Kids Planet Apley

Apley Woods, a fire pit and a sensory room give Kids Planet Apley a clear identity: outdoor exploration has a quieter indoor counterpart. Set within the grounds of the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, this nursery combines an enclosed play space with practical support for families, including lending libraries, a food bank and a clothing swap shop. These are useful, tangible additions to the childcare day.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 25 March 2025 inspection. Its capacity is 194 children, with accepted ages from 3 to 60 months. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of a child's daily group. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside a shorter day, giving families more than one way to arrange attendance.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, play provides opportunities to practise language, movement, early number skills and independence. Outdoor activity adds a concrete setting for those experiences. Apley's Udeskole accreditation is linked to nature-based learning around the fire pit, adventurous play and exploration in Apley Woods. Children can encounter challenges beyond indoor activities, while the enclosed outdoor space provides another place to play.

In March 2025, mathematical learning included counting, recognising shapes and comparing size and weight. Books were used individually and with small groups, and favourite stories supplied starting points for activities. These examples give parents a clearer picture of early learning than a curriculum label alone: number, language and play were connected through things children could handle, discuss and revisit.

Writing preparation also took different forms according to children's development in March 2025. Babies worked wet sand with their hands; toddlers used manageable drawing tools; preschool children wrote during activities and could form some letters from their names. The progression was from using hands and tools towards purposeful writing, rather than expecting the youngest children to complete the same task as older ones.

Outdoor and Community Life

Apley Woods gives the current outdoor offer a named destination beyond the nursery garden. The revamped outdoor area also supports exploration and play involving manageable risks. For families who value time outside, the combination matters: children have an enclosed play space as well as opportunities to explore a nearby natural setting.

In March 2025, babies had equipment arranged for pulling themselves up, climbing and moving through spaces. Toddlers practised control on wheeled toys, while older children tackled equipment involving balance and height. Older children also helped prepare porridge over the outdoor fire pit before eating together. Physical activity and everyday tasks therefore supplied different ways to take part, from movement practice to helping with food.

Relationships and Communication

Regular themed stay-and-play sessions include parents, carers and grandparents. They give family members a way to participate in nursery activities, rather than keeping the relationship solely to conversations about care. The manager also operates an open-door policy for questions and concerns.

The group-wide Famly app, used at Apley, provides updates during the day. That is a practical complement to face-to-face communication: families can follow nursery activity while away from the setting. It should sit alongside conversations about the individual child, especially where a concern needs more discussion than an update can provide.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, identified strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and judged that children made good progress; support included individual help, small-group work and collaboration with speech and language therapists. These were findings about practice at that date. The combination of direct support and professional collaboration is the useful detail for families whose children need extra help.

A calming sensory room contains a bubble lamp, sensory mats and interactive toys. It adds an indoor option for children needing help to regulate their feelings. In March 2025, stories and colours were also used to explore emotions and the effect children's actions have on others, connecting emotional learning to familiar experiences.

Family support extends to adult and children's lending libraries, a food bank, a clothing swap shop and free dental-care supplies. The borrowing and sharing arrangements can help with everyday needs as well as reading at home. Close links with local schools support the move beyond nursery through transition work; this is preparation for the next stage, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Grainger Drive, Leegomery, Telford, TF1 6UL. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks, with bank holiday closures.

Full Day and Full Time bookings run from 7.30am to 6pm. Morning sessions finish at 12.30pm after a 7.30am start; Afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. The Short Day runs from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Ad-hoc hourly care is also charged separately from regular bookings, at a higher rate. The shorter day and separate morning and afternoon options are worth weighing against the hours a family actually needs, rather than choosing solely from the opening window.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email directly to Apley, and a tour can be booked. The choice of attendance pattern has practical consequences for both the childcare day and the bill, especially when funded hours form part of the booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are offered. For private care, the group-wide inclusive fee package used at Apley covers snacks and meals, alongside formula, wipes, nappies and sun cream; on days where early years funding is applied, meals and consumables incur separate charges. Freshly prepared food includes meals and snacks, with provision for dietary needs.

Activities also attract a separate charge on funded days. The funded-day charges use different bands for full, half and short days, so comparing bookings means considering the extras as well as any private hours. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Keeping those categories separate makes it easier to see what a proposed attendance pattern costs.

• Consistency between rooms. In March 2025, activity planning did not always match individual learning needs closely enough, and curriculum delivery varied between rooms. During a tour, ask how practitioners choose the next step for your child and how staff development addresses this variation.
• Outdoor exploration and quieter space. Apley combines Apley Woods outings and fire-pit activities with a sensory room. Ask how your child's age, confidence and sensory needs shape participation in these experiences.
• Funded-day extras. Meals, activities and consumables are charged separately when funding is applied. Request a written quotation for your proposed pattern that separates these charges from private childcare hours.

Kids Planet Apley suits families seeking outdoor exploration, a sensory space and practical links between nursery and home. Its morning and afternoon sessions, shorter days and full-day bookings serve different attendance needs, rather than one fixed childcare pattern. The fire pit and Apley Woods give the experience substance; stay-and-play sessions and family sharing resources add useful support around it.

The Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark, with consistency in planning and teaching the main improvement priority. For parents choosing between attendance options, the decisive questions are how the day fits their child and how funded-day extras affect the proposed booking.