Forest Explorers Nursery

Inspired by the woodland and idyllic countryside surrounding the school, Forest Explorers Nursery offers a blended approach to learning inside the classroom and outside in the forest. Linked to the the Early Years Curriculum all activities ensure that your child will develop a wide range of skills and real love for the outdoors. Through exploring the natural environment children lose themselves in play and conversations, make up stories together and develop language skills, all important for communication and later, writing.

Children regularly learn and play in our 75 acre estate, explore the woods and build dens. Here they learn to cope with risks and challenges, think creatively, work together and make friends. They develop skills which will prepare them for life.

The Nursery is run by highly qualified staff with specialist teachers delivering PE, music, drama and French. Our high staff to pupil ratio ensures each child gets plenty of individual attention and support. We also have a full-time school sister.

Children in Forest Explorers and are integral part of the Prep School which helps with a smooth transition into Reception and they also use many of the first class facilities of Kent College Senior School.

The Early Years Curriculum

We follow the national Foundation Stage Curriculum which is organised around the seven areas of learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

Within each of these areas there are a number of development matters and learning goals. For each child the class teacher is required to compile a 'Foundation Stage Profile' which shows how they are doing in each of the seven areas in relation to the learning goals. There are no tests involved, just observation, and this type of feedback is extremely informative and useful for parents.

The learning goals establish expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Reception year, and in many cases our pupils have exceeded these expectations and will be working at the lower stages of Key Stage One of the National Curriculum. A detailed guide about the curriculum will be given to you prior to your daughter or son joining the School and copies are available upon request.

Joining Us

Girls and boys can join the Nursery class in the term that they turn three. Most start with morning sessions with optional lunch, building up to full time attendance. The morning session is from 8.30am – 12.00pm excluding lunch, and 8.30am - 12.30pm including lunch. The afternoon session is from 12.30pm – 3.30pm. We also offer wraparound care from 7.30am with a Breakfast Club, and after school provision until 7.30pm. From September 2021, Forest Explorers Nursery will run for 50 weeks a year.

Children need to attend a minimum of three sessions (one session = either morning or afternoon attendance) a week, but have the opportunity of signing up for as many sessions as they wish. For some this may mean that they attend full-time.

All children in the term following their third birthday are eligible to receive a maximum of 15 hours education per week regardless of parental income. Click here for information about our pattern of delivery. Those parents who wish to access only 15 hours Free Early Years Education will be offered 5 sessions from 10.15am to 1.15pm, subject to availability, until their child reaches compulsory school age. If you wish for your son or daughter to attend more than 15 hours a week, Kent College offers a flexible balance of full days and morning sessions to suit. The School reserves the right to withdraw from the scheme at any time and will endeavour to give one term’s notice of our intention. By the time your son or daughter joins the Reception class they will be expected to attend full time.