Kids Planet Macclesfield

A renovated hospital building with outdoor access from every room gives Kids Planet Macclesfield a clear physical character. Space and fresh air are central to its appeal: children have access to dedicated outdoor play areas from every room.

At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, recognising the quality of teaching and relationships between children and staff. That judgement belongs to that date. The setting now trades as Kids Planet Macclesfield, formerly Kids Allowed, at Bennett House on West Park Drive.

There are 196 places in total for children from birth to five. This is whole-setting capacity, rather than the number of children in any individual room. Full days, mornings, afternoons and a shorter daytime session give families several attendance patterns to consider.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning combines play with conversation, movement and growing independence, rather than treating education as something separate from the nursery day.

In October 2022, physical challenges made that learning tangible. Children negotiated a course of planks, taking turns and attempting jumps at the end; some surfaces moved beneath them, adding another challenge to balancing. Staff encouraged children to keep trying when the task became difficult. It was an example of perseverance being practised through an activity, rather than simply discussed.

Cooperation also had a practical purpose that month. Older children helped one another lift a water-tray lid, while children moved quietly near friends listening to a story. These small routines connected independence with consideration for other people. The emphasis was on what children did together.

Outdoor and Community Life

Dedicated outdoor areas connect directly to every room in the renovated building. For parents who value outdoor play, that arrangement matters more than a general promise of fresh air: access is built into the nursery's layout and applies across its rooms.

The group-wide outdoor approach described here uses experiences such as investigating wildlife, growing vegetables and active play. These give children concrete things to observe, handle and talk about. The physical setting provides the route outside; nature supplies material for exploration.

Community experiences added another dimension in October 2022. Children exchanged letters with older local residents and cared for flowers they had planted in nearby parks. Both activities gave care for others a practical expression, extending children's experiences beyond their own room and nursery friendships. These are dated examples of the nursery's activities, rather than a current outings timetable.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2022, babies received sustained attention and physical comfort from staff. Older children encountering a difficult task received encouragement to persist. Those examples show how care differed with children's needs: comfort for the youngest children, and patient support when older children wanted to do something for themselves.

Famly, the parent app, provides updates about children's days. It is part of the group-wide package used at this branch, giving families a way to receive information while their child is at nursery. The app sits alongside the direct nursery contact route by telephone or email.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and praised individualised support through the special educational needs coordinator, with strong progress for children with SEND and children speaking more than one language. These are inspection judgements from that visit, rather than current assurances. Designated safeguarding lead roles form part of the present management arrangements.

School transition work was detailed in October 2022. Staff passed information about children's abilities and daily routines to teachers, then contacted them in October to discuss how the children were settling. That follow-up extended support beyond the final nursery day and gave teachers another opportunity to clarify a child's needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Bennett House, West Park Drive, Macclesfield, SK10 3GP is the nursery's address. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year; closures include bank holidays and Christmas.

The Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, with Full Time also listed against those hours. Morning care runs from 8am to 1pm, and Afternoon care from 1pm to 6pm. Short Day is a separate option, running from 9.15am to 3.30pm, so the attendance choice extends beyond either a whole day or half a day.

Early Bird covers 7.30am to 8am, while Late Bird covers 6pm to 6.30pm. Adhoc hourly care is another charging pattern. These distinctions matter when matching a booking to work: the opening window is broader than the standard Full Day, and the additional periods are listed separately.

An Out of School and Holiday Club also serves children aged four to eleven. Its holiday rate card has a separate five-to-eleven age band, with a Holiday - Full Day from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Holiday - Morning from 8.30am to 1pm and Holiday - Afternoon from 1pm to 5.30pm. Nursery enquiries can be made by telephone or email, and tours can be booked.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and private paid care are both offered. The important distinction is what happens to the extras when funding is applied: meals, consumables and activities are charged separately on days using early years funding, with different charging bands for shorter and longer attendance.

For private care, the group-wide fee package includes food and snacks alongside sun cream, formula, wipes and nappies. Meals and snacks are freshly prepared, with provision for dietary requirements. On funded days, food and consumables have separate charges, so a funded booking needs to be considered differently from the private fee package; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The scale of the setting. Capacity is 196 children across the nursery. During a tour, ask how the youngest children's groups are organised and how a familiar practitioner supports settling into a setting of this size.
• The edges of the day. Full Day finishes at 6pm, while the nursery closes at 6.30pm. Early Bird and Late Bird are separate periods, so choose a booking that covers the actual hours your family needs.
• Funded-day extras. Meals, activities and consumables attract separate charges on days using funding. Request a written quotation that separates these categories from any private care hours.
• Holiday Club ages. The club serves ages four to eleven, while its holiday rate card uses a five-to-eleven band. Ask how holiday bookings work for a four-year-old before choosing that arrangement.

Kids Planet Macclesfield suits families who value direct outdoor access and want a choice between full days, morning or afternoon sessions, and a shorter daytime pattern. The renovated hospital building is a substantial part of the appeal, while the October 2022 judgement gives a dated measure of educational quality.

The practical choice is between genuinely different booking patterns, with early and late periods available separately. For funded care, the clearest decision point is the charge structure: compare the whole written quotation, including food, consumables and activities, with the attendance your family actually needs.