Kids R Us

A spacious church hall, trees in the garden and a sensory room give Kids R Us a recognisable character. This Leytonstone nursery combines separate age groups with outdoor exploration, while the babysdays app gives parents a connection to their child's day. The physical space is a substantial part of its appeal.

Children can attend from three months to five years. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated Kids R Us Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children needing additional help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, received effective support.

The nursery opens throughout the year on weekdays. For families weighing it up, the central questions concern how staff extend learning and how clearly parents understand the next steps, both areas identified for further work in September 2024.

Rooms and Ages

The church hall is divided into baby, toddler and preschool groups, giving children age-based spaces within the same setting. The Seeds Room takes babies from three months. That makes the youngest children's room a useful starting point when considering how a baby will settle into nursery life.

Outside, artificial grass provides a substantial play surface, while a line of trees brings opportunities to explore natural materials. A sensory room adds equipment for investigating different senses. These are complementary experiences: space for movement sits alongside sensory exploration and contact with nature.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, its day-to-day meaning can be seen in play, conversation and growing independence.

In September 2024, staff used observations of children's development to shape activities around their interests and existing abilities. Stories, singing and conversations gave children opportunities to practise language. The practical value is that learning can start with something a child already enjoys, then build on it.

There was also a clear limitation in September 2024: children who were ready for greater challenge did not consistently receive enough extension. Families whose children quickly master an activity should give this point weight. A busy day and a suitably demanding day are different things.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2024, play included balancing and pedalling bikes, exploring sand, gathering acorns and leaves, and pretend cooking. These examples show children using movement, imagination and natural materials across the day.

Community fundraising has included work with Precious Kids Children's Trust to support a child's operation, and Crackerjacks Children's Trust, which raises money for specialist equipment for disabled children. These are concrete charitable connections, rather than a general promise of community involvement.

Relationships and Communication

In September 2024, settling began with staff learning about a child's home routines, preferences and dislikes, then working with parents to help the child adjust. The key person relationship formed part of that process. For a child starting nursery, continuity with familiar routines matters as much as the activities on offer.

The babysdays app records development and allows parents to receive updates throughout the day. It provides a practical connection between nursery and home, including when parents cannot have a lengthy conversation with staff.

Daily conversations and app updates were part of communication in September 2024, but parents did not consistently understand the learning staff intended to develop next. Updates about what happened during the day and guidance about what to practise at home serve different purposes. Both deserve attention.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In September 2024, staff identified additional needs, sought referrals, worked with professionals and used their recommended strategies. This gives substance to the support finding: the approach involved outside advice and changes to practice, rather than reassurance alone.

Children also practised managing small everyday risks in September 2024, including tidying toys and dealing with spills. Handwashing and using cutlery formed part of personal independence, while staff offered physical reassurance at rest times. These ordinary routines help explain what care looked like during that inspection period.

Staff undergo background checks. This is an employment arrangement; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

Kids R Us opens Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, across 52 weeks of the year, with bank holiday closures. The opening window gives families a substantial span in which to organise care around work and other commitments.

The nursery also runs a holiday club for children up to eight years old. This is separate from its nursery age range and may be relevant to families with older children.

Getting There

The address is 881 High Road Leytonstone, London, E11 1HR, in the Welsh Church near Green man roundabout. A bus stop outside the gate is served by routes 145, 66, W13, W14 and 257, giving families several public transport options.

Funding and Paid Extras

Kids R Us offers the Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE), with applications possible from two years old subject to eligibility. It also accepts childcare voucher schemes; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. The form includes the child's date of birth and preferred attendance days, allowing families to outline the care they are seeking.

• Learning beyond the first success. In September 2024, the most able children needed more consistent challenge. During a visit, ask how staff extend an activity once a child has mastered it.
• Updates that help at home. The babysdays app carries daily information, but September 2024 findings identified gaps in parents' understanding of next steps. Ask to see how these learning priorities are shared.
• The care arrangement as a whole. With a 7.30am to 6pm opening window and FEEE participation, how would your chosen attendance pattern work, including funded hours and any meal or consumables charges?
• Seeing the youngest children's space. Show-arounds are welcomed between 7.30am and 11.45am or 2.30pm and 6pm, avoiding lunch and nap time. Use the visit to discuss settling in the Seeds Room and the routines your baby already knows.

Kids R Us suits families seeking year-round weekday care, age-based groups and substantial outdoor space, with app communication. In September 2024, parents also received updates through daily discussions. Its holiday club may also interest families arranging care for older children.

The Good judgement from September 2024 is a positive foundation, but the two improvement points remain useful decision tests: whether learning stretches each child and whether parents understand what comes next. The garden and sensory room, alongside the settling arrangements observed in September 2024, give families concrete features to weigh against those questions.