Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Hythe Bay

Ofsted: Good
(Mar 2022)
·Hythe Bay Childrens Centre, Cinque Ports Avenue, HYTHE, CT21 6HS · Kent
Number of places
69 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Mar 2022
Local authority
Kent

About this day nursery

Hythe Bay Children's Centre Nursery provides a nurturing and engaging environment for young children, offering a range of childcare options including dedicated rooms for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. They also extend their services to school-aged children (4-11 years) through an Out of School Club, which includes a Breakfast Club, Early Drop-Off, After School Club, and engaging Holiday Playschemes.

The nursery focuses on creating a warm and family-like atmosphere where children can develop new skills and explore hobbies through diverse activities like arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, sports, games, and various outings. Emphasising a holistic approach, they support both children's growth and parents' childcare needs with flexible session options and a clear fee structure.

The nursery is committed to providing free funded childcare hours and encourages parents to enquire about available government funding schemes to help with costs.

What it's like

Children feel safe and happily explore the wide range of activities on offer. Their behaviour is good and appropriate for their age. All children and babies confidently explore the environment, knowing that an adult is close by for a reassuring cuddle when needed.

Out of School ClubHoliday PlayschemesFlexible SessionsGovernment Funding Accepted

Pricing & funding

Fees are structured by age and room, with separate rates for babies (3 months to 2 years) and toddlers/preschoolers (2 years to school age). The nursery offers half-day sessions, short days, long days, and hourly rates, alongside term-time only care, breakfast and after-school clubs, and holiday playschemes.

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare

Good to know

  • Fees for babies and toddlers are scheduled to update from April 2026.
  • Holiday playschemes operate with various session lengths starting from August 2025.
  • A voluntary weekly contribution is requested for children receiving funded hours.
  • Late collection charges apply on a per-minute basis.
  • Term-time only care is available specifically for children aged 2 years to school age in the Safari Room.

Key facts

Opening hours

The main nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm all year round. The sessional nursery is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm during term time only.

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2018

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Hythe Bay

Last inspected 15 March 2022 · Sara Garrity

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children feel safe and happily explore the wide range of activities on offer. Their behaviour is good and appropriate for their age. All children and babies confidently explore the environment, knowing that an adult is close by for a reassuring cuddle when needed.

Inspector highlights

  • Children feel safe and happily explore the wide range of activities on offer.
  • Staff make effective use of activities to introduce mathematical language, focusing on counting with children as they work out how many seeds they have and need to make three.
  • The staff provide children with an array of experiences to learn about their local community and develop their curiosity of the natural world and how to help protect the environment.
  • The manager is dedicated to developing and continually improving the nursery, supporting staff through regular training opportunities and monitoring their well-being.
  • The manager has made good use of additional funding to help develop children's language skills, including specialist music teachers and focused groups to boost speech, language and communication.

Areas to develop

  • 1review and improve the environment to ensure all children are able to take ownership of their surroundings
  • 2continue to support staff to develop their practice to make sure children receive consistently high-quality interactions across all areas of the nursery.
Inspection #10174987 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents comment on the wonderful care their children receive. They particularly value the packs that staff send home, which help to extend the learning taking place in the nursery.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

The special educational needs coordinator works closely with other professionals to help support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. For instance, they make good use of pictorial timelines and 'now and next' boards to support children to learn about the daily routines.

Outdoor space

Staff provide all children with regular opportunities to explore outside to help develop their physical skills. They enjoy climbing, building their muscle strength, and take managed risks in their play. Children develop their awareness of the space around them as they ride their tricycles around the track.

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

15 March 2022

Good

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

View full Ofsted report

Frequently asked about Hythe Bay

Nearby day nurseries in HYTHE

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Hythe Bay.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

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