Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone

Newnham Court Shopping Village, Bearsted Road, Maidstone ME14 5LH
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9.8 169 Reviews
  • Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone, Maidstone
The company is named after its founder – Penny Scotton – and continues to adhere to her vision of offering; ‘the very best in childcare, learning and fun’

Purpose-built to their own specification and opened in 2005 between Maidstone and Bearsted this site hosts nursery services and a home for Breakfast, After School and Holiday clubs. Air-conditioned and equipped with under-floor heating and two fully fitted kitchens; parents describe Newnham Court as ‘welcoming.’ It is bright and lively with extensive gardens and outdoor play facilities. Newnham Court was graded as good by Ofsted (March 2022).

Fully air-conditioned and equipped throughout with underfloor heating and two fully fitted kitchens, parents describe Newnham Court as 'welcoming'. It is bright, colourful and echoing with the happy sound of children. Developments in Pennies’ provision have gone hand-in-hand with the ethos of the ‘Pennies Family’ within which all children and parents feel involved and have the chance to discuss and shape the care provided

The main features of Newnham Court include

•        Catering for children from three months to five-years-old
•        Separate rooms, arranged by age for nursery age children
•        Separate term time only pre-school room
•        Extensive garden with grassed areas, large sandpit, play equipment and sheltered areas which support all areas of a child's development
•        Meals prepared daily by a trained chef and made with fresh ingredients sourced from local suppliers
•        Annual social calendar of events for children and parents
•        Popular Kids club catering for children from four to eleven years of age
•        There is a large, secluded garden area with a number of designated areas including a story-telling mound and adventure playground
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Claire Williams and Paige Priest (Nursery Managers)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 75

Total Places for Children

  • 131

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Per day:
    0-2 yrs £114.25
    2-3 yrs £112.25
    3+ yrs £111.25

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone Reviews (169)

9.8

Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10, based on 31 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone has 169 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Reviewer Connection to Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone
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Total of 169, showing 161-169
Review from Lani W (Mother of Child) published on 17 June 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter started here at 8 months old and left at 3 as we moved out of the area. She absolutely loved her time with Pennies and watching her grow and develop was fantastic, some of the routines like making her own breakfast she still does everyday now at home. The staff were always incredibly supportive
and positive and took a keen interest in their development though play. Starting her here stood her in good stead for when she moved nursery to a preschool environment. We loved the outside space and how they could all enjoy it without a rota system a lot of nurseries have, this was important for us as our daughter spends most of her day outside. Even now she still talks about pennies (mainly the messy fun, painting her feet and body and running on the paper with her friends!) and still has fond memories of the fun she had with her key person before she left!
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Review from Chloe D (Mother of Child) published on 28 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
After having a bad experience and needing to take my daughter out of her first nursery it was really hard for me to put my trust into another nursery but i'm so glad I did with Pennies. I looked around a couple of nursery's and Pennies was by far the best. Its clean, safe (which is of a huge importance
to me), purpose built with a lovely garden and plenty of space and toys. The rooms are divided into smaller age gaps which I liked. You can see how well cared for the children are. The meals are good and well balanced as are the activities. I love the tea parties and the themed weeks for Christmas, Easter and Halloween. I think the Tapestry is great so I can log on and see all the observations and photos. The staff are friendly.


Most importantly my daughter is happy, safe, fed and cared for which is all any parent wants.


The only downside is that they wont be able to do the school drop off/pick up/after school club when my daughter goes to school as we are not local to the nursery.

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Review from Nick S (Father of Child) published on 13 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Pennies at Newnham Court provide an amazing service for our 14 month old for day care and our 5 year old at Holiday Club. The children love going and we have utmost confidence in the care they receive. We can't recommend them enough.
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Review from Sarah D (Mother of Child) published on 18 February 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending Pennies 3 days a week since he was 10 months old, he's now 2 1/2 and still loves it! For us the main appeal has been the room structure, children regularly move environments when developmentally ready, the comprehensive provision (all meals prepared on site, nappies etc) and
the commitment of the staff, most of whom know my little boys name even if they haven't directly cared for him. The detailed information I get at handover every night is brilliant and provides me with plenty of reassurance, there's also never too much trouble and staff have been supportive of every decision we've made from weaning to potty training which has helped make some potentially tricky phases much easier. The new online record system is lovely to be able to access on a regular basis and see photos and updates. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pennies.
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Review from Lynsey J (Mother of Child) published on 12 February 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Like many parents out there choosing a nursery for your baby can prove difficult. Especially when your returning to work after a year off. The Manager showed us around and we were overwhelmed with the facilities here compared to other nurseries we visited. My partner particularly liked the door protectors
on all doors to stop little fingers getting caught and as we work in health and safety this is key for us. My daughter has come on leaps and bounds and I am amazed of the brilliant little toddler she has become. I owe Pennies for the assistance during those tough times and yes it's expensive compared to some but I wouldn't hesitate to go and see for yourself. There are little things which can annoy a parent about a nursery such as old looking toys, snotty noses but it's a nursery and a good one which I would recommend.
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Review from L G (Mother of Child) published on 12 February 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been at Pennies 3/2 days a week since she was 6 months old and she is now 3 1/2. She has absolutely thrived in the environment they provide. She looks forward to going to nursery and always comes home happy. She has had numerous key workers over the years and all off them have helped
her development. Pennies is a quality nursery and I would have no quibble recommending them to any parent.
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Review from Louise (Mother of Child) published on 12 February 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Having used other nurseries and childcare options in the past, Pennies is by far the best nursery I have been to. My children have the most amazing time there each day (so much so that they sometimes want to go at the weekend too!) and they have made some really good friends. The nursery staff are
fantastic - and always have a smile on their faces! A couple of things in particular have always stood out for me about Pennies. First, the way that the management know all of the children's names, stopping to talk to them in the corridors etc and will often be in the rooms helping out. Second, they are very quick to deal with any issues that you raise and never make you feel as though you are causing problems. Even the smallest things are taken very seriously. Third, I get more information about my children from Pennies (daily handovers and regular updates) than I have ever had in other settings. It is clear that the staff spend time getting to know the children's likes and dislikes and that they really try to encourage them to progress in areas where they are struggling. For me this is the sign of a really excellent nursery and I would recommend Pennies without any hesitation. And I am very confident that my little monsters would too!
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Review from Darren C (Father of Child) published on 12 February 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I was apprehensive of sending my daughter to nursery at only 1 year old but when we visited Pennies Nursery Newnham it's a very good setup compared to others we have seen. The staff were very welcoming a know how to look after children of all ages. They also monitor the children's abilities helping
them to achieve goals set out in the curriculum for your child's age group. My daughter has definitely become more confident being at Pennies so I would recommend them to anyone.


Thanks for all your work!

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Review from Kimberly (Mother of Child) published on 18 August 2015 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
As the saying goes "you get what you pay for" I feel this applies to Pennies. Out of three local nurseries that were top of our list, we tried the cheapest ones first.. And quickly discovered we were not happy with the environments and care provided.
Then we tried Pennies.. It's now almost 5 years
later and can not praise the nursery enough. The building is colourful, fun and well maintained. Management are very accessible and quick to deal with any queries. Staff are friendly, fun and provide great activities for even the youngest babies!
That little bit of extra money has given me a huge amount back in return as I have not once doubted my children are safe and happy whilst I'm working.
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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.800)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10 for Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 31 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 30 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.800 for Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone is calculated as follows: ( (324 Excellents x 5) + (28 Goods x 4) + (3 Satisfactorys x 3) + (1 Poors x 2) + (9 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 365 Ratings = 4.8
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Pennies Day Nursery - Newnham Court, Maidstone is based on 30 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 131 number of registered child places is 26.2, which has been reached with 30 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (8)

Meet the Team (5)

Michaela

Michaela Stone

Job Title: Head of Operations Joined: 2004

Hi, My Name is Michaela and I hold a CACHE Level 3 and Level 4 in Childcare and Management.


My journey in the Early Years started 25 Years ago; 20 of these years have been in a Management position. I have worked with all age groups from 3 months through to 11 years. I strongly believe in the best for every child, and that every child should be acknowledged as a unique individual and given the opportunity to flourish to their full potential.


I believe myself to be level-headed in all aspects of the business and operations, and I enjoy focusing on the development of my team, casting vision, and giving the team the education and tools they need to create a rich environment for the children to thrive within.

Claire

Claire Williams

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2004

Hi, my name is Claire and I have worked at Pennies since 2004. I hold a diploma in child studies and CACHE NVQ level 3 and 4 in children’s care, learning and development. I have thoroughly enjoyed my years at Pennies working my way up to a management position where I am able to help and support staff with their professional journey.


Over the years I have looked after children right from babies up to 11 years but I particularly enjoy the older children in our out-of-school club. My position as nursery manager is one I enjoy the challenge of. Being part of a child’s start in life is a rewarding career and I believe it is important that children can develop and flourish in a safe and secure environment.

Paige

Paige Priest

Job Title: Joint Nursery Manager Joined: 2025

Hello, my name is Paige, and I am one of the Managers at Pennies Newnham Court.


I have had a long working career in childcare, starting as a nursery practitioner, working my way up to management. I studied early childhood studies at university, and through my studies and many years of experience, I have a great deal of knowledge and skills in the early years sector. Above all, I have a burning passion for the early years and pride myself on creating outstanding learning environments for every child in my care.


I believe that every child benefits from a nurturing, caring environment where they are encouraged to flourish and supported to achieve the best outcomes.

Amy

Amy Mallett

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2018

Hello, I’m Amy and I have been part of the Pennies team since 2018.

Claire

Claire Lucas

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 2024

Hello, I’m Claire and I have been part of the Pennies team since 2024. I have worked in childcare for 15+ years in a variety of roles with all ages of children.

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