Kids Planet Austhorpe

A fairy garden, books to borrow and conversations with care-home residents give Kids Planet Austhorpe a character beyond its practical childcare offer. At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding across all assessed areas. The strongest thread through that account is communication: learning built around conversation, stories and children's own ideas.

On Austhorpe Lane in Leeds, the nursery accepts children aged 3 to 60 months, with separate areas for babies, toddlers and preschool children. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to organise attendance. Its school-ground setting also deserves a clear distinction: sharing grounds does not guarantee a Reception place.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through play and everyday experiences, with language, practical problem-solving and growing independence woven into activities rather than confined to a lesson.

In July 2025, learning developed progressively between age groups, with communication receiving sustained attention. Staff introduced words carefully and allowed time for children to answer. Gestures, signing and repeated language helped children understand what was being said. For parents, the useful detail is how conversation was supported: children had space to contribute rather than simply listen.

Children's interests shaped the activities. During that July visit, a decision to make wool accessories became an opportunity to choose colours, practise cutting and help friends wear their creations. The adult contribution extended an idea the children had started. Creativity and practical skills met in the same task.

Mathematics had a similarly tangible form. In July 2025, constructing an obstacle course involved comparing dimensions, considering weight and experimenting with balance. Children tested arrangements and adjusted them when they did not work. Counting and talk about measurement accompanied the activity, giving mathematical language a purpose children could understand.

Books connected nursery and home. In July 2025, a lending library encouraged families to share reading beyond nursery hours, while story sacks and objects helped children recreate familiar tales. Outdoor storytelling included discussion about what might happen next. These experiences gave children several ways to use a story: listening, talking, imagining and acting it out.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fairy garden was a concrete example of shared play in July 2025. Children exchanged ideas and waited for one another, with cooperation arising during the activity rather than relying on repeated adult reminders. It offers parents a useful picture of what social learning can look like in practice.

Regular care-home visits also featured in July 2025. Children talked with residents about their recollections and explored older toys, connecting the past with people they could meet. Small-world activities about emergency workers extended their understanding of helping others. The visits were regular; they should not be read as a fixed weekly timetable.

Alongside those dated examples, the group-wide offer presented at Austhorpe includes sports activities. The group-wide outdoor approach presented at Austhorpe emphasises practical experiences such as observing wildlife, growing vegetables and active play. Its value lies in giving children things to investigate and do outdoors, alongside indoor experiences.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2025, babies turned to adults they knew for comfort, and staff collected detailed information from parents when children started. Exchanges with families continued after settling. That combination matters for younger children: understanding their familiar routines begins with the adults who know them best.

Famly, the parent app included within the group-wide offer at Austhorpe, provides updates during the day. It gives families another way to stay connected with nursery life, alongside the two-way communication with families described in July 2025. The app is a practical communication tool, rather than a substitute for a relationship with staff.

Moves between nursery areas were carefully organised in July 2025. Staff passed information between colleagues and built relationships ahead of change, while children practised managing belongings and personal care. The emphasis was on making the next stage familiar, with increasing independence introduced through everyday routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received individual support and made excellent progress. Those are dated judgements about practice, rather than promises about a particular child's future experience.

In July 2025, leaders used feedback to guide staff development, with training and practical coaching adapted to individual needs. They also responded to schools' feedback by increasing opportunities for drawing, early writing movements and fine-motor practice. For families approaching Reception, this links preparation to specific skills rather than treating school readiness as a slogan.

Freshly prepared food includes snacks and meals, with provision for dietary requirements. In July 2025, children also practised serving food and pouring drinks, making mealtimes an opportunity to manage simple tasks themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Austhorpe Lane, Leeds, LS15 8TP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year.

Full Day sessions run from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning sessions finish at 1pm after a 7.30am start; Afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. Full Time is also a booking option, with the same daily hours as Full Day, and an adhoc hourly charging option sits alongside the session rates. This gives families a choice between shorter sessions and care covering the full opening day.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email to the Austhorpe team. A tour-booking route is also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare and privately paid hours are offered. The important cost distinction is between ordinary fees and attendance on days when early years funding is used. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Under the group-wide inclusive offer at Austhorpe, ordinary fees include meals and snacks, together with nappies, formula, wipes and sun cream. On days with early years funding applied, meals, consumables and activities carry separate charges, with the charge category depending on the funded hours used that day. Funding therefore needs to be considered alongside these extras and any privately paid hours.

In July 2025, the nursery operated independently within the grounds of Austhorpe Primary School. Attending the nursery does not guarantee admission to Reception; families still apply through the local authority admissions process. School preparation and school admission are separate decisions.

• Funding-day extras. Meals, consumables and activities are charged separately on days using early years funding. Request a written quotation for your intended Morning, Afternoon or Full Day pattern so the care hours and additional charges are clear together.
• Starting with a baby. Babies have their own area, and familiar adult relationships featured strongly in July 2025. Use a tour to discuss how settling, feeds and sleep would work for your child, including who will be their key person.
• A school-ground setting. The nursery operated independently on Austhorpe Primary School's grounds in July 2025. Treat Reception admission as a separate application when planning the move to school.

Kids Planet Austhorpe suits families seeking either morning or afternoon attendance, as well as those needing full-day care. The July 2025 account gives substance to its Outstanding judgement: practical mathematics, shared stories, thoughtful room transitions and contact with older residents make the nursery recognisable.

The strongest reason to consider it is that combination of language-rich play and everyday independence. The practical decision is how the chosen attendance pattern works financially, especially when funded hours bring separate food, consumables and activity charges. Its position within school grounds adds context, but carries no promise of a Reception place.