Planet Kaos Nursery and Preschool

Soft play is part of the setting here, rather than an occasional outing. Planet Kaos Nursery and Preschool occupies purpose-built premises within a Blackpool play centre, with a ground-floor room for the youngest children, two older age groups upstairs and a secure outdoor area that separates babies from older children. That combination gives physical play a substantial place in the nursery day.

The nursery has capacity for 72 children and accepts ages from 3 months to 4 years 11 months. At its 7 March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective, with positive findings on children's confidence, personal development and preparation for school. There were also two clear priorities: making better use of conversations to stretch children's thinking, and considering how dummy use affects emerging speech.

Jolly Rockets and Happy Snappers are the names used for the toddler and preschool groups. Their daily experiences extend beyond the building: younger children visit the library, toddlers attend Park rangers workshops, and preschool children search for numbers and letters in local shops. Weekday opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with Saturday childcare also offered.

Rooms and Ages

Under 2’s combines sensory exploration, including paint and sand, with shape sorting and support for early movement; its ground-floor position gives the youngest children easier access, with a separate outdoor area for their age group. These experiences help babies explore materials and practise new skills.

The 2-3’s room, whose children are called Jolly Rockets, emphasises communication and independence through twice-daily circle time, cooking, construction and role play, alongside a home corner, tablets and interactive whiteboards. Stories, counting and sharing experiences bring language into the routine. Resources change to reflect what children are learning, giving familiar spaces a different purpose as their interests develop.

Preschool children, known as Happy Snappers, practise making choices and expressing opinions through activities involving words, letters and numbers, with cooking, yoga and outdoor exploration also part of the day. Both older groups occupy the mezzanine floor. The progression is practical: growing independence and communication sit alongside early literacy and mathematics, rather than school preparation being reduced to recognising letters.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for learning, development and care, bringing communication, physical development and social learning into children's everyday play. Within that framework, the curriculum follows children's interests and stages of development, with assessment used to plan their next steps. The curriculum page explains this approach.

There are recognisable additions to the everyday room programme. Petite Acting takes place on Friday afternoons for preschool children, using puppets, songs, movement and introductory drama activities. During term time, children in the toddler room have half-hour Dance Class sessions with GO me!, exploring songs through objects and dance routines. These give children different ways to communicate and participate beyond conversation alone.

Swimming lessons for preschool children take place at DW Fitness First Centre. Learning to dress themselves is part of that experience, connecting the activity with the nursery's work on independence.

Outdoor and Community Life

The secure outdoor play area and access to the play centre give children different settings for movement. In March 2025, children used the on-site soft play facility for climbing, balancing and running; outside, shared tyre play and taking turns on wheeled toys brought cooperation into energetic activity. Physical development and social learning happened together.

Outings have different purposes for different ages. Under-twos make regular library visits for shared stories, while toddlers use local transport to attend Park rangers workshops about the natural world. Older children look for letters and numbers in shops and may buy ingredients for cooking. These experiences connect the room's learning with recognisable places and tasks in the surrounding community, rather than treating an outing as a break from learning.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with taster sessions and conversations about a child's needs and home routine. In the youngest room, those sessions also give children time to form relationships with their key workers. Familiar information from home helps staff shape the transition around the child, rather than expecting every family to follow an identical starting routine.

Key workers plan for their children in the toddler room, and preschool key workers support decision-making and conversation. Tapestry, the online learning journal, lets parents see photographs, videos and written observations, and contribute material from home. That makes communication a two-way exchange: family experiences can become something children share and discuss at nursery.

In March 2025, staff gave parents guidance on supporting learning at home. Children also practised everyday responsibilities, including pouring drinks, washing hands and helping to tidy. These tasks give independence a concrete meaning and provide families with examples they can recognise outside nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The toddler room adapts communication activities to individual children and works with families as children move towards toilet training. Children who need a rest can settle with blankets for a nap. The emphasis is on readiness and routine, with the next step in toileting taken when the child and parent are ready.

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff supported language through vocabulary and conversation, but did not consistently challenge children's thinking or recognise the possible effect of continued dummy use on speech. These findings matter together: a warm interaction can still miss an opportunity to help a child explain, reason or solve a problem.

In March 2025, children received healthy food and snacks and had energetic outdoor play each day. Food, movement and self-care were connected in the daily routine, including children serving themselves. The current Saturday arrangement includes lunch.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Unit 5, behind 251 Vicarage Lane, Blackpool, FY4 4LR. Weekday opening is Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, for children aged 3 months to 4 years 11 months. It operates throughout the year, closing on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Saturday childcare serves children aged 2 to 4 and can be booked in sessions of at least two hours. Bookings must be made and paid for by 5pm on the preceding Thursday, and children can attend even if they do not use the nursery during the week.

Applications can be made in person or using the downloadable application form. The contact form offers another enquiry route, with a response within 3-4 working days. Tours are offered for families considering the setting.

Getting There

A large car park sits away from the main road, and the nursery describes the public transport stop as a two minute walk. The premises are behind Screwfix on Vicarage Lane, which is a useful landmark for locating the entrance to the site.

Funding and Paid Extras

Saturday lunch is included in the session charge. Families are asked to bring sun cream for outdoor play, alongside weather-appropriate clothing; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Saturday timing. Saturday hours differ between the contact timetable, which gives 9.30am to 3.30pm, and the activity information, which gives 9am to 3pm. Confirm the operating window before planning a Saturday booking.
• Conversations and dummies. The March 2025 priorities concerned stretching children's thinking and the effect of dummies on speech. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how staff now handle both within the child's routine.
• Funded attendance. For a family considering this nursery's weekday care alongside its separately booked Saturday service, what funded attendance arrangement and accompanying charges would apply?
• Rooms on different floors. Babies are downstairs and the older groups use the mezzanine. During a tour, look at how your child's room connects with outdoor play and the play centre, especially if those spaces are a major reason for choosing Planet Kaos.

Planet Kaos suits families attracted to active play, community outings and practical independence. The play-centre setting gives it a clear identity, while library visits, Park rangers workshops and preschool shopping activities connect learning with everyday experiences outside the rooms. Tapestry gives parents a way to contribute as well as receive updates.

It can serve families needing weekday care and those seeking shorter Saturday sessions, including children who attend elsewhere during the week. The Good judgement from March 2025 provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific work needed on conversational challenge and dummy use.