Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School

Ofsted: Inadequate
(Jun 2025)
·
5.0(11 parent reviews) ·8-9 Great Hall Arcade, Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1QQ · Kent
Number of places
80 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jun 2025
Local authority
Kent

About this day nursery

The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School in Tunbridge Wells, established in 2012, is dedicated to providing a high standard of early childhood education within a family-oriented setting. The nursery is strategically located on Vale Road, offering convenient access near the Tunbridge Wells Train Station.

It caters to children aged 3 months to 5 years, with operating hours from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The nursery integrates a diverse curriculum that includes Montessori principles, Forest School activities, yoga, and football lessons.

They are regulated by Ofsted under the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Starting September 2024, the nursery will expand with a new Montessori Pre-School location in the Great Hall Arcade for 3-4 year olds, featuring specialised rooms for yoga, salt therapy, wet activities, cooking, and art, along with access to Calverley Grounds for outdoor learning.

Concurrently, the Vale Road site will focus on providing traditional nursery care for children from 3 months to 3 years old.

Our ethos

The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School integrates Montessori principles, Forest School activities, yoga, and football lessons into its curriculum. A new location will feature specialised rooms for yoga, salt therapy, wet activities, cooking, and art, alongside access to outdoor learning spaces.

What it's like

Children do not receive good standards of care and education in this setting due to significant breaches in requirements impacting safeguarding and children's progress. Staffing challenges and an unachievable workload for leaders have negatively impacted the service. The curriculum is not clear or ambitious, and ineffective key person arrangements mean children do not receive individualised support or good-quality teaching.

Montessori approachFamily-oriented environmentForest School activitiesYoga and Football includedOfsted registered

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request

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

Request pricing →

Key facts

Opening hours

7:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday

Age range

3 months - 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School

Last inspected 6 June 2025

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

What it's like to attend

Children do not receive good standards of care and education in this setting due to significant breaches in requirements impacting safeguarding and children's progress. Staffing challenges and an unachievable workload for leaders have negatively impacted the service. The curriculum is not clear or ambitious, and ineffective key person arrangements mean children do not receive individualised support or good-quality teaching.

Areas to develop

  • 1The provider has not ensured that leaders and staff have sufficient safeguarding knowledge as required.
  • 2There is no deputy manager in place to manage the setting in the absence of the manager.
  • 3Poor deployment of staff means that children are not well supervised.
  • 4Arrangements for supporting staff performance are ineffective.
  • 5The setting does not yet have a clear plan for children's learning to help them make the progress that they are capable of.
  • 6Children do not receive sufficient targeted support from their key person.
  • 7Children's behaviour is not always managed in an appropriate way.
  • 8Arrangements for assessing children's learning are not effective.
  • 9Staff do not have sufficient information about children who attend with SEND.
  • 10Parent partnership is variable.
  • 11The provider must ensure that all leaders and staff understand the safeguarding policy and procedures to enable them to identify, manage and respond to concerns in a timely way.
  • 12The provider must take action to record and maintain accurate records to share with other professionals to ensure children's safety.
  • 13The provider must ensure accident forms are completed as required and the information shared with parents.
  • 14The provider must ensure there is a named deputy in place.
  • 15The provider must monitor the deployment of staff to ensure children are always supervised, including while eating.
  • 16The provider must put in place effective supervision for staff, including managers, so that all staff benefit from support, coaching, and training to improve their personal effectiveness.
  • 17The provider must design and implement a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do, and what they need to learn next.
  • 18The provider must implement an effective key-person system that meets children's individual learning needs and promotes their emotional well-being.
  • 19The provider must support staff to develop strategies to help them manage children's behaviour and positively promote rules, boundaries and expectations.
  • 20The provider must ensure that progress checks are completed for children aged between two and three to provide accurate and clear assessment of children's learning.
  • 21The provider must improve arrangements to support children with SEND to ensure that tailored support is given, in line with the SEN code of practice.
  • 22The provider must improve the information shared with parents and carers about what their children are learning and activities provided.
Inspection #10402782 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

parents share that their children arrive happy and enjoy their time at the setting.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Leaders have not created a curriculum that is clear and ambitious for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff do not have sufficient information about children who attend with SEND due to the lack of an embedded key-person system and absence of specialised plans in place. As a result, children with SEND are not receiving the support they need, which hinders them making the progress that they are capable of.

Outdoor space

Children are offered dummies as a reward if they come and get ready to go outside. At times, children are not adequately supervised as they explore the environment.

Parent Reviews of The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School

5.0
(11)
Alex Reid
a year ago

My Daughter has been attending Green Cave nursery and Pre School for the past couple of years and her confidence has blossomed during her time there. The Children are engaged with both indoor and outdoor playing and learning with constant trips to the local parks, forests and library. The staff are very nurturing and they have created a warm, fun, exciting, safe space for my daughter to express herself. She has made very good friends and she looks forward to her time spent there. I feel like my daughter has been given the confidence to take her next steps at primary school this September. I highly recommend Green Cave.

Read on Google
Maria Razdelkina
a year ago

A Wonderful and Nurturing Nursery – Thank You, Green Cave! My daughter attended Green Cave Nursery for 1.5 years, and I am beyond grateful for the incredible care, support, and love she received. When she first started, she didn’t speak any English, but thanks to the nurturing environment and dedicated staff, she has flourished into a confident and bubbly child who understands and responds with ease. A special mention to Emily, who has been an amazing authority figure and a source of warmth and encouragement for my daughter. Warwick, with his kind and open heart, cares so deeply for the children, making them feel truly valued and safe. I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Tracy and Jane, whose support during difficult financial circumstances meant the world to our family. It wasn’t always easy – coming from a different cultural background, we had our challenges. But I deeply appreciate the Green Cave team for making every effort to ensure our child felt happy, included, and well cared for. Green Cave is more than just a nursery; it’s a place where children grow, thrive, and feel loved. I wholeheartedly recommend it to any parent looking for a warm, supportive, and enriching preschool experience. Thank you, Green Cave team! 🌿💚

Read on Google
Paul Darlington
a year ago

Wonderful nursery, with attentive and professional staff who catered for our sons every need. Flexible, conveniently located in the centre of Tunbridge Wells and even multilingual, which was of particular benefit to us as our son has spoken Spanish from the age of two. The staff make excellent use of Montessori techniques and methods to encourage self development and learning in a friendly, safe environment. I highly recommend Green Cave to any parents who wish to give their child the best start in their educational career.

Read on Google
Rachel McGuckin
a year ago

My daughter moved to green cave pre school from another nursery last year and we have been so happy. The staff are incredible and really seem to get to know the children. They do lots of crafts and spend plenty of time outdoors which we are keen on. Highly recommend.

Read on Google
Natalie Piacun
a year ago

We are most thankful to the Green Cave team for looking after our daughter so well. Tracey and Gemma were supportive, informative and so reassuring leaving our child in their more than capable care. Our daughter learned a wide variety of skills and still shows us her yoga moves to this day - thank you Sophie! We are happy to hear there is a secondary site opening - well deserved! Natalie & Tom

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Ofsted records show this provider has closed and was never graded. There's no inspection history to display.

Frequently asked about The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School

Nearby day nurseries in Tunbridge Wells

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to The Green Cave Montessori Pre-School.

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