Kids Planet Edinburgh Way

Children having a say in their learning gives Edinburgh Way its clearest character. In October 2023, preschool children contributed ideas through a pre-school council, while babies’ preferences were displayed so practitioners could respond to their non-verbal signals. Choice extended beyond the children who could already explain themselves.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 17 October 2023 inspection, with Outstanding personal development. The strongest examples concerned independence and responsibility: children helped organise mealtimes rather than simply waiting to be served. Teaching interactions were the area requiring greater consistency, a useful counterweight to the praise.

Kids Planet Edinburgh Way cares for children aged 3 to 60 months in Rochdale, with 92 places in total. Bright rooms and a garden provide indoor and outdoor space for play. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to arrange attendance, rather than a single daily pattern.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday language, this means learning through play and conversation alongside support for physical skills, relationships and growing independence; educational experiences and daily care belong together.

In October 2023, babies stirred a homemade dough mixture, giving their hands purposeful work, and explored music through instruments and movement. Toddlers encountered new vocabulary during a walk involving different textures. These were concrete starting points for conversation: something children could touch, hear or do gave practitioners material to talk about.

Preschool children practised making marks by signing themselves in. Writing materials were also placed throughout their room to address literacy needs, bringing opportunities to practise into different parts of play. The pre-school council gave older children a way to influence what they would learn. It was participation with a practical purpose, rather than adults choosing everything for them.

The limitation concerned the adult contribution. In October 2023, some practitioners let opportunities to develop children’s learning pass during interactions, despite training intended to strengthen teaching. Activities alone were not the whole picture; how staff responded during them mattered too.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden supplies a physical setting for outdoor exploration. Alongside it, the group-wide outdoor approach used here includes investigating wildlife, growing vegetables and active play. These experiences connect movement with noticing living things and taking part in practical tasks. They add substance to outdoor time without requiring every activity to follow the same format.

Relationships and Communication

The manager’s role includes helping families with settling and transitions, as well as responsibility for safeguarding and special educational needs coordination. Having those responsibilities identified gives parents a clear starting point for discussing their child’s needs.

Famly, the group’s parent app used here, provides updates in real time. That offers a connection with the nursery day while parents are elsewhere, alongside the manager’s support for settling. It is a communication tool, rather than a substitute for conversations about an individual child.

In October 2023, practitioners used babies’ expressions and gestures to recognise preferences and shared that information through displays. Older children could express their wishes through the council. The two approaches addressed the same practical issue: a child’s contribution should not depend entirely on being able to speak confidently.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with SEND making good progress through support tailored to their needs, including prompt adjustments when transitions affected development. These are dated findings, with specific mechanisms beneath them rather than a general promise of support.

During that month, staff also adapted the environment in response to children’s emotional needs. Mealtimes included conversations about food origins and healthy eating, and children took responsibility for tasks such as preparing the table. Care routines therefore provided opportunities to practise independence as well as receive help.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Edinburgh Way, Rochdale OL11 2PD. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year.

A Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm; Morning runs from 7.30am to 1pm; Afternoon runs from 1pm to 6pm. Full Time is also a booking label, with the same daily clock times as Full Day, and ad hoc hourly care is offered. A morning therefore finishes at the point an afternoon begins, giving families a clear distinction between the shorter sessions.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01706 654 000 or by email to edinburghway@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk. Tours can also be booked.

Getting There

The nursery sits just off the A664, near Sandbrook Retail Park. Those named landmarks give families a useful reference for planning their route to the Edinburgh Way address.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are offered. Meals and snacks are included in private fees, together with formula, wipes, nappies and sun cream; food is freshly prepared and dietary needs are catered for.

On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities are charged separately, with separate full-day, half-day and short-day charge categories. The distinction matters when comparing a private booking with one using funding: the same items have different charging arrangements. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Sports activities are included in the private-fee offer. The funded-day activity charge should be considered alongside the separate food and consumables charges when assessing the overall booking.

• Teaching conversations. In October 2023, interactions were not consistently used to extend learning. During a tour, ask how practitioners now develop conversations during sensory play and preschool mark-making.
• Funding and daily extras. Food, consumables and activities attract separate charges on funded days. Ask for a written booking breakdown covering your intended sessions and funding arrangement so the full commitment is clear.
• Settling and individual care. The manager supports settling and also holds the SENCO role. Use the visit to discuss how your child’s transition will be planned and, where allergies affect your family, confirm current food-handling practice.

Edinburgh Way suits families comparing morning or afternoon sessions with full-day attendance, and those who value children having a practical voice in nursery life. The garden, parent updates through Famly and identifiable settling support add useful everyday substance.

Its October 2023 strengths centred on independence and children’s participation. The teaching-interaction concern deserves equal weight. For funded bookings, the separate charges for food, consumables and activities are another material part of the decision, alongside the session pattern itself.