KIDS Nursery

An accessible outdoor learning space and a parent support group give KIDS Nursery's May 2025 account a clear character: children's learning and family relationships belong together. Based at Pebbles Children's Centre in Popley, the nursery has capacity for 90 children, with an age range of 1 to 60 months.

At its 28 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and reported good progress for children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Two improvements remained: putting learning in a clearer sequence and making changes between activities less abrupt.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. For children, this means developing language and mathematical understanding through play, building physical skills and practising how to get along with others. In May 2025, those elements were visible in conversations during a memory game, outdoor climbing and balancing, and children learning to wait their turn and hear what others had to say. Care sits alongside that learning: babies' comfort and familiar routines were also part of the day's work.

In May 2025, a wizard-themed memory activity encouraged older children to work out which objects had disappeared. Staff brought new words and mathematical ideas into the game, linking playful participation with opportunities to think and explain. The activity gave children a reason to pay attention and remember, rather than simply hear an explanation from an adult. Their interest in the missing objects made the game a concrete example of learning through play.

Social learning also featured that month. Adults demonstrated calm, respectful behaviour and helped children appreciate differences between people. Children practised taking turns and listening, became more independent and took satisfaction in what they had achieved. These everyday habits matter alongside vocabulary and mathematical ideas: they help children participate in shared activities and manage being part of a group.

Outdoor experiences that month included balancing, climbing and a pirate treasure search. Additional funding had helped create an accessible outdoor learning space, giving physical activity a practical place in children's learning. However, planned activities sometimes introduced information in an order that made connections with earlier learning harder.

In May 2025, babies received responsive comfort and predictable routines. Older children had a less consistent experience when activities ended: sudden switches towards meals or tidying sometimes left them unsettled. That distinction matters for children who find changes difficult.

Family communication that month included regular information sharing and a parent support group where families could exchange experiences. Key persons, leaders and outside professionals discussed children's learning needs, providing a way to identify gaps and plan support together.

Staff also practised emergency responses and received specialist training for administering medication. These were practical arrangements for meeting children's health needs at that time. In May 2025, supervision extended to mealtimes, while children were helped to understand personal safety and handle risks in ways appropriate to their age. This connected adult responsibility with opportunities for children to learn about keeping themselves safe.

Professional development that month included a puzzle activity for staff based on safeguarding situations and policy guidance. Practitioners worked together to solve the clues, applying procedures to examples rather than only reading them. Regular supervision and further training supported this work. For families, the useful detail is the attention given to rehearsing responses: both medication training and emergency practice concerned what adults would do when a child needed help.

The address is Pebbles Children's Centre, Shakespeare Road, Popley, RG24 9BP. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In May 2025, opening hours were 8am to 6pm on weekdays. At that time, the nursery also provided funded early education for children from nine months to four years.

• Learning sequence. In May 2025, some activities made it harder for children to connect new information with earlier learning. On a visit, ask how staff now plan those steps.
• Changes during the day. The May 2025 routine sometimes unsettled older children around meals and tidying. Ask how staff prepare children for these moments, especially if your child needs predictability.

KIDS Nursery suits families who value collaboration between home, practitioners and outside professionals. Its May 2025 account combines imaginative activities, accessible outdoor learning and opportunities for parents to connect. The balance is less convincing around the sequence of teaching and older children's daily transitions: those are the most useful points to explore when choosing it.