The Kid Company LLP

Vegetables grown in the garden became conversation starters, while an imaginary ice-cream business gave children a reason to count coins. Those examples capture The Kid Company LLP’s approach in May 2025: everyday experiences gave learning a practical purpose.

At its 29 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and judged safeguarding effective. Based at Chapel House in Chapel-en-le-Frith, it has 30 places in total; children attending in May 2025 were aged 0 to 4.

In May 2025, children compared beetroot with radish during a story, drawing on memories of growing vegetables themselves. Storytelling and songs also brought attention to rhyme. Conversation connected activities rather than sitting apart from them.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care. Here, the May 2025 examples show what that meant in practice: counting through pretend shopping, writing for a purpose and developing movement through outdoor play.

Children made birthday cards, prepared lists and wrote menus for pretend play, using room labels to help with spelling. Mathematics had similarly tangible uses: counting coins for the ice-cream business and dividing fruit at snack time connected numbers with familiar tasks.

Garden activities covered different stages of movement. Older babies crawled beneath objects and squeezed lemon slices; younger children tackled large steps by sitting and sliding down. Older children followed a one-way route on wheeled toys, giving them a practical way to consider other children’s safety.

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff adapted learning to individual needs, identified additional needs promptly and used early support and carefully monitored funding to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

In May 2025, staff adjusted routines and the environment using their knowledge of individual children. Close relationships with families helped children settle. Adults modelled considerate behaviour and guided children sensitively; older children offered help when a friend needed it.

Staff development also had a practical structure at that time. Leaders coached practitioners, arranged training and encouraged colleagues to exchange ideas about their work. For families, this is useful context alongside the examples of teaching and support.

The address is Chapel House, 25 Market Place, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak, SK23 0EN.

In May 2025, opening hours ran from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round operation. At that time, the nursery provided funded early education and care for children from nine months to four years old. These are dated operating details, rather than a current booking commitment.

• Attendance and costs. How do the current booking patterns, funded-hours arrangements and charges for food and consumables fit your family’s needs?
• Outdoor progression. The May 2025 garden examples included crawling, negotiating steps and wheeled play. On a visit, explore how these activities would suit your child’s stage of movement.
• Individual support. Early assessment and adapted learning were strengths identified in May 2025. Discuss how that approach would translate into support for your child.

The strongest fit is for families who value learning tied to ordinary experiences: growing food, handling pretend purchases and writing useful messages. The May 2025 picture combines those activities with individual support and close family relationships. Its appeal rests on concrete examples of children’s daily learning, alongside an Outstanding judgement dated to that visit.