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Deal Nursery and Forest School

Ofsted: Strong standard·
5.0(17 parent reviews) ·Hornbeam School, Mongeham Road, Deal, CT14 9PQ · Kent
Number of places
69 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2026
Local authority
Kent

About this day nursery

Deal Nursery and Forest School, established in 2024, operates as a childcare facility for children aged 0-4 years from its premises on Hornbeam School grounds in Deal. With an overall 'Good' rating from its January 2026 Ofsted inspection, the nursery prioritises an enriching environment where children flourish and make significant progress, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The dedicated staff provide a well-planned EYFS curriculum, ensuring that each child's individual learning journey is supported through a wide range of motivating activities. The setting excels in fostering confidence, independence, and strong social and communication skills.

Leaders are highly reflective and proactive, consistently reviewing and enhancing the provision, with a particular focus on children's welfare and wellbeing. The commitment to outdoor learning is evident in their forest school sessions, which allow children to explore the natural world and develop physically.

Deal Nursery and Forest School is committed to providing a high-quality, inclusive, and supportive environment for all children, preparing them effectively for their next stages of learning.

Our ethos

Our nursery is a calm and nurturing haven, inspired by nature, where every child’s journey begins with love, joy, and wonder. Designed with natural elements, soft tones, and wooden furniture, our space evokes a peaceful, home-like atmosphere. Lush greenery and earthy textures bring the outdoors in, creating a warm and soothing environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, and calm. At the heart of our nursery is a team of caring, dedicated staff who radiate warmth, affection, and professionalism. Every child is cherished, respected, and celebrated as an individual. We put children first in everything we do, ensuring they feel safe, happy, and inspired each and every day. Our curriculum is robust and thoughtfully crafted, blending structure with creativity to spark imagination, inspire curiosity, and promote a lifelong love of learning. We believe in providing magical and meaningful experiences that are both fun and enriching, helping children grow into confident, resilient, and independent learners. We are dedicated to supporting children’s emotional, social, and intellectual development, offering opportunities to explore, discover, and thrive at their own pace. By valuing each child’s unique strengths, interests, and needs, we create an environment where they feel empowered to achieve their very best. Equally, we recognise that staff wellbeing is essential. We foster a supportive, positive workplace where every member of our team feels valued, respected, and fulfilled—because when our team thrives, so do our children. Together, our ethos, vision, and values shape a nurturing environment where both children and staff can flourish.Together, these values form the foundation of our practice, guiding us as we inspire children to grow into confident, curious, and compassionate individuals.

What it's like

Children and their families are at the heart of this welcoming setting. Children arrive happily, eager to explore and engage in a wide range of motivating activities supporting their social, communication, and physical skills. These experiences help children to develop the skills they need for their next learning stage, with staff acting as very good role models who praise children regularly, supporting their self-esteem and confidence.

Significant progressWellbeing prioritisedInclusive practiceForest schoolReflective leadership

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

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Key facts

Opening hours

Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

Staff

Wrens Room: Guideline Ratio 1:3, Robins Room: Guideline Ratio 1:4, Woodpeckers Room: Guideline Ratio 1:8

Age range

0-5 years

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2024

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Strong standard

Last inspected Jan 2026

Headline: Strong standard

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementStrong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceStrong standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Deal Nursery and Forest School

Last inspected 23 January 2026 · Victoria Salisbury

Safeguarding effective

What it's like to attend

Children and their families are at the heart of this welcoming setting. Children arrive happily, eager to explore and engage in a wide range of motivating activities supporting their social, communication, and physical skills. These experiences help children to develop the skills they need for their next learning stage, with staff acting as very good role models who praise children regularly, supporting their self-esteem and confidence.

Inspector highlights

  • All children make significant progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
  • Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing, regularly reviewing processes and procedures to ensure emotional wellbeing is at the forefront of their practice.
  • Leaders prioritise children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning very well, consistently making a demonstrable difference.
  • Leaders and managers are very reflective and proactive, committed to providing high-quality care and education for all children and continuously reviewing and enhancing their offerings.
  • Staff provide a very well-planned curriculum, using assessment effectively to identify what children know, can do, and need to learn next, supporting their next educational stage.
  • The setting demonstrates an open and positive culture of safeguarding, with leaders ensuring all responsibilities are fulfilled and concerns are actively identified and managed.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders should review daily routines to ensure consistent staff practice at points of transition to best support children's needs, engagement and focus.
Inspection #2821724 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make significant progress, benefiting from swift interventions and adaptions, high-quality support from partners and professionals, and targeted individualised support. Leaders prioritise reducing barriers for families and use funding effectively to support individual and specific needs, ensuring specialised aids and physical spaces are available. The setting ensures staff are well-trained through specialist advice and support, directly impacting the progress children with SEND make.

Outdoor space

Staff develop forest school sessions to support children who do not have access to the outdoors each day. Children enjoy exploring during their forest school sessions, learning about the natural world and moving in different ways. All children thoroughly enjoy exploring forest school, learning about the natural world.

Parent Reviews of Deal Nursery and Forest School

5.0
(17)
Beth
5 months ago

My little boy absolutely loves going to nursery, and it’s easy to see why. Every day he’s fully involved in a wide range of fun, engaging activities that help him learn, explore, and grow. He is always so excited to go in each morning! The staff are fantastic - always warm, friendly, and genuinely caring. They make both children and parents feel welcome and supported. I really appreciate how helpful they are and the detailed handovers they provide at pick up. It’s so reassuring to know exactly how his day went, what he enjoyed, and how he’s progressing. I couldn’t be happier with the nursery and the amazing team who work there. Highly recommended!

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Ryan Keen
5 months ago

Deal Nursery and Forest School is a wonderful setting. We couldn't ask for more when it comes to the quality of the staff and the environment for our two little ones that attend. Every day at pick up the staff spend time telling us what they've been up to and this is supplemented with detailed posts on their App along with plenty of pictures. Communication is always spot on. The staff are warm and caring and our children love them and it's clear to see why. The setting itself is great too. The children are often in the Forest School playing or building, and they spend time around the fire pit and are taught about fire safety. When not in Forest School they are taking part in activities outside or engaged in learning activities in their respective rooms. Staff provide detailed termly updates about how the children are progressing which feels personal. Their growth, especially emotionally and socially, is a reflection on the staff and their efforts. In short, this is a fantastic setting with amazing staff. Our children always love going in and as a parent I feel relaxed knowing my children are undoubtedly having a great day when they go in.

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Molly England
5 months ago

We have had nothing but positive experiences with Deal Nursery and Forest school. Both in the baby room and the pre school room our children have settled so quickly and are so happy to come into nursery. The forest school is amazing, they have so many opportunities to be outside and hands on activities planned. Communication is great and we are kept up to date with their daily activities and longer term progress. All the staff have been so kind, friendly and caring and made such a big difference to our children’s progress and wellbeing while at nursery. Would definitely recommend this nursery!

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Helen Twyman
5 months ago

Staff are absolutely amazing. The level of care we've experienced is exceptional. We recieve detailed and caring feedback each day at pick up which is wonderful. My son is always so happy and excited to attend. An additional note which is often overlooked is that staff must be so well supported and looked after. This is abundantly evident by their unwavering enthusiasm and joy.

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Lillie Wadhams
5 months ago

My son currently attends this nursery and absolutely loves it. The staff are warm, welcoming, and always go above and beyond to make him feel safe and happy. The environment is clean, well-organised, and full of fun learning activities for all the children. Communication with parents is brilliant too, they share updates throughout the day, so I always know what he’s been up to. Highly recommend.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Deal Nursery and Forest School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

23 January 2026

Strong standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more