Faith Nursery at Brandshatch Park scored 'strong' in all six areas of its first Ofsted report card; Kids Planet Sevenoaks met every standard in its own.

Two of the district’s newest nurseries have received their first Ofsted verdicts, and both passed on every measure. Faith Nursery Brandshatch Park, near Fawkham, was graded “strong standard” in all six inspection areas. Kids Planet Sevenoaks met the expected standard or better across the board.

The report for Faith Nursery was published on Thursday 11 September, following an inspection on 5 August. (Ofsted report card, Faith Nursery Brandshatch Park) Kids Planet Sevenoaks was inspected on 22 July and its report was published on Monday 8 September. (Ofsted report card, Kids Planet Sevenoaks)

How the new report cards work

Ofsted stopped giving early years settings a single overall grade this year. A 2026 report card instead grades six areas separately:

  • achievement
  • behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
  • children’s welfare and wellbeing
  • curriculum and teaching
  • inclusion
  • leadership and governance

Each is scored on a five-point scale: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, and urgent improvement. Safeguarding is judged separately as met or not met. “Expected standard” is not a near miss; the reports define it as fulfilling the standard required of every setting. “Strong standard” means leaders are working above it.

Ofsted report card grades for two Sevenoaks district nurseries. Faith Nursery Brandshatch Park: strong standard in all six areas. Kids Planet Sevenoaks: strong standard for children's welfare and wellbeing and for inclusion, expected standard for achievement, behaviour, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance. Both met safeguarding standards.
The grades in full. Chart by Sevenoaks Online.

Faith Nursery Brandshatch Park: strong in all six areas

Faith Nursery Brandshatch Park sits on Scratchers Lane between Fawkham and West Kingsdown, and is run by Faith Montessori Nursery Ltd. It registered with Ofsted on 31 October 2024, and this was its first inspection. The report records 180 places, with children aged 1 to 4 attending at the time of the visit.

Every one of the six areas was graded strong standard, and safeguarding standards were met. The inspector found that “leaders are ambitious for children and have established a clear vision in which children are supported to achieve, belong and thrive”. Staff development gets specific praise: those on the nursery’s “Maths Champion” programme have become more confident at extending mathematical learning, so that children “increasingly explore number, shape, pattern and problem-solving with confidence”.

Kids Planet Sevenoaks: every standard met, two areas strong

Kids Planet Sevenoaks is based at The Mulberry Day Centre on Emily Jackson Close, off Eardley Road in Sevenoaks town. It is run by Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited and registered with Ofsted on 7 July 2025, so this was also a first inspection. The report records 115 places for children aged 0 to 4.

Its two strong-standard areas were children’s welfare and wellbeing, and inclusion. The inspector found staff “place children’s welfare and wellbeing at the heart of their practice”, with settling-in procedures that mean “children settle quickly and feel safe and secure”. On inclusion, the report describes “an incredibly inclusive and nurturing approach”, with additional funding directed at individual children’s development and fundraising events organised to support children’s individual needs. The remaining four areas, achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance, were graded expected standard, and safeguarding standards were met.

What it means for parents

For families weighing up childcare, these are the first independent inspections either setting has had, and both reports are free to read in full at the links below. Ofsted publishes every early years report on its reports site, searchable by postcode.

The two settings between them add nearly 300 registered places to the district’s childcare supply, at a large site by Brands Hatch and in Sevenoaks town itself. For days out once the childcare is sorted, our guide to things to do with kids in Sevenoaks covers the district’s parks, trails and rainy-day options.

Sources

Image: Scratcher’s Lane, Fawkham Rd junction by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.