Kids Planet Butterfly Lodge

Seven places in the baby unit and seven in the toddler room give Butterfly Lodge a clear identity: younger children have small, separate spaces, while preschool provision is divided between two rooms. For parents who place room size high on their list, these are useful numbers. They describe the youngest rooms, rather than the size of the whole nursery.

Kids Planet Butterfly Lodge serves children from three months to five years at 502 Lytham Road, Blackpool, FY4 1JH, with capacity for 54 children overall. At its 14 May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with communication development a strength and closer tailoring of some learning activities an improvement priority.

The setting sits in a residential part of Blackpool. Its appeal rests on the smaller-room arrangement and a practical choice of full-day, morning, afternoon and short-day sessions.

Rooms and Ages

The baby unit has a seven-child capacity, giving parents a concrete measure of its scale rather than a general promise of personal care. The toddler room also accommodates seven children, and preschool children use two smaller rooms intended to support close relationships with their key educators. These room arrangements are the strongest physical detail here.

In May 2024, indoor space was arranged as smaller areas, and children played together in small groups. That organisation gave activities a manageable scale. It also extended to lunch, when children sat in smaller groups and had time for conversation.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In practical terms, learning happens through play, conversation and growing independence, rather than being confined to a separate lesson.

In May 2024, communication work changed with children's stage of development: adults brought their faces level with babies, added words to toddlers' water play and allowed older children time to think before answering. The detail matters. A baby's expression, a toddler's action and a preschool child's considered answer each offered a different starting point for interaction.

Physical activity also had an imaginative element that May. Stories about rocket journeys accompanied movement, with children practising balancing, jumping and reaching. Makaton signs were used alongside spoken words for polite requests and thanks, giving children an additional cue to connect language with everyday exchanges.

The curriculum's weaker point was consistency. In May 2024, outings, visiting guests and music and movement formed part of the programme, but staff were not always clear enough about the intended learning or how to adjust an activity to a child's next step. Breadth alone was not enough: the improvement priority was to connect those experiences more precisely with what individual children already knew.

Outdoor and Community Life

In May 2024, children used stairs to reach the garden and practised putting on puddle suits themselves. Outdoor preparation therefore involved independence as well as getting ready to play. A sports session also took place in the garden during that visit.

Alongside these branch observations, the current offer includes the group's nature-based outdoor approach, with examples such as watching wildlife, vegetable growing and active play. These are hands-on ways to explore the natural world; they should be read separately from the dated observations of how Butterfly Lodge used its garden.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2024, a key-person system connected children and their families with familiar staff. Children's interests, choices and parents' contributions helped shape activities, so the relationship had a practical role in planning the day as well as providing familiarity.

Home learning was concrete that May. Resource bags helped children explore experiences such as a dental appointment, while toddler talk cards and small activities gave parents ideas for supporting conversation at home. This made the emphasis on language something families could take part in, rather than leaving it entirely to nursery time.

Famly, the group's parent app included in the branch offer, provides updates in real time. It gives families another way to follow their child's day alongside their relationship with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that effective work with outside professionals helped children obtain support when needed, and that additional funding was used well to support progress. Resources were chosen with children's interests and experiences in mind, including familiar items and things that might introduce a new interest.

That May, staff also used praise to recognise children's efforts and modelled manners during shared routines. These were everyday interactions rather than a separate wellbeing programme. Staff training on interactions had translated into careful attention to how adults communicated with children.

Freshly prepared food includes snacks and meals, with provision for dietary needs. Mealtimes sit within the daily care offer, while their charging position differs between privately paid attendance and days using funding.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank-holiday closures. The session choices make it possible to match attendance to different parts of the day rather than booking only the full opening window.

Full Day and Full Time bookings run from 8am to 6pm. Morning sessions finish at 1pm after an 8am start, while Afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. Short Day bookings run from 9am to 3pm. Ad hoc hourly attendance is also priced, at a higher rate than regular bookings.

Getting There

The address is 502 Lytham Road, Blackpool, FY4 1JH, in a residential area with access to bus routes and the motorway. Families can contact the branch on 01253 347087 or email butterflylodge@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are both offered. For privately paid care, the group's inclusive fee offer covers food, formula, nappies, wipes and sun cream, alongside sports activities and the parent app.

On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities carry separate charges, with the charging band depending on the funded hours used that day. That distinction matters when comparing a funded booking with a private one: an inclusive private fee does not mean the same items are included during funded attendance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Small youngest rooms. The baby unit and toddler room each have seven places. During a tour, ask how children's routines and moves between these spaces are organised, especially if a smaller room is your main reason for choosing Butterfly Lodge.
• Individual learning. The May 2024 improvement priority concerned adapting activities to children's existing knowledge. Ask for a current example of how an outing or music activity builds on your child's next learning step.
• Funded attendance. Meals, activities and consumables are charged separately on days using funding. Ask how your entitlement would be distributed across your chosen sessions and what the complete quotation would cover.

Butterfly Lodge suits families who value a seven-place baby or toddler room and want a choice between morning, afternoon, short-day and full-day attendance. The smaller-room layout is its clearest practical attraction. In May 2024, communication work included resources for families to use at home, alongside a key-person system.

The balance is straightforward: there is thoughtful attention to everyday interaction, alongside an improvement priority about making the broader activity programme more closely match individual learning. For families using funding, the separate extras deserve as much attention as the session times.