Kids Planet Chris Abell Nursery

A purpose-built setting in the University of Cambridge grounds gives Kids Planet Chris Abell Nursery a clear identity: spacious rooms for active play, a sensory room for quieter moments, and a close connection with university families. It has capacity for 100 children, accepting ages from three months to five years. The physical offer has both movement and calm in mind.

At its February 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, highlighting teaching shaped around children's interests and strong communication development. The useful detail beneath that judgement is how adults worked: giving children time to answer, adding vocabulary to babies' play and adapting plans to what each child was learning. These are practical foundations for children finding their voice.

Prem Aware adds a specific strand of support for children born prematurely, while regular local outings take learning beyond the nursery. Weekday opening runs from 8am to 6pm, with full-day and full-time attendance patterns.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, so education at this age includes play, conversation, movement and growing independence. It is the common framework for nursery education. Here, the February 2024 picture was of practitioners using their knowledge of individual children to decide what to introduce next, rather than treating an activity as an end in itself.

Physical learning had concrete forms. In February 2024, babies moved around the room and used stable furniture to practise standing; toddlers balanced on planks with adults helping them steady themselves. The activities matched different stages of development. For a baby, exploring the room could be the challenge; for a toddler, it could be coordinating a careful step.

Language ran through those experiences. In February 2024, adults talked alongside babies' exploration and allowed time for children to think before answering questions. Stories gave children opportunities to recognise characters and join in familiar words. Older children's explanations about paper, wood and energy showed how conversations could connect ideas, rather than simply rehearse labels.

Independence also developed through ordinary tasks. In February 2024, babies were beginning to feed themselves, while older children handled shoes and coats. Adults demonstrated manageable tasks so children could practise them. That makes daily care part of learning, with opportunities to attempt something useful and build confidence through repetition.

Outdoor and Community Life

Large rooms with an open-plan layout provide space for play, alongside indoor and outdoor environments. Regular outings include nature walks, visits to parks and exploration of businesses and community spaces nearby. Their value is the change of context: children can practise communication and encounter the wider world beyond familiar nursery resources.

The sensory room offers a different pace. Soft textures, gentle lighting and calming sounds support sensory exploration; the room is used for quiet periods and individual support, especially with babies and children who have additional needs. It gives the setting a dedicated space for children whose next useful experience may be a calmer one.

Relationships and Communication

In February 2024, key-person relationships were central to daily care. Adults stayed near babies and comforted them when they became tired or upset, combining opportunities to explore with a familiar person close at hand. For families comparing baby care, that balance deserves attention alongside the room itself.

Parents received information and ideas for continuing learning at home in February 2024, including encouragement to share books with their children. Communication was linked to what children were doing and learning. The current offer includes the group-wide Famly app, which provides updates during the day and helps parents keep in touch with nursery life.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the February 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made excellent progress, supported by targeted funding and collaboration with parents and other agencies. That is a dated assessment of practice, with concrete support mechanisms behind it.

Prem Aware means staff receive training to recognise developmental and learning differences associated with premature birth. Alongside the sensory room, this gives parents two specific aspects of support to discuss in relation to their own child. The training concerns recognising needs; the room provides a place for individual support and sensory play.

Secure access and CCTV in each room are part of the building's arrangements. These are practical features, while the safeguarding judgement belongs to the dated inspection assessment.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Harrison Drive, Cambridge, CB2 8PH. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year, with closures at Christmas and on bank holidays.

Full Day and Full Time are the attendance labels, both running from 8am to 6pm. Families can therefore compare individual full-day attendance with a full-time pattern within the same daily window. The funded-day charge structure uses Half Day, Short Day and Full Day bands according to the funded hours applied.

Enquiries can go directly to the nursery by telephone or email, and there is an application route. The telephone number is 01223 609696 and the email address is chrisabellnursery@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk.

Getting There

On-site parking includes charging points for electric vehicles. The university grounds setting makes the nursery relevant to families working or studying nearby, alongside its connection with the university community.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are both offered. The distinction between private fees and funded-day charges matters when comparing the total cost of a booking: current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The group-wide inclusive offer at this branch covers nappies, sun cream, wipes and formula in private fees, alongside meals and snacks. On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities carry separate charges, with the charge band depending on the funded hours used that day. A funded booking therefore needs to be considered separately from the inclusive private-fee offer.

Freshly prepared meals and snacks cater for dietary needs. Sports activities also form part of the inclusive offer, adding physical activity to the nursery day.

• University connection. The nursery sits within University of Cambridge grounds and has a close relationship with university families. Before applying, ask how that connection affects your family's application.
• Funded-day costs. Meals, activities and consumables are charged separately on days using funding. Request a written quotation for your intended attendance so the distinction from private fees is clear.
• Baby care and quieter spaces. Prem Aware training and the sensory room are relevant features for children with developmental or sensory needs. During a visit, ask how individual care, rest and use of that room would work for your child.

Kids Planet Chris Abell Nursery suits families considering individual full days or full-time attendance, especially those whose work or study connects them with the university. The purpose-built rooms, regular community outings and sensory room provide concrete reasons to consider it, alongside its Outstanding judgement from February 2024.

The most useful balance is between opportunities to explore and provision for a quieter pace. Prem Aware training adds a specific support mechanism, while the funded-day charge structure deserves careful attention when weighing the practical fit.