Kiveton & Wales Nursery

A separate Sleep Room for babies, practical goals such as pedalling a trike, and a parent committee with a say in decisions give Kiveton & Wales Nursery a clear character. This is childcare with an emphasis on growing independence and family participation. Based within the grounds of Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School on Storth Lane, it accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has 40 places in total.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that children made excellent progress and were well prepared for their next stage of education. The detail behind that judgement matters: language developed through water play, mathematics through movement, and independence through everyday tasks.

Full days and half days are offered, with term-time contracts for children over two. That gives families different ways to organise attendance rather than a single all-day commitment.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room combines early communication, sensory experiences and physical exploration through songs, books, tummy time and reaching activities, with a separate Sleep Room and designated Nappy Changing Area. Keeping rest in its own space is a useful practical distinction for the youngest children. The under-2s lead is a level 5 practitioner.

For children aged 18 months to rising three, the Todler Room brings together balancing and climbing, learning to manage feelings, turn-taking, puzzles and imaginative play. These experiences connect physical independence with the social demands of playing alongside other children. Interactive stories and conversation also build vocabulary.

The Nursery Room, for rising threes to four-year-olds, emphasises dressing and other self-help skills, early writing movements, reasoning and activities requiring sustained attention. School preparation therefore includes managing personal tasks and working with others, alongside early literacy and number work. These are useful skills beyond the nursery room itself.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) shapes learning and care: children develop communication, movement and social skills alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding their world and creative expression. Development Matters guides the nursery’s curriculum planning, helping practitioners consider children’s development while retaining their professional judgement.

The nursery adds its own practical curricular goals. Children work towards retelling a familiar story, using trike pedals, putting on and removing a coat independently, and forming a friendship. These goals make the intended learning tangible for parents. They also show that preparation for school is about confidence and everyday capability as well as recognising letters.

In August 2024, songs, rhymes and books were woven into learning, including children’s own photographic books and stories. Water play introduced language about how much a container could hold. Ordinary play became an opportunity for precise conversation rather than simply keeping children occupied.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outdoor playground includes digging patches, sensory gardens, climbing frames, balance beams, sandpits and water play stations. Shaded places allow quieter reading and play. Children can therefore choose between energetic movement, investigating plants and insects, and less physically demanding activities.

In August 2024, children counted while using garden stepping stones and challenged themselves on a climbing wall. They also assembled obstacle courses from tyres and natural materials, while dance, action rhymes and yoga provided opportunities to practise stretching and balance. The physical setting gave number work and movement a shared purpose.

Relationships and Communication

Parents can help shape the nursery through its voluntary committee, which includes parents, staff and other volunteers. Meetings take place termly, with an annual general meeting, and every parent or carer has the opportunity to join. For families wanting involvement in decisions, this is a concrete route to participation.

Information shared by children and parents also contributes to planning learning. That gives home experiences a place in the nursery day, rather than treating learning here and learning at home as separate subjects.

In August 2024, staff and parents worked together on children’s dental health, learning to use the toilet and other care needs. They also planned support for children who found playing alongside others difficult. This connected practical care with the gradual development of friendships.

In August 2024, the Golden Rules linked gentle actions in the baby room with considerate speech and tidying resources as children progressed through the nursery. In August 2024, books and conversations helped children recognise feelings and pause to hear other children’s opinions. Tidying was part of using materials, rather than a separate task left entirely to adults.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including collaboration with speech therapists, medical professionals and inclusion services. Additional funding supported learning and emotional needs, including access to outdoor experiences.

Current staff responsibilities include designated safeguarding officer and SENCO roles, and staff undertake safeguarding training. SENCO stands for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.

Family Corner offers free interactive sessions online about children’s development and supporting early learning at home. It provides another way for parents to think about their child’s learning beyond the nursery’s own activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.45am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. A full day runs from 7.45am to 5.45pm; half days run either from 7.45am to 12.45pm or from 12.45pm to 5.45pm. The half-day options allow attendance to fit either part of the day.

The nursery operates for 50 weeks each year, closing on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. Fees are not charged for those closures. Children over two can have term-time contracts, with an additional holiday club contract as an option. Families choosing that arrangement should distinguish their usual term-time attendance from any holiday provision.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form. Parents and children are welcome to visit.

Getting There

The address is Storth Lane, Kiveton Park, Sheffield, S26 5QT, within the grounds of Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School and across the road from Wales High School. Sharing school grounds does not guarantee a Reception place.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for eligible two-, three- and four-year-olds, including up to 30 hours, and the nursery states that it makes no top-up charges. Eligibility conditions still apply. Additional paid childcare is also offered; current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Snacks are included in childcare fees, while parents supply a packed lunch or pay separately for a lunchtime hot meal; optional school dinners can be purchased during term time, including alongside funded childcare. Afternoon attendance requires a cold tea from home, while all-day children can bring a cold tea or a meal for reheating, and parents supply nappies and wipes.

Fee-paying children require a retainer, used towards the balance when childcare ends or funding starts, and four weeks’ notice is required. Payments are made weekly or monthly in advance. These terms make the contract important when planning a change in attendance or the start of funding.

• Term-time attendance has an age condition. Term-time contracts are for children over two, with holiday club provision handled through an additional contract. This matters if siblings need different attendance arrangements.
• Food involves a home contribution. Snacks are included, but lunch and tea arrangements depend on the session, and nappies and wipes come from parents. Plan the daily bag alongside the chosen attendance pattern.
• Settling into the Baby Room. A separate Sleep Room and an under-2s lead give useful starting points for a visit. How will settling be organised around your baby’s existing sleep and feeding routines?
• Leaving or starting funding affects the contract. Fee-paying families have a retainer and a four-week notice requirement. Read how these apply before agreeing a start date or changing the booking.

Kiveton & Wales Nursery suits families choosing between full-day and morning or afternoon half-day care, with a further term-time option for children over two. Its practical curriculum goals, separate baby sleep space and parent committee give those arrangements substance.

The August 2024 Outstanding judgement adds weight to the choice, while the everyday details are what families will organise around: coats, stories, friendships, food from home and time outdoors. Parents wanting an active role in nursery decisions have a clear opportunity to take one.