Kids' Country Day Nursery

A resident pony, vegetable growing and space for den building give Kids' Country Day Nursery its countryside character. In Over Peover, near Knutsford, this purpose-built setting combines age-specific outdoor areas with a larger shared natural space. Outdoor play has substance here: children can tend animals, investigate insects and explore growing things, rather than simply take their indoor games outside.

The nursery accepts children from birth to five and has capacity for 120 children in total. Its rooms divide that age range into successive stages, from Little Explorers through to Prep School Pioneers. For parents, that makes the progression from baby care to preparation for school easy to understand.

At its 21 June 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes and personal development. The improvement priority was more precisely targeted staff development, so teaching reached a consistently high standard. That distinction matters: the strongest judgements concerned children's behaviour and personal development, while education and leadership were Good.

Rooms and Ages

Little Explorers caters for children aged zero to one, with a custom baby room and an emphasis on maintaining their individual routines as they develop. Tiny Wanderers, for one- to two-year-olds, supports early walking and exploration outdoors. The separation gives the youngest children a room organised around their stage, before the emphasis shifts towards greater mobility.

For ages two to three, Mini Adventurers brings together language, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development through exploration and age-appropriate risk taking. Grand Voyagers, for three- to four-year-olds, introduces more structure and develops attention, listening and speaking. Prep School Pioneers, for four- to five-year-olds, uses purposeful play to encourage choice, independence and confidence.

Each age group has an outdoor area beside its indoor playroom. The shared natural space adds another kind of experience, with trees to climb, opportunities to build dens and ground to investigate for worms and insects. Children can grow vegetables and help care for animals too. These are practical encounters with the natural world, involving movement, observation and responsibility.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play gives children opportunities to practise communication, movement and early literacy and numeracy. Themed indoor areas support those early skills, while the outdoor spaces give them different materials and experiences to explore.

Mini Dribblers visits twice a week to work on PE and football skills with children aged two to five. Tiny Talk gives Tiny Wanderers children another route into communication, using signing alongside songs and rhymes. These additions have clear purposes: physical skills for the older groups and ways to communicate for children developing their language.

In June 2022, learning built progressively on children's existing skills. Younger children experimented with musical instruments, toddlers paid attention to surrounding sounds, and preschool children played with the sounds within words. The sequence connected sensory exploration with the beginnings of reading, rather than treating each age group's activities as unrelated.

Books also reached beyond group story sessions in June 2022. Children could use them during play, and staff read nature-themed books outside in the garden. Family members came in to read as well. That gave children who were reluctant to join a large storytelling group other ways to engage with books.

Outdoor and Community Life

The countryside emphasis extends to Kids’ Country Forest School, an approach centred on children exploring and learning outdoors. Alongside it, the nursery's natural space supports mud play, animal care and vegetable growing. The practical appeal is the variety of ways children can engage outdoors, from active climbing to quieter investigation.

In June 2022, community activities included collecting litter locally and singing during visits to nursing homes. Stories introduced children to different family structures, while shared activities encouraged consideration for other people. These experiences connected learning about difference and responsibility with things children could actually do.

Relationships were a strong part of daily life in June 2022. Each child had a supportive connection with an adult, and staff helped children talk about their feelings. Preschool children practised sharing and taking turns through games. Lunchtime arrangements had also been adjusted to smaller groups after staff recognised that children disliked eating in larger groups.

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff able to recognise welfare concerns and explain the action they would take. In that month's daily practice, children also helped assess risks: an older group used a visible toy marker to draw attention to an obstacle course that needed extra care. Safety learning involved children's own observations.

Parent participation included a parents' council in June 2022, with feedback contributing to changes at the nursery. Families received information about their children's experiences. This gave communication a practical purpose, both in understanding an individual child's day and in influencing the wider setting.

The June 2022 team comprised 30 childcare staff, with qualifications across several early-years levels and staff holding teacher or early-years professional status. Their practice was monitored, but development feedback needed greater precision. Qualifications and monitoring were part of the picture; the teaching improvement priority still mattered.

Home-cooked food comes from the Country Kitchen, with breakfast, snacks, lunch and light tea included in the daily menu. Choices include sweet potato curry, fish dishes and vegetable-based lasagne, giving parents a concrete picture of the food children encounter.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Patton Close, Over Peover, Knutsford, WA16 8US. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Those closures are worth building into a family's childcare calendar.

Families can make enquiries by phone or email, and tours can be booked. A brochure is another way to become familiar with the setting before choosing it.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation statement, rather than a promise about an individual family's entitlement or attendance arrangement. A current written quotation should form the basis of a family's cost planning.

• Teaching consistency. The June 2022 improvement priority concerned the precision of staff development. Ask how coaching now helps practitioners strengthen teaching across the different rooms.
• The baby-room routine. Little Explorers emphasises maintaining babies' routines in its custom room. On a tour, discuss how your child's feeding, sleep and settling routine would fit the day.
• Outdoor participation. Animal care, climbing and vegetable growing are part of the offer. Consider whether this hands-on outdoor emphasis matches the experiences you want for your child.
• Attendance and costs. The opening window runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Which booking patterns, funded-hours arrangements and charges for meals, consumables or activities would apply to your family's written quotation?

Kids' Country suits families seeking a countryside nursery experience, with separate stages from babyhood to preparation for school. Its strongest practical attractions are the outdoor spaces, animal care and named activities such as Mini Dribblers and Tiny Talk. There is a clear progression in the rooms' emphasis too, from individual routines to communication, independence and choice.

The June 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with behaviour and personal development the strongest areas. More precise staff development remained the improvement priority. The decision rests on whether the nursery's outdoor character and staged approach fit your child, alongside an attendance arrangement that works for your family.