Hilltop Primary School Nursery Review

Play, discovery and a three-hour session give Hilltop’s nursery its shape. This is the school’s own provision on Hilltop Road in Frindsbury, Rochester, with up to 26 children in each session and funded places for 15 or 30 hours. Children can join from the term after their third birthday.

Qualified teachers and support staff guide children’s exploration, experiments and interaction with one another. For families, the practical distinction is between a morning or afternoon session and a longer arrangement that includes separately charged lunchtime care.

The nursery follows the 2025 Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. In parent language, learning brings together talking and listening, movement, relationships and managing feelings, alongside early reading and writing, maths, discovering the world and creative expression. Play is the means of putting those areas to work, rather than a break from learning.

Twinkl Phonics provides a named approach to early literacy. Its first level develops listening and speaking through activities involving environmental sounds, rhythm, rhyme and voices. The emphasis is on hearing, remembering and talking about sounds, giving children foundations for later reading.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the early years team understood how its curriculum prepared children for future learning and created opportunities to investigate and discover. Children explained plant care using developed vocabulary and connected their ideas with fiction and factual books. That example brings the learning into focus: practical exploration, conversation and books working together. These findings concern early years across the school, rather than a separate nursery judgement.

Tapestry connects home with the nursery day. Staff observe progress and record children’s work through photographs, drawing, painting and writing in this secure online journal. Parents can view it, so conversations about learning can start with something their child has actually done.

For the September 2025 intake, settling arrangements included July Stay & Play sessions and home visits. The home visits were specifically for children joining that September. These gave that intake opportunities for contact with the team before starting.

Children staying for lunch can bring a packed lunch or have a separately charged school dinner. Independent Catering prepares lunches in the school kitchens. Families using the longer funded arrangement can also collect their child for lunch at home.

Additional needs can be discussed with the teacher or school SENCO. School support can include adapted materials, adult help and assistance with eating or dressing; external partners include occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. This gives families routes to discuss both learning and everyday care. Safeguarding concerns can be raised with the school’s safeguarding team by telephone or email.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place at Hilltop. Families must make a separate application through Medway Council and meet the normal Reception application deadline. Treat that application as a separate decision, even if your child is already settled in the nursery.

Morning sessions run from 8:30am to 11:30am; afternoons run from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. The lunch hour, 11:30am to 12:30pm, is charged separately from funded hours. The 15-hour arrangement can be taken as morning or afternoon sessions. Additional hours are chargeable too: contact the school for current charges.

For eligible families taking 30-hour funding, the nursery needs the HMRC code and National Insurance number before the child starts, and the code must be refreshed during the year. Tax-free childcare payments are accepted for nursery fees.

Children are expected to attend all booked sessions unless there is a valid reason for absence. The nursery states that a place will be reviewed if a child does not attend all booked sessions for three consecutive weeks. Withdrawing requires a term’s notice. Nursery enquiries go to admissions@hilltopprimary.co.uk. Visits and tours can be arranged through the school office on 01634 710312 or office@hilltopprimary.co.uk.