas and an adjoining cricket ground give Smallville Nursery an outdoor character that goes beyond its High Street address. Children use the outdoors through the seasons, with space for physical play alongside quieter exploration of nature. This is childcare for children aged two to four, with capacity for 26 children in total.

At its 17 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Smallville Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The practical appeal today is the combination of interest-led play, separate provision for two-year-olds and preschool children, and regular communication with parents. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions give families different ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

The Squirrel Room serves two-year-olds, using practical activities to develop speech, creative thinking, early problem-solving and physical confidence as children become more independent. The Owl Room, for children aged three to four, combines imaginative and investigative play with early reading and number experiences, collaborative learning and preparation for school.

Both rooms have planned indoor environments and outdoor play, with resources and activities changing with children's interests.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play brings together communication, physical development, relationships and early reading and number skills. Activities respond to children's interests, with adults adapting their planning to what children need next. Loose parts and real objects give children materials they can use in different ways rather than equipment with only one intended answer.

During a child's focus week, the learning environment is adjusted around that child's interests and needs. Staff also capture achievements outside that week in learning journals. This gives individual interests a practical role in planning, while keeping a continuing account of development for families.

Dance adds a weekly session of music and movement, with coordination, balance, rhythm and self-expression among its aims. Science brings a visiting scientist to lead practical experiments, giving children opportunities to investigate and ask questions.

In November 2022, children worked out how to connect train-track pieces and magnetic carriages, while older children experimented with paint colours and structures that could support a water jug. Those examples show the kind of hands-on problem-solving present at that time. They also make the improvement points meaningful: mathematics needed more deliberate extension through vocabulary, number and pattern, and some larger group activities needed better organisation so learning could continue smoothly.

Outdoor and Community Life

The mud garden and growing areas put nature within the nursery day, while the grassed area provides room for movement and supported risk-taking. The adjoining cricket ground extends the space children can use for outdoor exploration. Outdoor play continues in different weather, making suitable clothing part of the everyday kit rather than something reserved for occasional outings.

In November 2022, children built obstacle routes outdoors and practised balancing across them, with adults helping them judge physical challenges. Today, each session includes small-group experiences.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is allocated before attendance begins, so settling starts with a particular adult rather than an unfamiliar team. Families share information about routines, interests and individual needs, and a stay-and-play session lets a child explore with a parent or carer present. A longer transition can be arranged when needed; the first introductory session is free of charge.

Communication has several forms. Parent meetings take place every six to eight weeks, learning journals record observations and achievements, and an online platform shares photographs of daily activities. Families also receive two development reports each year. Meetings give families time to discuss progress beyond the daily photographs.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children well, worked effectively with outside agencies and arranged additional help promptly for children who needed it, including those with SEND. Current support arrangements include working with families and professionals such as speech and language therapists, paediatricians and health visitors. The inclusion policy welcomes home languages and provides for accessible information and reasonable adjustments.

Children do not need to be toilet trained before joining. Parents supply nappies, wipes and sun cream, along with spare clothes, outdoor clothing and a named refillable bottle.

For morning and full-day attendance, parents supply lunch; breakfast, snacks and tea are provided according to the session, and the packed-lunch policy prohibits nuts and food sharing. Lunch needs an insulated bag and ice pack.

Access arrangements include an entry security system and collection only by an authorised person identified in advance. Medication requires parental permission and a completed medical form, while the sickness rule requires children to remain away for 48 hours after their last sickness.

Sessions and Attendance

Smallville Nursery is at 70 High Street, Snodland ME6 5AG. It opens Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, for 50 weeks each year. The normal booking choices are a morning session from 7.30am to 12.30pm, an afternoon session from 12.30pm to 5.30pm, or a full day from 7.30am to 5.30pm.

Early Start runs from 7am to 7.30am and Late Stay from 5.30pm to 6pm, both by appointment. Children attend a minimum of two five-hour sessions each week.

Admissions use a waiting list, with children on it considered before existing families receive additional sessions. Places are confirmed by email with the start date and settling arrangements. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. Bank holidays and public holidays are closures, with charges continuing; funded hours missed on those days are offered later, subject to availability.

Getting There

Free parking is in the High Street car park, and parking outside or opposite the nursery or church is prohibited. Snodland station is a 5-minute walk away, and Malling Road, Snodland bus stop is a 2-minute walk away.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers Free for 2 Funding, Universal 15/30 Hours Funding and Working Parent Funding. Its main funding arrangement stretches entitlement across 48 weeks, with 12 or 24 funded hours weekly. Funding for eligible two-year-olds also has a term-time option over 38 weeks at 15 hours weekly; the usual five-hour session contains four funded hours and a separately charged hour that includes Cultural Capital events and enrichment classes. Those activities are part of the charging arrangement, so a funded entitlement and the cost of the whole booked session need to be considered separately.

There are also fully funded patterns for three- and four-year-olds from Wednesday to Friday: 8.30am to 12.30pm or 8.30am to 4.30pm. Funding does not cover the final two weeks of August, when booked sessions attract the non-funded rate.

Parents provide packed lunches and the non-food supplies described above, including on funded attendance. Extra hours beyond entitlement are charged, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding page explains the main session structure; families can pay by card, bank transfer, Tax-Free Childcare or other accepted vouchers.

• Mathematics and group learning. In November 2022, older children's number and pattern learning needed extending, and some group activities lost their flow. At a visit, ask how mathematical ideas are developed now and how larger shared sessions are organised.
• The funded session bill. Standard five-hour sessions include a charged hour, while the final two August weeks fall outside funding. Compare the written quotation for the exact attendance pattern with the fully funded patterns before committing.
• Lunch and allergies. Families pack lunch for morning and full-day attendance, and the nursery has a no-nut policy. Allergy-affected families should confirm current handling arrangements, including special diets and the rule against sharing food.
• The weekly commitment. A minimum of two five-hour sessions applies, with early and late extensions arranged by appointment. The minimum booking creates a regular weekly commitment.

Smallville suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as those combining care into a full day. Its strongest practical attractions are the outdoor spaces, the different emphases of the Squirrel Room and Owl Room, and a settling process that can adapt to the child. Regular meetings, journals and development reports give parents several ways to stay involved.

The November 2022 judgement provides a positive inspection reference, alongside clear improvement points in mathematics and group organisation. For the decision today, the funding structure deserves equal attention: stretched hours, charged portions of standard sessions and the August exception all affect how the chosen pattern works for a family.