Kids Planet Thorpe Park

A fairy garden, music walls and space for den building give Kids Planet Thorpe Park a clear outdoor character. Planting and imaginative play share a large garden that children can use throughout the year, making the outdoor environment part of learning rather than simply somewhere to run around.

At its 9 January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with an improvement point about making songs and action rhymes better suited to younger children. The detail matters: practical independence, books and physical activity were substantial parts of the children's experience, but some younger children struggled to participate in singing sessions.

The nursery cares for children from three months to five years and has 93 places in total. Full days, mornings and afternoons provide different attendance options. Its Leeds address is Barrowby Carr Cottage, Barrowby Carr Drive, LS15 8FB.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning and care, with play supporting language, movement, early number skills and growing independence. At Thorpe Park, the January 2025 picture showed how these areas could connect within ordinary activities: staff introduced mathematical vocabulary during play and encouraged children to recall things they had learnt before.

Number work was conversational. In January 2025, older children answered questions about number sequences, while younger children heard language comparing size. This gives children opportunities to use mathematical ideas with adults rather than encountering them only in a separate activity.

Books also had a practical presence. In January 2025, children could find them throughout the nursery, and adults shared stories with small groups using objects to support the telling. Dear Zoo involved opening parcels containing animals from the story. A lending library extended access to books beyond nursery, giving families another way to continue that interest at home.

Language stretched beyond familiar everyday objects. During January 2025, older children discussed planets and encountered vocabulary about polar wildlife and natural phenomena. Staff supplied new words, and children used them in subsequent conversations. The useful feature is the connection between hearing language and having a reason to try it themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The fairy garden supports make-believe, while the music walls give children a place to experiment with sound. Den building and planting add construction and growing activities to the outdoor offer. These are different uses of the same space, which should appeal to families whose children enjoy both active play and quieter exploration.

Physical challenges were concrete in January 2025. Furniture helped babies practise moving while holding on; outdoors, children pushed a wheelbarrow uphill. Older children practised cutting with scissors. Each activity asked children to use their bodies differently, from balance and whole-body effort to controlled hand movements.

Community experiences also featured in January 2025: local outings included learning how to stay safe near roads, and the nursery had links with a care home. Charity fundraising, recycling and encouragement for families to collect litter connected learning with actions outside the nursery. These experiences introduced children to responsibilities as well as places.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2025, key-person relationships began with conversations about children's interests and routines at home. Staff used that information to get to know the children they cared for. For a family starting nursery, the practical value is continuity: familiar preferences and habits can inform care during a period of change.

Support for parents included discussions about toilet training, teething and development in January 2025. Home learning bags gave families activities to carry on beyond the nursery day. Currently, Famly, the group's parent app, supplies updates in real time, giving parents a way to follow their child's day between conversations with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with SEND well supported through work with external professionals and continuing support plans. That dated judgement gives families a firmer basis for assessing care than a general promise of inclusion.

In January 2025, staff training and changes to the environment had strengthened sleeping arrangements for babies. The nursery then employed 32 childcare staff, of whom 21 held relevant early years qualifications at level 2 or higher. These are inspection-time details rather than a description of today's staffing deployment.

Preparation for school included everyday self-care in January 2025: babies practised eating independently, toddlers served food, and older children poured drinks and handled lunch boxes. These tasks make independence tangible. They concern what a child can do for themselves, rather than an admissions advantage.

Freshly prepared food and snacks are supplied, with dietary needs accommodated. The cost treatment differs between private care and attendance using funding, as explained below.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with year-round operation across 52 weeks. The booking choices include Full Day, from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning, from 7.30am to 1pm; and Afternoon, from 1pm to 6pm. Full Time and Early Bird are additional rate-card labels using the same full-day hours, and an Adhoc Hourly Charge allows hourly care to be priced separately.

Morning and afternoon sessions divide at 1pm, making the choice useful for families who need only part of the day. A full-day booking covers both periods. Enquiries can be made directly by telephone or email, and a nursery tour can be booked.

Getting There

Barrowby Carr Cottage is on Barrowby Carr Drive in Leeds, postcode LS15 8FB. The nursery is just off the M1, with access towards Leeds City Centre, a practical consideration for parents combining childcare with a commute.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside privately paid care. For private attendance, fees include snacks and meals, together with formula, wipes, nappies and sun cream; sports activities and the Famly app are also included within the group's all-inclusive offer at this branch.

On days when early years funding is applied, food, consumables and activities carry separate charges. The charge category depends on the funded hours used that day, so a funded booking and a privately paid booking have different cost structures. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Songs for younger children. In January 2025, some songs demanded more words and actions than younger children could manage, reducing their participation. During a tour, ask how singing activities now match babies' and toddlers' development.
• 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 additional categories are clear.
• Outdoor fit. Den building, planting, music walls and the fairy garden give the garden several purposes. Use the tour to explore how your child's age group uses these spaces throughout the year.

Kids Planet Thorpe Park suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, especially where outdoor play is an important part of their choice. The garden has specific resources to support that preference, while the January 2025 account adds substance through story activities, physical challenges and practical self-care.

The balance is favourable, with a clear teaching issue to examine for younger children and separate extras to account for when using funding. Its appeal lies in the combination of outdoor opportunities and everyday learning, rather than the session length alone.