Opening hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Elham Pre School
Ofsted: Needs attention·
5.0(1 parent reviews)
·Elham Village Hall, High Street, Canterbury, CT4 6SX · Kent
Number of places
12 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Kent
About this day nursery
Elham Pre School, operating since 2016 in Canterbury, provides childcare for children aged 2 to 4 years old. Open Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm during term time, the nursery provides 15 hours of funded childcare.
Despite its recent "Inadequate" Ofsted rating, staff are praised for their strong relationships with parents and for providing regular updates on children's days. Children at Elham enjoy active play, collecting leaves and navigating the garden in a wheelbarrow, developing physical skills.
The setting also offers specialist equipment to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), recognising their unique interests and helping them remain engaged in activities like puzzles. Leaders ensure staff receive training, including in positive behaviour, and work with local authorities to address improvement areas.
Although an ambitious curriculum is still developing, leaders are committed to continuous improvement to ensure all children make progress from their starting points, fostering a safe and calm environment where children feel secure and comfortable.
Our ethos
Elham Pre-School offers a child-centred approach, tailoring learning experiences to individual needs. They are committed to nurturing each child's unique potential through fun and stimulating activities, encouraging children to engage in free play, learn, and develop social skills in a secure, enjoyable, and stimulating environment.
What it's like
Despite previous inspections highlighting weaknesses, leadership and management have not fully addressed concerns. Staff do not clearly understand their responsibility in meeting the care and learning needs of children, and the provider has not ensured management committee members understand their roles or completed suitability checks. This has resulted in an inadequate provision where children do not experience an ambitious, focused curriculum.
Strong parent relationshipsPhysical play encouragedSEND resources providedCommitted staffCalm environment
Pricing & funding
The nursery charges an hourly rate for childcare, with reduced rates available for siblings. Fee-paying families are required to pay a refundable deposit, which is waived for children only accessing funded early education places. No registration fee is charged.
Funding accepted
15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)
- Hourly rate£5.00 / hour
- 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM session£20.00 / session
- 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM session£17.50 / session
- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM session£15.00 / session
- 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM session£25.00 / session
Good to know
- No registration fee is charged.
- Refundable deposit of £50 required for fee-paying families.
- Deposit is waived for children only accessing funded early education places.
- Reduced rates are available for siblings.
Key facts
Age range
2-4 years old
Term time / All Year
Term_time_only
Established
2016
Ofsted Inspection — new report card
Needs attention
Last inspected Feb 2026
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
AchievementNeeds attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
2 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Elham Pre School
Last inspected 27 February 2026 · Sara Garrity
Actions the provider must take
- Develop the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for children and that activities are linked to children's specific next steps to help them make the best possible progress.
- Ensure engagement with parents focuses on how to support learning at home and provides specific support about the importance of balanced and nutritious diets for children to support healthy choices.
What it's like to attend
Despite previous inspections highlighting weaknesses, leadership and management have not fully addressed concerns. Staff do not clearly understand their responsibility in meeting the care and learning needs of children, and the provider has not ensured management committee members understand their roles or completed suitability checks. This has resulted in an inadequate provision where children do not experience an ambitious, focused curriculum.
Inspector highlights
- The relationships staff form with parents are a strength of the setting.
- Children are excited to jump on the trampette, and hold the hand of a member of staff as they learn to balance on the stepping stones.
- Staff make good use of praise to encourage children to have a go and join in as they develop their physical skills.
Areas to develop
- 1Develop the curriculum to ensure it is ambitious for children and that activities are linked to children's specific next steps to help them make the best possible progress.
- 2Ensure engagement with parents focuses on how to support learning at home and provides specific support about the importance of balanced and nutritious diets for children to support healthy choices.
Inspection #10380010 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
The provider has not put in place effective arrangements to help staff meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and there is no designated special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Consistent arrangements to identify learning gaps or implement targeted plans are absent, leading to limited interactions and frustration for children with SEND. Although the provider works with parents and other professionals, the absence of a SENCo hinders the collation of information to ensure children make progress. Additional funding is used to purchase resources for physical play for children with SEND.
Outdoor space
Children are eager to go outside to explore and run around. They collect leaves and enjoy transporting them around the garden using the wheelbarrow, having lots of space to develop their physical skills and explore nature.
EAL / language support
Children do not experience an ambitious, focused curriculum that reflects their individual needs and stage of development. Due to the lack of a SENCo, there is no one to focus on collating information to ensure all children make the progress they are capable of.
Parent Reviews of Elham Pre School
5.0
(1)
Ladymandi69 xx
2 months ago
We can't recommend Elham preschool enough. Our grandson is deaf and autistic and his needs are met with abundance. Elaine, Becca and Georgie are amazing and very caring. Elaine is his keyworker and she can't do enough for him in respect to meeting his needs. All the staff are very informative in what hes done in every session and any recommendations to help him further. Carry on the good work girls
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Elham Pre School. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: November 2018
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Inadequate). We're re-checking it against the original report.
- October 2025Inadequate
- September 2025Inadequate
- January 2025Requires improvement
- December 2024Requires improvement
- August 2024Inadequate
- July 2024Inadequate
- December 2018Good
- November 2018Good
Frequently asked about Elham Pre School
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