Glebe Kids

Children choose their play, adults respond to their interests, and the garden is part of the daily routine. That combination gives Glebe Kids in Letchworth Garden City a clear character: learning grows from what children want to investigate, with practitioners helping them take the next step rather than directing every activity.

Ofsted rated Glebe Kids Outstanding at its 13 June 2023 inspection. The nursery accepts children aged two to five and has capacity for 60 children in total. Its approach combines indoor and outdoor choices with individual adult input, so independence has a practical place in the day.

Communication is a substantial part of the offer. Elklan Communication Friendly Setting Status recognises practitioner training in children's language development, while In The Moment Planning means staff respond to children's learning as it happens. Morning preschool sessions, afternoon play sessions and full-time attendance give families different ways to use the nursery.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the educational framework: children develop language, movement and social skills through play, alongside early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding their surroundings. Glebe Kids adds In The Moment Planning, an approach in which adults observe children's interests and provide help or a new challenge during the activity itself. The distinction matters. The framework sets the learning expectations; the planning approach shapes how practitioners respond during the day.

Children can choose resources, move between indoors and outdoors, and decide whether to play independently or with others. An adult steps in when a child needs help using equipment, extending an idea or overcoming a difficulty. This makes the child's choice the starting point for teaching. Observations still contribute to the child's Learning Book, so spontaneous activity also leaves a record for parents.

Real objects and loose parts support play that children can develop in different directions. In June 2023, children investigated how to join tubing so water could travel through it, and experimented with crushed chalk, water and lemon juice while exploring ideas about volcanoes. These were practical investigations, with children testing materials rather than simply watching a demonstration. A reading shed provided a space where children enjoyed books.

The daily rhythm balances extended play with smaller shared activities. Snacks are taken in small groups, and nursery group time brings children together. Later group activities can include stories, singing, signing or yoga. These shared periods give the day structure while leaving substantial room for children to pursue their own interests.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor learning happens daily. A natural garden provides space for shared play, and children also have access to woods on school grounds. Indoor and outdoor activity can connect, allowing children to carry an idea between the two rather than treating outdoor time as a separate interruption.

The Glebe Kids Climate Action Plan 2025 organises environmental learning around seasonal changes and practical care for nature. Its activities include planting, exploring insects and looking after small wildlife spaces. Autumn work includes collecting natural materials and mapping outdoor areas; spring brings seeds, watering and listening walks. Summer plans include harvesting herbs and vegetables and leaving longer grass for wildlife.

Environmental care also enters ordinary routines through recycling, reused craft materials and natural loose parts. Families can contribute through planting help, second-hand donations and nature activities at home. The useful feature here is the connection between nursery activity and family involvement: a child's interest in growing or wildlife can continue beyond the nursery day.

Relationships and Communication

Key person roles sit within the staff team, alongside responsibility for safeguarding and a Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator. Elklan Communication Friendly Setting Status is supported by training practitioners in communication and language development. That gives language a concrete place in staff development, rather than leaving it as a general ambition.

Focus Week brings parents into learning observations. A selected group of children receives closer observation during the week, and parents are invited to share interests, celebrations or milestones from home beforehand. Returning the form is optional. Afterwards, pictures and observations go into the child's learning journey, which families can take home briefly to look through.

WOW moments record first independent achievements or new experiences through photographs and captions. Parents can also contribute photographs or notes about learning outside nursery. Together, these arrangements give families specific material to discuss and help practitioners understand what matters to the child beyond the setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described prompt identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities, followed by support involving parents and external professionals. Those are dated findings, with a practical emphasis on recognising needs early and working with the people already involved in the child's care.

In June 2023, staff helped children identify emotions, understand why they felt a particular way and practise taking turns. Younger children explored feelings through making faces in a mirror. Children also learned about managing everyday risks, including sun safety and climbing trees. The examples connect emotional understanding with ordinary play, rather than treating wellbeing as a separate lesson.

Sessions and Attendance

Glebe Kids is at 30 Glebe Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 1DR. It opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm during term time and closes for school holidays. This is an important boundary for families arranging care around work: the nursery day finishes in the afternoon, and holiday cover needs separate planning.

The attendance offer includes morning preschool sessions, afternoon play sessions and full-time places, alongside breakfast and lunch clubs. The daily routine includes lunch and a further period of indoor and outdoor play afterwards. Opening hours describe the operating day; the attendance options give families several ways to participate in it.

Enquiries can be made through the message form, by telephone on 01462 686683 or by email at info@glebekids.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded sessions are offered for two-, three- and four-year-olds, including 30 hours extended free childcare for qualifying families. Attendance is term-time, and private nursery education is also offered. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

• Term-time timetable. The 8am to 3pm opening day and school-holiday closures suit families whose care arrangements follow the school calendar. Consider how both boundaries fit your working week.
• Child-led learning. Children choose where and how to play, with adults responding during activities. On a visit, ask how practitioners help a child who needs more support to make choices or join others.
• Funding and everyday items. Funded sessions and extended childcare are part of the offer. Ask how your intended attendance pattern treats meals, snacks and non-food consumables in the written quotation.
• Outdoor access. Daily garden activity and access to woods give outdoor play a substantial role. Ask how woodland access is organised for your child's age and stage.

Glebe Kids suits families seeking morning preschool, afternoon play sessions or full-time term-time attendance, with a child-led approach and daily outdoor learning. Its strongest practical features are the connection between children's interests and adult teaching, language-focused practitioner training, and learning records that invite contributions from home.

The June 2023 Outstanding judgement is a strong dated endorsement. For today's decision, the term-time calendar and afternoon closing time deserve equal attention: this is a nursery whose educational approach and attendance pattern both need to fit the family.