Elham Pre School
Elham Pre School is a day nursery in Canterbury for children aged 2 to 4, with 12 registered places. Ofsted report card, 27 February 2026: Expected standard in 3 areas, Needs attention in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met.
Elham Village Hall, High Street, Canterbury, CT4 6SX
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 12 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 3 August 2016 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 15:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 27 February 2026
Who runs it
Elham Pre School is run by Elham Pre-School (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention
- Achievement: Needs attention
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
- Leadership and governance: Needs attention
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 27 February 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders have begun to develop their curriculum; however, this is still at an early stage and is yet to be fully impactful. Leaders recognise that they continue to have to work to do to raise standards to ensure consistency in teaching and learning and ensure all children achieve as well as they can. That said, children do make positive progress from their starting points, and staff recognise the importance of supporting their next steps and are committed and motivated to make a difference to children and families locally. Staff are good role models, and as a result, children display good manners and are polite to each other. Where needed, staff support children's behaviour positively. Children learn important skills to keep themselves healthy and safe, such as washing their hands before eating and drinking water. Staff have positive relationships with parents and support them to ensure their children attend regularly. This helps children to be ready for school effectively.
Families are warmly greeted at this friendly setting. Children arrive with smiles, eager to settle to explore what is set up for them. They demonstrate that they feel comfortable and cared for. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff know children's individual interests and work hard to adapt the environment to support them. They demonstrate that they feel valued and belong. Staff provide children with a range of activities to support their communication and physical skills. For example, children enjoy snuggling up to listen to staff reading stories. This helps children develop a love of reading and books. Children enjoy learning to ride trikes and navigate the space in the large hall well. This supports their developing control and coordination. Staff give children positive praise and encouragement, which supports children's self-esteem and confidence. As a result, children persevere, and delight in learning to ride their bikes independently.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Staff promote inclusion. They support families well to ensure all children attend regularly, providing flexible drop-offs to help families where needed. This ensures that children attend regularly and that barriers to learning are reduced successfully. Staff share information with families about children. The key-person approach is embedded, and staff know their children well. Since their last inspection, leaders ensure they use funding to make adaptations to the environment where necessary to support individual children's needs. They purchase specific toys to help children settle in. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities enjoy relaxing in the sensory tent and sustain concentration for long periods on puzzles, purchased to support their interests. This helps encourage their attention and focus effectively. Leaders work well to support staff in understanding the graduated approach. For example, staff are encouraged to attend training to develop their knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities to help them understand children's individual needs. Leaders ensure staff access further training and advice to support them to meet children's individual needs. For example, partnerships with specialists and external partners, such as the local authority, are effective in helping them meet children's individual needs. Staff work closely with nearby schools and settings to help children's smooth transitions. They seek effective advice and guidance to help them support families further. This ensures that families receive support quickly and that children make positive progress from their starting points.
Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention
Development of the curriculum is still in its infancy, meaning it is not ambitious enough to ensure all children make the best possible progress. Activities are not always matched well enough to children's individual next steps, which impacts on how well staff know what children need to learn next and how well they support them. While staff do make use of assessment to help them identify children's next steps, this is not always translated into what staff plan for children, meaning children do not make the most progress they are capable of. That said, children enjoy the activities set up for them. Older children spend time learning to mix colours, using stampers in paint. Younger children sustain concentration creating pretend picnics with staff, learning about different foods. These activities support children's creativity and communication skills. Staff prioritise children's mathematical understanding. Children have opportunities to learn about colours and shapes. Staff help them to count on when playing games, supporting their knowledge. Children are provided with resources to support their physical skills. Children enjoy learning to ride bikes, developing their coordination and balance. Children with barriers to learning or special educational needs and/or disabilities have specific resources purchased to help them manage their behaviour and emotions. Staff support them with pictures to help them understand what is happening next. This helps them understand expectations successfully. Leaders recognise that improvements are needed to address lunch box items, ensuring children have healthy, balanced and nutritious snacks and drinks. However, these are yet to be impactful. Staff monitor children's progress and share information about how children are doing, providing some ideas to support learning at home. However, this is not always consistent. Nonetheless, children learn important independence skills. For example, they help their friends to get ready to go outside, and help themselves to tissues to wipe their noses. This helps children develop skills for the future.
Achievement: Needs attention
Staff do not always know how activities can support children's next learning steps effectively enough. This means that staff do not always know how to adapt activities to what children need to learn next most effectively to ensure all children make the best possible progress. However, children are provided with activities across all areas of learning, and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with specific resources to support their individual needs. For example, children benefit from specialist resources purchased to help reduce barriers to learning. Children remain engaged learning to match puzzle pieces, supporting their concentration and attention skills successfully. Older children learn to collaborate and play with their friends. They chatter excitedly with staff about building camp fires outside and collecting sticks. They learn to listen and take turns in conversations with staff, developing their communication and language skills and supporting their understanding of the natural world. These activities help to stimulate children's curiosity and imagination. Effective links with local settings and schools support children's transition to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to create a calm and interesting environment. For example, staff have rearranged the space to provide children with quieter areas to play. They have developed a cosy book area where children can snuggle with their friends to explore stories. Staff have purchased toys and resources to support children's interests further. As a result, children enjoy exploring the toys and resources set up for them based on what they enjoy playing with. For example, children spend time role playing in the pretend car garage, learning to be mechanics together. Staff talk with them about how they can mend and fix the bikes. This encourages children's problem-solving, imaginative and collaborative skills effectively. Staff have worked hard to ensure children know the expectations, rules and routines of the setting. Staff praise children for being kind and listening, supporting their personal and social skills effectively. Children demonstrate that they feel comfortable in the setting. They follow instructions well and learn to do things for themselves. For example, older children learn to pour their own drinks and put their cups and bowls away. Younger children learn to wait their turn for the toilet, developing their understanding. Staff support families with attendance and punctuality, providing flexible sessions to help them arrive on time. This supports their understanding of the expectations for starting school successfully.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard
Staff provide a calm and safe environment, where children settle well. Staff are kind and caring in their approach. This helps children to feel secure. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with specialist equipment and resources to support their interests. For example, children are supported with pictures to help them understand what is happening next. Staff help children to learn to do things for themselves. For example, older children learn to put their own coats and boots on when getting ready to go outside. Younger children learn to wash their hands before mealtimes. These activities support children's self-care skills successfully. Children develop positive attachments to staff. For example, children are provided with regular cuddles and comfort, supporting their emotional wellbeing effectively. Staff support children to learn to keep themselves safe. For example, children know to wear their coats outside so that they do not get cold. They learn to play within safe boundaries outside, supporting their understanding of risks and hazards effectively. Staff help children to learn to manage their emotions. Staff develop safe spaces for children to retreat to when needed. Staff use books to help children understand how others feel, developing their understanding of feelings successfully.
Leadership and governance: Needs attention
Although leaders identify areas for improvement, not all of these are yet to be impactful. This means that although they have been identified, it is too early to identify the impact on children's learning and development. However, since the last inspection, leaders ensure staff access training and additional qualifications to support their knowledge and skills. For example, staff have attended positive behaviour training and have been supported by specialists to help children with special educational needs and or disabilities. Leaders have worked hard with the local authority to address areas in need of improvement. Staff are committed and motivated to continue to improve practice and provision and offer quality care and education to local families. Leaders support the committee to understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders provide staff with supervision arrangements, where they discuss staff's wellbeing and workloads. Staff appreciate the opportunities they get to develop their practice through additional training and taking on further qualifications. Leaders prioritise support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are committed to helping reduce barriers to learning. For example, they use funding to support changes to the environment and purchase specialist resources to help children.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider must:
- develop the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for children and that activities are linked to children's specific next steps to help them make the best possible progress (by 27 March 2026)
- ensure engagement with parents focuses on how to support learning at home and provides specific support about the importance of balanced and nutritious diets for children to support healthy choices (by 27 March 2026)
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 27 February 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
- 27 February 2026: Full inspection, report card: Expected standard in 3, Needs attention in 3
- 9 December 2025: Actions after a concern (report)
- 23 September 2025: Full inspection, Inadequate (report)
- 3 December 2024: Full inspection, Requires improvement (report)
- 16 July 2024: Full inspection, Inadequate (report)
- 29 November 2018: Inspection (report)
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Badgers Bridge Forest School - Pre-school, Lyminge CT18 8JE, ages 2 to 8, 15 places, 2.1 milesOfsted, 6 June 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Elham Church of England Primary School - Primary, 0.3 miles