St Lukes Nursery School

Two large halls, a quiet room and a garden give St Lukes Nursery School a shared-space character. Based in the halls of St Luke's church in Tunbridge Wells, it combines indoor play with outdoor growing and exploring. Children share access to these spaces, giving families a clear picture of the physical setting.

At its 4 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement: the useful detail beneath it includes practical independence, language developed through play and relationships built before children start.

There is capacity for 34 children, with a current age range of 24 to 60 months. Attendance is term-time, with morning and afternoon sessions offered on weekdays. This is a nursery to consider for families whose childcare needs fit the school-term calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework guides the nursery day through play, with activities chosen by children alongside experiences organised by adults. This is the common early-years framework, rather than a special programme unique to St Lukes. Here, indoor and outdoor play provide the means to explore physical, creative, social and emotional development.

Play areas are rearranged frequently, with art, physical activity and learning about the world among the experiences offered. That gives children changing materials and possibilities to explore. Children share access to the halls and quiet room.

In July 2023, everyday materials became opportunities for sustained activity. Children carefully poured water between containers, while discarded egg boxes became imaginary creatures and a way to explore recycling. During play-dough making, staff introduced vocabulary connected with the children's actions. Language learning was attached to something children were doing, giving new words a practical context.

Outdoor and Community Life

The secure garden includes a muddy kitchen and space for growing and exploring. These are useful complements to the indoor halls: children can work with materials outside and encounter living things as part of play.

In July 2023, children investigated a snail discovered while digging and helped tend growing fruit and plants. A visit from the local fire service also introduced fire safety. These examples show the kinds of experiences present at that inspection, rather than a timetable of recurring visits.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who pays attention to their physical and emotional needs, adapts their approach and keeps records of achievements. The purpose is practical continuity: someone follows the child's development and uses that knowledge to plan what comes next.

Home visits are offered before children begin. Parents receive information through photographs, records, displayed work and examples of what children have made; open evenings provide time to discuss progress in more detail. There is also a rota for parents and carers to help. These are several different ways to participate, rather than relying on a single conversation at the end of a session.

In July 2023, the key-person relationship extended to intimate care, with children's own key persons changing their nappies. Children also practised independence by pouring drinks at snack time, choosing resources and, for older children, managing their own hygiene. These were concrete opportunities to attempt familiar tasks for themselves.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO and safeguarding lead roles. The key-person system and communication with families provide mechanisms for discussing individual needs, without making a blanket promise about the support any particular child will receive.

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that observation helped staff track progress and seek outside support when learning gaps emerged, but identified two improvements: helping younger children participate more confidently in group activities and making staff-performance monitoring more precise.

In July 2023, visual timetables and signing helped children understand and communicate, including children learning English as an additional language. Turn-taking also had a tangible routine: children used a bell and sand timer when waiting for a tricycle. For families, the important distinction is between these useful practical supports and the separate improvement needed in adult-led group participation.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Lukes Church, St. Lukes Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 9JH. Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, and afternoon sessions from noon to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time. School holidays are closures, so the calendar matters as much as the daily clock times.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone. Visits can be arranged, giving families a way to explore how the shared halls, quiet room and garden work for their child.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid sessions are offered. The funding arrangements include Free For 2, subject to eligibility, and 15 hours from the term after a child's third birthday. The 30-hour funded arrangement is subject to working-parent eligibility, including working hours and earnings, from the term after a child's third birthday. St Lukes offers a total of 24 funded hours each week across 38 weeks; families using that entitlement need to account for this delivery limit.

An eligibility code is required before reserving sessions under the 30-hour arrangement. Children attending for at least nine funded hours receive booking priority.

For funded sessions after the term in which children turn three, a contribution is requested towards snacks, Tapestry, additional educational provision and staff training; children receiving Early Years Pupil Premium and former Free For 2 recipients are exempt. Snacks therefore sit within a requested contribution separate from funded hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and session terms explain the charge structure.

• Participation in groups. In July 2023, younger children needed more support to join group activities confidently. On a visit, ask how practitioners help a hesitant child take part.
• Teaching oversight. The July 2023 improvement work included more precise monitoring of staff performance. Ask how this now translates into feedback and changes to everyday teaching.
• Term-time funding fit. Morning and afternoon sessions run during term time, and the funded offer has a 24-hour weekly limit over 38 weeks. Families seeking the full 30-hour entitlement need to weigh that limit alongside their holiday arrangements.

St Lukes suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance during term time, with shared indoor spaces, a garden and a key-person relationship supported by home visits and parent discussions. The July 2023 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, while the improvements concerning younger children's group participation and teaching oversight deserve attention. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of play, growing and everyday independence within a clearly defined sessional routine.