Opening hours
Monday – Friday, 8 am – 6 pm
Tops Gillingham
Ofsted: Good
(Jul 2023)
Number of places
92 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jul 2023
Local authority
Dorset
About this day nursery
The Gillingham Nursery, located in the heart of Gillingham Business Park between the M2 and the A2, offers a stimulating and nurturing environment for young children. This purpose-built early learning centre provides high-quality care rooted in years of teaching expertise, aiming to make excellent childcare accessible rather than a luxury.
Operating Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm, the nursery focuses on comprehensive development. Fees are structured transparently with no hidden costs, covering all drinks and snacks, excluding the midday meal.
The nursery is open for 51 weeks a year, closing only on Bank Holidays, for which no charges are applied. They also offer flexible session booking to accommodate varying parent schedules.
The curriculum emphasises social interaction, structured learning, and educational activities, acknowledging the significant investment parents make in early education. The facility aims to provide a unique experience unparalleled by other nurseries in Medway, fostering confident and happy children.
What it's like
Warm and friendly staff greet children and parents as they arrive. Children quickly settle and are eager to explore the thoughtfully planned activities staff provide. Children form strong relationships with staff and demonstrate they feel safe and secure in their environment.
Purpose-built facilityTransparent pricingFlexible session bookingEmphasis on social and educational developmentOpen 51 weeks a year
Pricing & funding
Funding accepted
30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Key facts
Term time / All Year
All Year
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Tops Gillingham
Last inspected 3 July 2023
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
What it's like to attend
Warm and friendly staff greet children and parents as they arrive. Children quickly settle and are eager to explore the thoughtfully planned activities staff provide. Children form strong relationships with staff and demonstrate they feel safe and secure in their environment.
Inspector highlights
- Staff successfully implement a balanced curriculum based on what children can already do and know.
- Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.
- Children have excellent knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy.
- Children are very independent.
- Children have effective communication skills.
Areas to develop
- 1provide more opportunities for older children to learn in quieter environments to support the development of their listening and attention skills
- 2strengthen song time for younger children to fully enhance their speech and language development.
Inspection #10298820 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
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 special educational needs coordinator is dedicated and knowledgeable. She works closely with staff, outside agencies and families to support children's individual needs.
Outdoor space
Older children excitedly carry clipboards, pens and paper and place ticks next to photos of bugs they collect in the garden. This helps to promote their early literacy skills. The inspector observed the quality of education provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning.
Parent Reviews of Tops Gillingham
4.8
(24)
Tanya Smith
a year ago
I knew on my viewing and settling in session that it was the right place for my son. The staff are lovely and welcoming. My son has built lovely connections with members and is thriving. The carpark is adequate and easy (if you hate busy carparks and hectic drop offs) reception is always manned and you can always contact them by phone. APP works great to see what my son gets up to and pay invoices. Over all very happy, I would highly recommend.
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Deborah Brown
a year ago
My granddaughter really enjoys attending Tops Day Nursery. Everyday is fun, learning through play. Her speech and communication has definitely improved as a result. The staff are welcoming and friendly, it’s clear that they care. The onsite meals are varied, interesting and to a very high standard …. and their experienced assistance with potty training is a big help!
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Paula hemsley
a year ago
To see children bounce into nursery and greeted by happy staff and a debrief of the child's day on collection assures me the children love attending tops . The snacks of fruit and healthy meals are money well spent expanding the children's palate. To collect a child with sand in their shoes and bark in their hair assures me they are enjoying the outside space and have the ability to play and grow .
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Emily Hann
4 years ago
Our toddler has been enjoying Tops since she was 10 months old. She settled in the 'Explorers' room so quickly and is so happy going to nursery. The staff were keen to get to know details about her routine, likes and dislikes, which we felt really helped her settle to settle (plus, they are nap time miracle workers!) We love getting little updates about what she has been up to and seeing pictures of her enjoying new activities and learning new skills. She loves the outdoor space and it takes a while to coax her out of the garden at pick-up time. The nursery staff are all so helpful. Any query is dealt with quickly and we always feel kept in the loop. As teachers, we love the flexibility of a term-time contract and the hours available.
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Dan Corben
4 years ago
My daughter has been at Tops Gillingham since she was 8 months old and is approaching the start of her first term in primary school. The last three and a half years of relying on Tops for her care while her mum and I work has been invaluable. Our daughter loves going and the variety of activities surprises me on a weekly basis. The staff are always friendly and my little one comes out after each session beaming and full of stories about what her day has contained. The meals are very good and often make me jealous about the contents of my own lunch! Overall, I cannot rate them highly enough!
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Tops Gillingham. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: July 2023
- August 2023Good
- July 2023Good
Frequently asked about Tops Gillingham
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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