Kids Planet Victoria Hospital

Blackpool Zoo trips, a dedicated sensory room and a full-time sports coach give Kids Planet Victoria Hospital a clear character: animal encounters, movement and space for quieter exploration. There is an equally decisive entry condition. Within Victoria Hospital’s grounds, this nursery is exclusively for NHS staff and public sector workers.

At the 30 October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current age range is 3 to 60 months, with 92 places in total. Those places describe the whole nursery’s capacity, rather than the number of children sharing an activity or room.

Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give eligible families different ways to organise attendance. The combination of a hospital setting and shorter sessions makes this more than a single-pattern childcare option, although the precise fit depends on a family’s working hours.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, that means learning through play, conversation and practical experiences. The strongest examples connect an interest with something a child can touch, try or talk about, rather than treating learning as a separate part of the day.

In October 2023, children explored a pumpkin’s contents and textures before choosing to paint it. Staff followed their ideas, giving the activity a direction shaped by the children themselves. Decorating sticks offered another opportunity to concentrate on a task and practise new vocabulary. These examples show how ordinary materials can become occasions for conversation and creative choice.

A recent zoo visit and dinosaur trail also influenced play in October 2023. Dinosaurs were added to a sand tray, while Dear Zoo, a lift-the-flap storybook, encouraged children to wait for their turn. The connection matters: an outing became material for imaginative play and shared reading back at nursery.

Today, Active Learning Every Day adds structured physical activity through a dedicated full-time sports coach. Sessions include yoga, ball games, obstacle courses and movement challenges, adapted to children’s ages. The emphasis is on coordination, balance and strength, with opportunities to practise working alongside others. This gives movement a specific place in the offer beyond simply having room to run.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular visits to Blackpool Zoo are a recognisable part of this branch’s offer. Animals and their habitats provide subjects for children’s questions and conversation, linking experiences outside nursery with early language and knowledge of the natural world. The frequency is regular, rather than a fixed weekly promise.

Large outdoor spaces complement those outings. Indoors, the sensory room offers exploration through movement, textures, sound and light, with a calmer setting alongside more active experiences. These are different ways for children to engage with their surroundings, which may matter to families whose child enjoys physical play but also needs quieter time.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2023, settling sessions were planned around the wellbeing of parents as well as children, using information gathered from families. Staff spent time building attachments with babies and getting to know their key children. For parents making the first separation from a baby, the useful detail is that settling involved preparation and relationship-building, rather than attendance alone.

Communication now includes Famly, the parent app used for updates in real time. It sits within the group-wide all-inclusive offer repeated at this branch. In October 2023, parents also valued individual conversations at collection and regular information about their child’s development. The app and those dated examples describe different channels: updates during the day and a direct exchange with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCo used assessment to spot emerging concerns and worked with parents and professionals to support children with SEND, while identifying missed opportunities to extend individual learning during free play. That distinction is useful: planned activities supported learning, but staff needed to make more of spontaneous moments too.

The current sensory room gives children opportunities to explore sensory experiences in a soothing space. Its use includes helping children relax and manage emotions, including children with sensory processing differences or additional needs. A room is one practical resource; understanding how it fits a particular child’s day belongs in the visit conversation.

Daily routines also provided learning opportunities in October 2023. Older children served their lunch, poured drinks and practised cutting food with cutlery. Independence was built through tasks that children could attempt for themselves.

Freshly prepared snacks and meals cater for dietary needs. Private fees include these, along with formula, wipes, nappies and sun cream; days using funded hours have a separate charge structure.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Victoria Hospital, Whinney Heys Road, Blackpool, FY3 8NR. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year, with bank holidays closed.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning bookings run from 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon bookings from 1pm to 6pm. Full Time is also a booking option with the same daily window as Full Day. Early Bird covers 7am to 7.30am, allowing an earlier start than the main day booking. Ad-hoc hourly care is charged at a higher rate than regular bookings.

For eligible parents, enquiries can be made directly by telephone or email, and a tour can be booked. The employment restriction is central to choosing this nursery: its hospital location does not make it a general-access option for every Blackpool family.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are both offered. For private care, the group-wide all-inclusive package at this branch includes meals and snacks, nappies, wipes, formula and sun cream, as well as sports activities and the parent app. That reduces the everyday supplies families need to pack.

On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities are charged separately. The charge category depends on the funded hours used that day. Families comparing a private booking with a funded booking therefore need to compare the complete arrangement, including these separate items. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Employment eligibility. Attendance is restricted to NHS staff and public sector workers. Establish that your family meets this condition before planning care around the hospital location.
• Early starts. The nursery opens at 7am, while Full Day and Morning begin at 7.30am. When booking a tour, discuss how the Early Bird addition fits your working day and collection arrangements.
• Learning during free play. In October 2023, staff needed to use spontaneous play more consistently to extend each child’s learning. Ask how practitioners now recognise and develop those opportunities alongside planned activities.
• Sensory care and funded charges. The sensory room offers a calmer space, while funded attendance carries separate charges for meals, consumables and activities. During a visit, discuss how the room would support your child and request a written breakdown for your proposed booking.

Kids Planet Victoria Hospital suits eligible NHS and public sector families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with an early-start addition. Regular Blackpool Zoo outings, coached physical activity and a sensory room give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The October 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark. The decision now turns on employment eligibility, the session pattern that fits work and the cost structure for funded attendance. For families who meet that entry condition, the strongest attraction is the combination of active experiences and quieter sensory exploration in the hospital grounds.