Two New Chatham Nurseries Pass First Ofsted Inspections

Two nurseries that opened in Chatham within the last two years have come through their first Ofsted inspections, and one of them scored the second highest grade in every area inspected.

Play A Way Nursery & Pre-School, at Unit E, 29-38 Jenkins Dale, was inspected on 8 July 2026 and rated Strong standard in all six areas, with safeguarding met (Ofsted report, URN 2822133). Marina Montessori Day Nursery & Pre School, on Leviathan Way at Chatham Maritime, was inspected on 19 August 2026 and rated Strong standard in three areas and Expected standard in the other three, again with safeguarding met (Ofsted report, URN 2812969).

Both are new. Ofsted registered Marina Montessori on 4 October 2024 and Play A Way on 24 January 2025. Neither had been inspected before.

How the two compare

Ofsted’s report cards grade each area on a five-point scale: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention and Urgent improvement. Strong means “leaders are working above the standard expected of them”; Expected means the setting is meeting the statutory and professional standards.

Source: the two Ofsted inspection reports linked above. Table by Medway Live.

Play A Way: an inspection that started with a tip-off

The Jenkins Dale report is unusually good for a setting eighteen months into its registration, and its origin is worth knowing. Ofsted says it carried out the inspection “as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider”, and adds that the provider “will be able to give parents further information about this”.

The report does not say what the information was. It does record that leaders, “following previous incidents”, carried out “a detailed review and implemented additional staff training”, which “improved staff confidence and consistency in responding to children’s behaviour and individual needs”. The inspector, Kate Williams, then graded every area Strong.

What she found:

• children “flourish in a language-rich environment”, and staff refer promptly to outside professionals when a child shows signs of delay
• behaviour is “consistently positive”, with children needing “minimal adult intervention”
• meals are made on site, and children harvest their own tomatoes, potatoes and strawberries for snack time
• a soft-play room is set aside for physical development, with floor equipment for babies learning to crawl and cruise
• children visit local shops and the library to borrow books
• children with special educational needs or disabilities have their own resource baskets to help them regulate and focus

Play A Way also met the requirements of both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Ofsted’s one next step is to keep going, with a focus on “transformational impact” for disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and those known to children’s social care.

Marina Montessori: strong on care, room to grow on teaching

The Chatham Maritime nursery’s registered person is Sea Shells Nursery (Dockside) Limited. Inspectors led by Collette Bradshaw found “a harmonious and respectful culture”, “extremely strong” relationships and a “successful first year” that “reflects their drive, high expectations and commitment”.

Its three Strong areas are behaviour, welfare and leadership. Babies are settled in cots in line with safer-sleeping procedures, meals and snacks are prepared on site, and parents “speak highly of the support they receive”. Recruitment includes interviews, suitability checks, references and regular checks of the Disclosure and Barring Service update service.

The three Expected areas share one cause. Inspectors found children who “engage more readily outdoors have fewer opportunities to deepen and demonstrate their knowledge and skills”, because the “breadth and ambition of the indoor curriculum are not yet fully reflected outdoors”. They also saw a mathematics activity lose its focus when it drifted into sensory play. Leaders “recognise this and plan to develop the provision”.

Ofsted’s next steps for the nursery are:

• keep group activities focused on the intended learning
• develop the outdoor area so that children who learn best outside get the full curriculum

What it means for you

• Choosing a nursery: both reports are free to read at reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Search the nursery’s name or its unique reference number, 2822133 for Play A Way and 2812969 for Marina Montessori. Read the “What it’s like to be a child at this setting” section first; it is written for parents.
• Reading a report card: Ofsted dropped single-word overall grades for early years settings in November 2025. A nursery now gets a grade for each of six areas plus a safeguarding judgement, so compare the areas that matter to you rather than looking for one headline word.
• Asking about an inspection’s origin: where a report says an inspection followed “information we received”, Ofsted expects the provider to explain if you ask. That line appears in the Play A Way report and is a fair question for any parent considering a place.
• Places: between them the two settings are registered for 185 children. Registration numbers are a ceiling, not a count of children attending, so ask each nursery directly about availability.

Sources

• Ofsted inspection report: Play A Way Nursery & Pre-School, inspected 8 July 2026
• Ofsted provider page: Play A Way Nursery & Pre-School, URN 2822133
• Ofsted inspection report: Marina Montessori Day Nursery & Pre School, inspected 19 August 2026
• Ofsted provider page: Marina Montessori Day Nursery & Pre School, URN 2812969