Kiddy Kapers Daycare

Gated access to Brocks Hill Park and summer-term classroom visits give Kiddy Kapers Daycare a clear connection to the world beyond its rooms. This Wigston nursery occupies a single-storey modular building within the grounds of Glenmere Community Primary School. Park outings, contact with older people at a local care home and preparation for school give families concrete reasons to consider it.

The nursery has capacity for 50 children, with a current early-years age range of six months to five years. At its 13 November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, while identifying group activities and consistency in behaviour management as areas needing further work. That balance matters: there are specific strengths to weigh alongside specific questions.

Attendance can be term-time or throughout the year, with morning, afternoon and full-day choices alongside extended sessions. Older children have separate CareClub provision. For parents, the important distinction is between the nursery's early-years offer and its arrangements around the school day.

Rooms and Ages

Babies has an emphasis on sensory discovery, movement and social interaction, in a bright room supported by outdoor play, nature walks and visits to the park and local care home. This gives the youngest children experiences beyond indoor activities, while keeping their room's learning centred on early exploration.

Toddlers, for children aged two to three, combines child-chosen play with organised activities, including water, sand and small-world resources, while supporting dressing and toilet training. Activities sometimes move outside, along with meals and sleep. Independence is developed through everyday tasks rather than treated solely as preparation for the next room.

Preschool, for ages three to five, uses a routine with both structure and flexibility, with independence and the move to primary school shaping its activities. Gated access to Brocks Hill Park makes outdoor exploration a concrete part of this room's offer. Children take snacks for picnics there and also visit the local care home.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care, bringing together language, physical development, relationships, early mathematics, literacy, creativity and understanding their surroundings. Practitioners observe individual interests and use what they know about each child to plan the next stage of learning. This is the foundation of the nursery day, rather than an additional branded programme.

Tapestry is the online learning journal through which parents and practitioners can see and contribute to children's development. Its practical value is the opportunity to connect learning at nursery with experiences at home. Parents have a role in the journal rather than simply receiving updates.

In November 2023, staff used number songs and finger counting, and explored children's predictions as a garden tower grew taller. An interest in autumn leaves also continued from a country-park walk into water play, with conversation about texture and colour. These examples show how a child's immediate experience could become material for further exploration.

Group learning was less consistent in November 2023. Some shared activities did not suit everyone taking part, and children became distracted when their interest faded. The useful question is how staff adapt a singing or story session for children at different stages, rather than whether group activities happen at all.

Outdoor and Community Life

Brocks Hill Country Park is a recurring destination for preschool outings. Visits are regular rather than tied to a stated weekly schedule. The local care home gives babies, toddlers and preschool children another form of community contact, with opportunities to spend time alongside older people.

School preparation is more tightly scheduled. During the summer term before starting school, preschool children visit Glenmere Primary School weekly for a story and time in a classroom. Other schools can also visit the nursery to meet children who will be joining them. These arrangements provide familiarity with people and places before the move.

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that safeguarding arrangements were effective and that children with SEND received effective support through activities adapted to enable participation with their peers. These are dated judgements, rather than assurances about every future experience.

Settling involved individual work with families in November 2023, and staff knew children's interests well enough to use them when planning activities. Babies responded to songs, while practitioners joined preschool role play. The practical strength of these observations is the attention to interaction: adults participated in children's play rather than only directing it.

Sleep and self-care also had a clear place in the day in November 2023. Adults stayed with sleeping babies and toddlers and made regular wellbeing checks. Preschool children helped themselves at meals and brushed their teeth after lunch. These examples distinguish support for younger children's rest from opportunities for older children to practise independence.

A designated SENCO provides a named role for coordinating special educational needs support. The nursery also works with children receiving speech and language therapy and accommodates children learning English as an additional language. For families already working with another professional, these are useful mechanisms to discuss around their own child's needs.

Staff undertake safeguarding training, and the first-aid training policy includes arranging training for new starters when a course becomes available. Practitioners are qualified or working towards childcare qualifications. These describe staff development arrangements; they do not replace the dated safeguarding judgement.

Behaviour management remains an important consideration. In November 2023, some practitioners responded differently to minor incidents, leaving expectations less clear for children. Consistency matters because a child needs understandable responses from different adults throughout the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Glenmere Community Primary School, Estoril Avenue, Wigston, LE18 3RD. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year. Bank holidays and a Christmas closure lasting one week are excluded, with no charges for those closures.

The nursery's non-funded choices include AM Session from 9am to noon and PM Session from noon to 3pm. Extended AM Session runs from 7.30am to 1pm, while Extended PM Session runs from 1pm to 6pm. Basic Full Day covers 9am to 3pm; Extended Full Day covers 7.30am to 6pm. Parents can therefore choose a shorter part of the day or a longer attendance window.

The minimum nursery booking is two full days or three half days each week. Families can enrol for term-time attendance or the full year, and flexible hours are also offered for parents working shifts. Additional time can be attached to a session in increments as small as 15 minutes.

CareClub serves older children around school hours, with before-school care from 7.30am to 9am and after-school care from 3.15pm to 6pm. The nursery describes links with St John Fisher Catholic Primary School and operates a daily walking bus from that school. Telephone and online-form enquiries provide routes for arranging a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts 15/ 30 hours funding from age two onwards. Funded attendance includes morning, afternoon and daytime options, with additional funded windows of 8am to 1pm and 8am to 6pm. Funded time between 8am and 9am or between 3pm and 6pm cannot be booked as a standalone session. Additional private hours are charged separately.

For non-funded nursery sessions, breakfast, snack, lunch and tea are included in the session price. Funded sessions have an optional additional service charge covering meals, enrichment and consumables, including nappies, wipes and nappy sacks; alternative sessions without that charge are offered subject to availability.

Meals are home-cooked, and halal, vegetarian, vegan and lactose-free diets are catered for. The funded service-charge package may also include outside providers, community visits and seasonal activities, rather than guaranteeing a fixed programme of each.

A refundable deposit and a nursery booking charge apply. The registration charge covers administration and settling sessions, and four weeks' notice is required to change sessions or cancel a nursery place. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page gives the route to its session terms.

Moving on to School

Being on the school site and taking part in transition visits does not guarantee a Reception place. The nursery describes links with St John Fisher Catholic Primary School as well as its relationship with Glenmere Community Primary School, but families still apply for state-school places through the local authority admissions process. Classroom familiarity and the admissions decision are separate matters.

• Group activities and behaviour. November 2023 brought recommendations about matching shared activities to children's needs and making adult responses more consistent. During a visit, ask how story sessions are adapted and how practitioners agree their responses to minor incidents.
• The weekly booking commitment. Nursery attendance requires two full days or three half days each week. Compare that commitment with the shorter and extended sessions before deciding which arrangement fits your working pattern.
• Funded sessions and extras. The optional service charge combines food, nappies, wipes and enrichment. Ask how the sessions without that charge would fit your intended attendance and your child's dietary needs.
• School familiarity and admissions. Weekly summer-term visits to Glenmere Primary School support transition, but attendance does not guarantee Reception entry. Keep the local authority application process alongside your childcare planning.

Kiddy Kapers suits families choosing between morning or afternoon sessions and extended full days, as well as those weighing term-time attendance against year-round care. Brocks Hill outings, Tapestry and organised classroom visits give the offer recognisable substance. The November 2023 recommendations about group activities and behaviour deserve attention alongside those strengths. Its strongest practical appeal is the combination of different attendance patterns, community experiences and preparation for the next stage.