Kid Co

Woodland, a Pirate Tree House and room to dig give Kid Co a clear outdoor identity. Its grounds combine a playing field and patios with spaces for climbing, building dens and investigating small creatures. This is a nursery where the physical setting gives children plenty to do with their hands, bodies and curiosity, rather than simply providing somewhere to run around.

At its 13 June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Kid Co Outstanding across all areas. That judgement belongs to the nursery at Inger Cottage, Balcombe Road, Horley, RH6 9SW, which accepts children from birth to five. It has 115 places in total; that whole-setting figure should not be read as the size of an individual room.

Five rooms separate the youngest babies from older preschool children. Full-day care and ad hoc half days are offered, with recurring bookings forming the main attendance model. The combination deserves attention from families who value outdoor play and a clear progression between age groups, although the funded-day charge structure needs careful consideration alongside the childcare itself.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room serves children from birth to 18 months, Toddler Room takes children aged 18 to 24 months, and Nursery Room covers two to three years. Lower Pre-School Room and Upper Pre-School Room cater for three to five-year-olds, with the younger preschool children placed in Lower Pre-School. The room structure gives families a clear sequence through the nursery years rather than one broad baby-to-preschool grouping.

In June 2023, babies investigated leaves with magnifying glasses and experimented with the sounds made by tapping sticks against objects. Toddlers joined songs with movements and instruments, while preschool children practised pouring water from large watering cans into test tubes. These examples show different demands at different stages: sensory exploration for babies, coordinated participation for toddlers and more controlled handling of equipment for older children.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) guides learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and later skills such as literacy and mathematics. It is the common framework for early-years care, rather than an extra programme unique to Kid Co. Here, activities are shaped around children's interests and developmental needs, with progress shared between practitioners and parents.

Birth to 5 Matters is used alongside observations to assess children's development. A baseline assessment follows the first six weeks, giving staff and parents a starting point for discussing support and next steps. Its practical role is assessment, helping staff and parents organise conversations about a child's development alongside the EYFS.

Optional lessons add another layer. Tiny Tekkers provides multisports lessons, while Ballet Lessons are also offered through an outside organiser; families pay the activity organisers directly. These are separate choices alongside the nursery day, so the core childcare booking and an additional lesson should be considered separately.

Outdoor and Community Life

The 3.5-acre grounds are a substantial part of the offer. Children have woodland, a field, patios, digging space, a sandpit and equipment for climbing and sliding. Mud kitchens and bug hotels give outdoor play different purposes: pretend cooking, observing creatures and working with natural materials sit alongside physical activity.

In June 2023, children searched the woods together for a hidden toy wizard and examined a newt with staff, discussing its appearance and habitat. Those were concrete examples of the grounds being used for investigation and shared play. They also give parents a useful picture of what woodland learning looked like at that time, rather than treating outdoor space alone as proof of teaching quality.

Upper Pre-School Graduation Ceremony marks the move onwards. Children wear a cap and gown, receive a scroll-style certificate and share memories of nursery; an individual photograph is sent to parents. It gives the end of preschool a recognisable occasion and a chance for children to reflect on their time there.

Relationships and Communication

A key person is the main contact for each child's care, learning and development. Before starting, families are offered a courtesy call to discuss routines, preferences and concerns, and settling sessions are arranged around the child's needs. An All About Me questionnaire adds another route for sharing the small details that matter in daily care.

ParentZone is the communication app for photographs, observations, assessments and child-specific information. For babies, updates also cover feeds, meals and sleep; parents can contribute observations and photographs from home. Uploads may take longer during busy periods because children's care takes priority, so the app is a useful window into the day rather than an instant reporting service.

Weekly newsletters provide further information, including guidance on development, sleep, speech and oral health. Staff also discuss developmental next steps with families. Taken together, these arrangements offer both everyday updates and opportunities for more deliberate conversations about progress.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and excellent support for children with special educational needs or disabilities, including persistent work by the coordinator to obtain additional help. The current support structure includes a full-time SENCO and a deputy, working with key people, parents and other professionals. Targets are reviewed termly with families, keeping support tied to the individual child.

Breakout spaces contain sensory toys, fidgets, projectors, subdued lighting and music for children who need time to regulate. Visual timetables and PECS communication cards and boards provide additional ways to communicate. Changing facilities at different heights and varied toileting equipment are practical details that may matter as much as the assessment process for a child with physical needs.

For children with SEND, school transition support includes the SENCO contacting the receiving school, explaining the child's needs and inviting school staff to see the child in familiar surroundings. Visits to the school may also be taken up when offered, with parents kept involved. This is preparation and information-sharing, rather than an admissions advantage.

Staff complete recurring safeguarding and paediatric first-aid training, and the nursery does not use agency, temporary or voluntary staff. Those are staffing arrangements, not a guarantee about an individual child's experience; the key-person relationship remains the useful point of contact for families.

Lunch and tea are cooked on site by the kitchen team using a three-week menu cycle, with vegetarian alternatives and purees for weaning babies. The allergy policy aims to reduce exposure but does not guarantee an allergen-free environment, including freedom from traces of nuts.

Sessions and Attendance

Kid Co operates at Inger Cottage, Balcombe Road, Horley, RH6 9SW. Full-day care operates Monday to Friday, with hours of 8-6pm and a recommended minimum attendance of two days a week across the year. That is a recommendation rather than a stated compulsory minimum; ad hoc half days provide another attendance option.

Set sessions are recurring bookings, and booked days or sessions cannot be swapped. Additional hours and sessions can be arranged subject to availability, but extras that are booked and then unused are neither transferable nor refundable. This makes a stable weekly pattern a better fit than regularly changing working days.

Bank holidays and the Christmas closure are not charged. The nursery closes at 4.30pm on Christmas Eve and reopens after New Year's Day. Enquiries can be made by telephone, with office hours from 9am to 4pm; applications are processed after a viewing, and sibling families are prioritised before full-time and then part-time placements.

Getting There

Off-street parking is provided, and the nursery asks drivers to turn left when leaving the driveway, using the roundabout if they need to travel right. Within the car park, families are asked to carry children or hold their hands firmly, making the parking area part of the practical supervision routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

The funding offer includes two-year-old Local Authority EYFE, Universal EYFE for three and four-year-olds, and working-family EYFE from nine months to four years, including extended EYFE for older children. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks. The fee schedule describes both 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements, with privately paid hours added to its funded full-day arrangement.

For private childcare, fees include meals, snacks and sundries such as nappies, pull-ups, wipes and suncream. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, alongside the fees and sessions information.

An administration charge applies except to EYFE-only placements. Settling sessions are charged at the hourly rate unless the child has an EYFE-only place or the sessions fall within the funded term. The terms specify four weeks' written notice after starting and eight weeks' parental notice before starting. They also refer to a calendar month's notice and payment obligations, including a month's fees in lieu when a child is withdrawn immediately.

• A fixed weekly pattern. Recurring sessions cannot be swapped, although ad hoc half days are offered. At the viewing, discuss how the booking would work alongside your actual working week.
• Funded-day extras. The terms describe a separately charged Daily essentials package for food and consumables, with an opt-out route and non-compulsory meals. The August 2026 fee schedule describes included sundries and additional meal charges on funded preschool days; these charging arrangements do not fully reconcile. Establish the age-specific charges and alternatives in the written quotation before accepting a funded booking.
• Allergy management. The policy reduces exposure but cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. Families affected by allergies should confirm current kitchen practice and their child's individual arrangements.
• Outdoor clothing and preschool uniform. Waterproof clothing and wellies are required for every child, while preschool children wear uniform items. Allow for these everyday requirements when preparing for nursery.

Kid Co suits families seeking recurring full days or occasional half days, especially those who want woodland and substantial outdoor space to feature in early childhood. Its room sequence, parent communication and specific SEND mechanisms give the practical offer substance beyond the grounds.

The dated Outstanding judgement is a strong starting point, supported by memorable examples of children investigating and learning together. The main decisions are practical: whether fixed bookings suit the family week, and how private hours, funded hours and the essentials package combine in the written quotation.