Kindred St Ives Nursery and Pre-school

A secret garden beneath a canopy, loose materials for building and a new preschool building give Kindred St Ives a recognisable character. Outdoor exploration has a substantial place here: children can make dens, investigate natural materials and turn everyday objects into their own inventions. The setting combines that open-ended play with a more explicit emphasis on preparation for school in its new preschool space.

At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised the support provided for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement sits alongside specific improvement priorities for babies’ learning and the planning of outdoor activities. Both matter when assessing a nursery whose garden is such a prominent part of its offer.

Based at Compass Point Business Park on Stocks Bridge Way, the nursery takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has 135 places in total. Full days, shorter days and half days provide different attendance options, with both year-round and term-time arrangements offered.

Rooms and Ages

The new Pre-School room opened in March 2026, bringing a purpose-built space for the older children. Its learning areas emphasise early maths, phonics and independence, while natural textures and cosy corners give children quieter places within the room. This makes preparation for school a practical part of the environment, rather than simply a promise about what happens next.

Babies and younger children have a different rhythm. Nap and quiet time are part of the nursery day for those who need them, alongside child-led play and time outdoors. The daily pattern leaves room for rest as well as activity, a useful consideration for families whose children still sleep during the day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical exploration help children build skills for their next stage. The activities observed in June 2025 give concrete examples of that work. Younger children investigated icy lemons in a water tray, with adults introducing words for temperature and smell; older children used pretend tea parties to develop imaginative play.

In June 2025, pipettes provided an opportunity to practise careful hand movements, and drawing on clipboards involved the hands and shoulders together. Babies encountered simple signs and repeated phrases, while older children explained pictures made from natural materials.

Spanish and Music & Dance sit alongside Woodland Wonders and Monkeynastics in the enrichment offer. Woodland Wonders and Monkeynastics are named enrichment activities; their content is a useful topic for a visit, especially when deciding which experiences would engage your child.

Outdoor and Community Life

A woodside area, playhouses, logs and a mud kitchen give the garden several different uses. Crates, steering wheels and hosepipes are available for children to adapt in their play. A child can decide what an object becomes, rather than follow a single prescribed use, making this a setting worth considering for families who value imaginative outdoor activity.

The secret garden adds a calmer option beneath its canopy. Den building and play with natural materials take place there, alongside quieter moments. It broadens the outdoor experience beyond climbing and energetic games.

In June 2025, children searched among leaves for toy dinosaurs, made bug homes and climbed trees. The same visit identified inconsistent delivery of the outdoor learning plan, so the physical resources and the teaching that makes use of them need to be considered together.

Relationships and Communication

Settling usually involves three sessions, each with a different purpose. Parents stay for the first, meet their child’s keyworker and complete the All About Me booklet; a shorter independent stay follows, then a longer session includes lunch or tea. That sequence introduces both separation and the daily routine gradually, rather than asking a child to manage everything at once.

Conversation with staff is built into collection and drop-off, and a dedicated meeting room can be booked for a more private discussion. The distinction is useful: a quick exchange about the day serves a different purpose from time set aside to talk through a concern or a change at home.

In June 2025, familiar adults provided continuity, staff explained how another child might feel during disagreements, and children practised taking turns. Personal care also involved asking permission before wiping noses or changing nappies.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In June 2025, staff worked with families and other professionals on children’s additional needs, and considered how extra funding could address gaps in learning. A basketball hoop was one example of a resource bought to practise purposeful throwing, coordination and emotional regulation. Support was tied to a practical activity with a specific purpose.

Fresh meals are cooked each day by the on-site chef, using an accredited menu. Private fees include meals and snacks, together with nappies, wipes, milk and formula; funded sessions have separate food and non-food consumables charges.

Moving towards school receives concrete attention. Reception teachers or support staff visit children in the nursery, and, in the term before children leave, the Imagination Station becomes a pretend school. Photographs of local schools, practice with uniforms and eating from lunchboxes introduce unfamiliar routines in a familiar place. These activities introduce children to the routines they will encounter at school.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm, while the Short Day ends at 4pm after the same 8am start. Half Day bookings cover either 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. An Early Start from 7.30am to 8am is also offered.

Year-round and term-time fee arrangements are separate. The term-time offer covers 38 weeks, while the year-round fee sheet uses 51 weeks.

The address is Compass Point Business Park, Stocks Bridge Way, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5JL. There is a private car park on site. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01480 494966.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts the 30-hour entitlement for eligible working families from the term after their child turns nine months, and the universal 15-hour entitlement from the term after the third birthday. Funding can be used through term-time arrangements or stretched across the year-round offer. The attendance choice matters: stretched funding spreads the entitlement over more weeks, rather than supplying the same weekly funded hours throughout the year.

Funded-session charges distinguish food, non-food consumables and activities. These sit separately from any private childcare hours in the booking. Families who do not want consumables alongside their funded hours are directed to the Nursery Consumables Policy and must notify the nursery in writing; the branch terms provide for a discussion about the next steps.

There is no registration charge or deposit, but a pre-payment is required and credited against the first full invoice. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Babies’ learning. The June 2025 improvement priorities were activities better matched to babies’ developmental stages and stronger outdoor planning so every child could benefit. On a visit, ask how baby-room routines protect time for individual learning and how staff adapt garden activities.
• The annual calendar. The branch opening information gives 52 weeks, while the fee sheet describes a 51-week year-round offer with a Christmas closure. Confirm the closure calendar and how it relates to your booking before agreeing attendance.
• Funded-session extras. Food, non-food items and activities have separate charges on funded bookings. Discuss the Nursery Consumables Policy and the written opt-out process when reviewing the quotation, so the attendance pattern and extras are understood together.
• Enrichment in practice. Woodland Wonders and Monkeynastics are part of the offer alongside Spanish and Music & Dance. Ask what the sessions involve and how they are adapted for your child’s age during the one-to-one visit.

Kindred St Ives suits families who value outdoor invention, gradual settling and practical preparation for school, with a choice between full days, shorter days and half days. Term-time and year-round arrangements extend that choice. The new preschool space and Imagination Station give the school transition tangible content; the secret garden and open-ended resources give everyday play its character.

The June 2025 priorities should shape the visit, especially for parents of babies. The strongest decision will consider how staff use the spaces and resources, as well as the spaces themselves.