Food
Fresh meals from our accredited menu prepared daily by our two on-site chefs.
Kindred Rayleigh Nursery and Pre-School provides a nurturing home-from-home environment where children aged 6 months to 5 years can thrive. With a strong focus on healthy eating, the nursery ensures children develop positive lifelong relationships with food, preparing fresh meals daily by two on-site chefs.
Daily outdoor learning is a cornerstone of their approach, utilising a large garden equipped with balance beams, a mud kitchen, and a secret garden for storytelling. The preschool garden also features a vegetable patch for hands-on learning.
Curiosity is fostered through real-world connections, including imaginative roleplay, visits from the local library, and educational trips to the post office and greengrocers. The nursery holds a "Good" Ofsted rating and offers a variety of enrichment activities such as Forest School, sports, Hartbeeps, phonics, and cooking.
They are open 51 weeks a year from 7:30 to 18:00 and are located in the heart of Rayleigh, close to King George's Park, with ample on-site parking. The team prides itself on a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, committed to supporting both children and staff, and maintaining strong relationships with parents through open communication and family events.
Our ethos
Kindred Rayleigh fosters a love of learning through a 'home-from-home' environment, daily outdoor exploration, and hands-on experiences. They encourage curiosity by connecting learning to real-world experiences and offer diverse enrichment activities, including Forest School, while prioritising healthy eating and strong relationships with children and families.
What it's like
Leaders place a strong emphasis on working closely with parents to support children's well-being. Parents are welcome to spend time in the nursery on arrival and collection. This input means staff are especially well equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of the youngest children. They follow babies' unique routines in a very nurturing environment.
Fees are charged monthly, with rates varying depending on the child's age, session type (full or half days), and government funding allocation. Separate monthly consumables fees are charged for food, activities, and non-food items, with amounts determined by age and funding type.
Funding accepted
Good to know
Food
Fresh meals from our accredited menu prepared daily by our two on-site chefs.
Opening hours
07:30 - 18:00, 51 weeks of the year
Age range
6 Months up to 5 Years
Term time / All Year
All Year
Established
1996
Last inspected 28 August 2024 · Fiona Sapler
What it's like to attend
Leaders place a strong emphasis on working closely with parents to support children's well-being. Parents are welcome to spend time in the nursery on arrival and collection. This input means staff are especially well equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of the youngest children. They follow babies' unique routines in a very nurturing environment.
Inspector highlights
Areas to develop
Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection
parents say that their children benefit from spending a lot of time outdoors and appreciate the daily chats with staff and the usefulness of the online system for sharing information
Inclusion & environment
Additional funding is used effectively to provide resources that meet children's specific needs. Leaders strive to ensure the nursery is accessible for all children and their families, working closely with a wide range of relevant agencies to enable all children to make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Staff plan the exciting and inspiring garden to engage and enthuse all children. The indoor and outdoor areas offer children a wide range of interesting opportunities to play and learn, according to their abilities and individual interests. An enthusiastic team runs a forest school where older children regularly experience a variety of activities that support their all-round development.
A couple more weeks and our daughter will have finished her time at Kindred and will be starting school. It’ll be an emotional end to a chapter, not least because of how fond and thankful we are of all the amazing staff at Kindred who have played such a massive role in her development over the past three and a half years. From Curiosity Crescent, through Pioneer Place, Learning Lane, and on to Readiness Road, the staff have been absolutely brilliant - there are too many names to list, but I think that’s a sign of how good the place is. The facilities and outdoor space have allowed for hours, weeks, and years of fun, creation, and learning for our little girl, but it’s the staff who have made the real difference - something we’ll always be thankful for. We highly recommend Kindred Rayleigh.
Read on GoogleWe couldn't be happier with our experience at Kindred Rayleigh Nursery. From day one, the staff have been warm, welcoming, and incredibly attentive. The environment is both nurturing and stimulating, with a strong focus on learning through play, which our little one absolutely loves. We love that she comes home messy, it’s an example of how much fun she has there! The communication from the team is excellent — we’re always kept up to date with daily activities, meals, and milestones. It’s abundantly clear that the staff genuinely care about the children, creating a safe and happy atmosphere where they can thrive. Our little one has developed socially, emotionally, and academically since starting here, and we’re so grateful to have found a nursery that feels like a second home for her! Like most kids starting nursery, she had good days and sad days! But the trust she built with the girls in the baby room was amazing, to the point she was very quickly waving us off when we dropped hers! She’s moved up a room now and the girls still pop their heads in and our little girl always has the biggest smile when she sees them, even reaches out for cuddles with them instead - incredible!! Highly recommend to any parent looking for a nurturing and high-quality early years setting! Thanks team! 💜
Read on GoogleWhen our little one started at Kindred Rayleigh at just 12 months old, me and my husband were dreading it. Like any first-time parents, we weren’t ready to let go – he was our whole world and the thought of being apart felt overwhelming. But from day one, the team in Curiosity Crescent made all the difference. They gave him love, comfort and the space to grow. He went from needing constant cuddles to confidently exploring, making friends, and finding his voice. Whether he was shouting “weeee!” on the seesaw, copying names, or picking his own pancake toppings – every moment has made us beam with pride. The updates and photos we’ve received are so special – from water play and garden adventures to those little milestones we’ll always treasure. Now he’s moved to Pioneer Place and is thriving once again, thanks to the care and support from an amazing team. To everyone who’s helped shape our boy so far – thank you. You’ve helped him become the happy, curious little soul he is, and we’ll always be so grateful. 💙
Read on GoogleMy little girl started Kindred when she was 11 months. I was a complete wreck about her going, and dreaded it so much, and I really didn’t need to. Everyone at Kindred are SO lovely. So thoughtful and caring. My little girl started off being emotional when I dropped her off and now she waves and doesn’t even look back at me. She’s been there 7 months and it’s the best thing we ever done. I couldn’t recommend this nursery enough!
Read on GoogleMy son has been attending since he was 12 months old. He had never really been left with anyone and was very emotional. I can not thank the team enough for helping us both to settle in to a nursery routine. He is now such a happy confident boy. I get regular updates and photos on the app and everyone has gone above and beyond with the care he receives. He loves messy play and the team make sure he has access to this throughout the day with his favourite being shredded paper. Knowing how well he is being cared for allows me to be able to work and continue with my day. I am a very grateful parent and could not reccomend them enough.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Kindred Rayleigh. See all on Google Maps
Date: March 2011
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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