Smart Kids Nursery & Childcare

A Drama Room, swimming at Gorlands Private Swimming Pool and a baby space with its own outdoor area give Smart Kids Nursery & Childcare a recognisable character. This Fulwood nursery has substantial physical provision, but the quality of teaching deserves close attention. Facilities are only part of the decision.

At its 20 May 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged curriculum and teaching and leadership and governance to need attention, while achievement, inclusion, children's welfare and wellbeing, and behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines met the expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. Staff changes had disrupted curriculum delivery: temporary practitioners did not consistently understand the intended learning, and coaching had received insufficient attention. Required actions covered clearer direction, better sequencing of learning and stronger staff support, with a completion date of 19 June 2026.

Smart Kids has capacity for 106 children and accepts ages from three months to five years. Its address is Bhailok Square, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 8DY. Full-day and full-week care sit alongside half-day attendance for children aged two and above.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room accommodates up to 18 children, with sensory exploration through treasure baskets, rhyme and messy play, plus an indoor climbing frame, a crawl area and a self-contained outdoor space. Less mobile babies can explore play mats and mobiles in the crawl area, while the indoor climbing frame offers opportunities to practise physical skills. Sleep also has a designated area.

For ages 24–36 months, the Two’s Room combines a directly connected outdoor area with a Messy Area and Book Corner, allowing active play and quieter small-group experiences within the same room arrangement. The Three’s Room, for ages 36–48 months, centres its room description on construction, imaginative small-world play and a Home Corner where children choose their snack time within a set window. The Pre-School Room, also for ages 36–48 months, emphasises independence through open-ended resources and collaborative pretend play, including turning crates and boxes into a train and making tickets.

These are room caps, not a promise about the number attending on any particular day. The different room arrangements give parents useful points of comparison: the baby provision includes a crawl area, an indoor climbing frame and a designated sleep area, while older children have more scope to construct, choose and organise their play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supplies the common framework for children's care, learning and development: here, play, conversation, movement and growing independence are the everyday ways children work within it. It is the baseline for provision. Smart Kids adds named activities and resources alongside it.

Letters and Sounds introduces preschool children to early sound and letter work through games, followed by a letter and sound of the week, letter hunts and guessing games. This makes early literacy practical and playful. Regular baking across the nursery introduces mathematical ideas and the order in which tasks happen, connecting learning to something children can make and enjoy.

Bambin, delivered by the Petite Acting Academy for the younger rooms, uses themed imaginative sessions with movement, props, music and songs. Preschool children have weekly Drama sessions with the same academy, using puppets, action and movement, then taking roles in productions at the end of the Summer and Autumn terms. The separate Drama Room gives performance activities a dedicated physical space. Bambin and Drama carry additional charges.

Teaching consistency remains the important counterweight to this activity list. In May 2026, temporary staff did not have a clear enough grasp of the intended curriculum, and activities did not consistently build on what individual children had already learnt. Established practitioners planned more purposeful learning. The practical question is how that knowledge is shared across the team, so a child's progress depends less on which practitioner leads an activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

All children have access to outdoor provision. Preschool children can also take weekly swimming lessons at Gorlands Private Swimming Pool, a separately charged activity involving transport to the pool. This extends physical activity beyond the nursery's own outdoor areas.

Community experiences include library story times, contact with a residential care home, Harvest Festival celebrations with a local church and donations to the Salvation Army. These give children concrete encounters with people and places beyond their room. In May 2026, outdoor play included chasing and popping bubbles, with staff bringing counting into the activity: movement and mathematical language were combined in a simple game.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides each child with a main carer in their room and a central relationship for communication with parents. In May 2026, established staff held these roles while recruitment continued and temporary practitioners helped maintain staffing ratios. Leaders arranged deployment so children had a familiar practitioner close by. That continuity mattered during a period of change.

Settling arrangements in May 2026 took account of children's circumstances, including changes at home. Staff exchanged information with parents about routines, preferred comforters and medical needs. These details help adults respond to an individual child rather than treating settling as the same process for everyone.

EyLog, the nursery's digital observation system, lets parents view and contribute to their child's profile. Photographs, video, audio and written observations connect nursery experiences with development planning. Families can add what happens at home, giving practitioners another perspective on interests and emerging skills.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that collaboration with parents, assessment by established staff and targeted support helped children with learning gaps make progress, including through visual aids for children with less language. During that month, leaders also worked with health visitors and speech therapists to coordinate support. These are concrete mechanisms for inclusion, rather than a general promise that every need will be met in the same way.

The Baby Room's sleep area uses low lighting and lullabies, with cots for younger babies and a Dream Coracle for older children. A rocking chair supports bottle feeding and settling with the key person. The arrangement gives sleep a planned place within the room's day.

In May 2026, children practised self-care through handling cutlery, serving food and pouring drinks, and regular toothbrushing formed part of work on dental health. Such routines make care an opportunity to practise independence as well as meet immediate needs.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with closure for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The booking choices are full-week or full-day attendance, with half-day sessions offered from age two through preschool. Half days last five hours; the opening window should not be read as the booked length of a full day.

This age condition matters for families planning shorter attendance. The half-day option gives older children a different pattern from full-day care, while the full-week model supports attendance across the working week. Enquiries can be made on 01772 719719 or by email to info@smartkids.org.uk, and registration includes a form recording the proposed start date and requested attendance days.

Getting There

Bhailok Square is within Preston Business Centre in Fulwood. On-site parking is adjacent to the nursery, and the Number 19 Bus Route serves the location, giving families both car and bus options.

In May 2026, leaders worked with a local school to support children's transition. This concerns preparation for the move, rather than an admissions advantage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with the fees guide covering children entitled to 15 and 30 hours funded support. Private childcare is also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees guide provides the starting point for understanding the charging structure.

A non-refundable registration charge is separate from childcare fees, and a deposit is credited towards fees. Bambin, Drama and Swimming each attract additional charges, so the cost of participation needs to be considered alongside the chosen attendance pattern.

• Teaching after staff changes. The May 2026 findings identified weak curriculum sequencing and insufficient coaching, with actions due on 19 June 2026. At a visit, ask how staff now plan successive learning steps and how temporary practitioners receive coaching.
• Baby-room scale and continuity. The Baby Room has a cap of 18, while familiar practitioners were an important part of staffing arrangements in May 2026. Ask how the key person relationship and cover work across your baby's intended attendance days.
• The complete funded-place cost. Funding covers the stated entitlements, while selected activities carry extra charges and joining involves a registration charge and deposit. Request a written quotation for your chosen attendance pattern and separately charged activities.

Smart Kids suits families considering either full-day attendance or, from age two, five-hour half days, with full-week care another option. Its baby spaces, Drama Room and named activity partners give the provision substance beyond a generic play-based description. Digital observations also offer a practical connection between nursery and home.

The decision turns on teaching consistency. The May 2026 findings separated satisfactory care and children's progress from curriculum and leadership weaknesses. Strong facilities and engaging activities make this nursery worth considering, but families should give the response to those teaching actions as much weight as the rooms themselves.