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Smallville Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Nov 2022)
·
5.0(15 parent reviews)
·70 High Street, Snodland, ME6 5AG · Kent
Number of places
26 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Nov 2022
Local authority
Kent

About this day nursery

Smallville Nursery in Snodland provides a stimulating and adventurous environment for young children aged 2-4 years old. Situated in a picturesque conservation area, the nursery strongly emphasises outdoor learning, encouraging children to explore and connect with nature in all seasons.

The dedicated team focuses on child-led learning, tailoring experiences to individual interests and needs, fostering curiosity, and building confidence. They believe that a happy and engaged child learns best, so they strive to create "wow" moments that deepen understanding.

The nursery prides itself on its robust outdoor spaces, which promote physical development and allow children to take supported risks. They also utilise an adjacent cricket ground for expanded play and exploration.

Upon joining, each child is assigned a Key Person to support their settling-in period and their development journey. The nursery prioritises strong partnerships with families, staff, and volunteers, ensuring a supportive and comprehensive experience for every child.

Our ethos

Smallville Nursery emphasises outdoor learning and connecting with nature, fostering curiosity and confidence through child-led experiences tailored to individual interests. They believe happy, engaged children learn best and create "wow" moments to deepen understanding, utilising their natural surroundings and robust outdoor spaces to promote physical development and supported risk-taking.

What it's like

Children relish their time in this safe and welcoming nursery. They are happy, confident and eager to learn. Staff provide them with a secure and well-organised environment and a wide range of interesting activities that ignite children's curiosity and invite them to play and learn.

Outdoor Learning FocusChild-Led LearningStrong Parent PartnershipsExplorers and Adventure Theme

Pricing & funding

This nursery offers full day, morning, and afternoon sessions, with separate rates depending on whether funding is applied. Additional early start and late stay sessions are also available by appointment. All rates are effective from April 2026.

Funding accepted

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

Good to know

  • Prices take effect from 1st April 2026.
  • Early start (07:00-07:30) and late stay (17:30-18:00) are available by appointment only.

Key facts

Session types

Full day, Morning session, Afternoon session, Early start, Late stay

Opening hours

07:00 - 18:00 (full day 07:30 - 17:30)

Age range

2-4 years old

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Smallville Nursery

Last inspected 17 November 2022

Safeguarding effective
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 relish their time in this safe and welcoming nursery. They are happy, confident and eager to learn. Staff provide them with a secure and well-organised environment and a wide range of interesting activities that ignite children's curiosity and invite them to play and learn.

Inspector highlights

  • The manager and staff team have strong relationships with children and know them incredibly well, tailoring the curriculum to meet individual needs.
  • Children are confident, interested in their environment, and demonstrate impressive independence skills.
  • Staff make the most of the great outdoor space, where children learn about nature and are very physically active.
  • Parents speak very highly of the nursery, reporting good progress and happiness for their children, and praise the manager and owner for going 'above and beyond'.
  • Regular self-evaluation and effective teamwork contribute to the impressive nursery provision, with good opportunities for staff development and well-being support.

Areas to develop

  • 1enhance the curriculum for mathematics, providing older children with more opportunities to explore mathematical language and numbers or patterns
  • 2improve the organisation of group activities further so that children fully benefit from these opportunities and their learning is not interrupted.
Inspection #10259705 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents speak very highly of the nursery and comment that their children make good progress and are happy.

They mention that the manager and owner go 'above and beyond' so that their children have the best possible start to their education.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager and staff form effective professional relationships with outside agencies. Children are swiftly provided with extra support, where needed, to help them make good progress in their learning and development.

Outdoor space

Staff make the most of the great outdoor space. Children spend plenty of time outside in the inspiring garden. They learn about nature and are very physically active. Staff are highly vigilant and teach children the importance of managing risks.

Parent Reviews of Smallville Nursery

5.0
(15)
Becci Cross
5 months ago

My daughter has been going to smallville since January and I’m so glad I chose this nursery! The staff show genuine love and care towards all the children and are amazing with my daughter. When she started she wasnt comfortable being left and would scream, but they have made her so comfortable that now she just runs in without any fuss and genuinely has the best time! Victoria and all the girls there go above and beyond for the children and parents. Could not recommend this nursery enough!

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Laura Cox
8 months ago

Our son joined Smallville in February after moving from another nursery, and we couldn’t be happier with our decision! He absolutely loves going each day and has flourished since starting. The staff are truly wonderful – always going above and beyond to care for and support the children – and we honestly can’t praise them enough. We really value the warm, family feel of the nursery, which has been perfect for our son as he takes a little time to come out of his shell. The extra events throughout the year, along with the regular parent meetings, are such thoughtful touches and really highlight the passion and dedication of the team. Thank you, Smallville, for everything you do – we feel so lucky to be part of your nursery family!

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Elle Jones
9 months ago

This nursery is fantastic, the people are amazing and very friendly. I have an autistic child and they have dealt with him in such an amazing way. Victoria has gone above and beyond for my child with regards to his autism, she has put in referral after referral trying to get us help and I am forever grateful. I cannot praise this nursery enough, to the entire team, thank you so much for everything.

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Berenice Blamey
a year ago

I cannot recommend this nursery enough. I have over 10 years childcare / nursery experience as a room leader and I was very fussy about choosing where to send my daughter. This nursery is amazing. Friendly, wonderful staff who genuinely care about the children's needs and learning as well as making huge effort to make relationships with parents too. They cater for all occasions and value parental input. My daughter loves coming here and it puts my mind at ease knowing I have chosen a setting that is so orientated around each child. Thank you smallville. I will be devastated when O goes to school in September x

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Hannah Ireland
2 years ago

I honestly don’t know where to start to truly articulate how amazing Smallville nursery is! Victoria, Chelsea, Layla and the whole team are worth their absolute weight in gold. They are genuinely lovely, bubbly ladies who are fun, caring, and an absolute dream team who have allowed my children to flourish, and I will always be grateful that these ladies have been in my children’s lives, helping shape their early years development. My son started in April 2023 when he turned three, as we were keen to get him socialising before he reached school. Due to the nature of both myself and my husband working in the wedding industry, we entered lockdown in 2020 with a six week old and like many, our jobs were on hold for 18 months, followed by the arrival of his little sister. My children rarely left my side, and when they did, they were cared for at their own home by family. When explaining this to Victoria and the team, they were (and still are) extremely understanding, in touch and supportive of our personal situation. I dreaded leaving our little boy after three years of being a little team of just the 3/4 of us. But, I can honestly say there is nowhere that could care for him to the level that Smallville does. It’s very apparent that the team care for every child as if they were their own and really focuses on their passions as activities and toys are tailored to spark joy and interest in each child. Our son has sensory issues involving both noise and food, and the way the ladies handle this and have nurtured him while somehow gently pushing him out of his comfort zone to try new things in a way I could never seem to manage is remarkable. Our daughter also started last month when she turned two, and we have found that they, of course, provide her with the exact same level of care. After a couple of weeks, it felt like they knew her as well as we do and what makes her happy. She does have separation anxiety when it comes to leaving me in any situation but settles quickly once I’m gone. Again, when explaining this to Layla and Chelsea when we enrolled her, they were amazing and accommodating to this and ensured that she had plenty of things that spark joy in her to distract her, and she comes home after her morning sessions buzzing. I couldn’t be happier with the care our children are receiving, and I honestly believe we would never be able to find anywhere that is as acutely in tune with our children and parenting style as Smallville are. Thank you so much ladies!!!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Smallville Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history
  • December 2022Good
  • November 2022Good

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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