Kids Planet Lymm

An onsite allotment, a sensory room and trips into Lymm village give Kids Planet Lymm a recognisable character. Outdoor exploration extends beyond its own play area to the park, library and café, while connections with local care homes bring children into contact with older generations. This is childcare with a community dimension.

At its June to August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, although recurring supervision weaknesses and incomplete gathering of information about individual children required improvement. Those concerns deserve weight alongside the appealing outdoor offer.

The nursery cares for children from three months to five years and has capacity for 141 children. Full days, morning and afternoon sessions, and a shorter day provide different attendance options; separate before-school, after-school and holiday provision caters for older children.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play, conversation and physical exploration become opportunities to build skills, rather than simply fill the hours between meals.

In June to August 2024, children investigated container sizes and water volumes through play, then explored colour using paint. Discovering a spider prompted a discussion about caring for living creatures. An ordinary activity could change direction with children's interests, giving them something concrete to investigate and talk about.

Communication ran through the day at that time. Babies responded to singing and adult interaction, toddlers talked about their food, and preschool children revisited what they had learnt about butterflies. Bilingual staff used children's home languages alongside English. For a child learning English, that approach connected familiar words with new vocabulary rather than treating the two languages as separate worlds.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor School sessions give children opportunities to investigate nature, alongside the practical exploration offered by the onsite allotment. The dedicated outdoor play area supports daily movement. Together, these give outdoor time several purposes: being active, exploring living things and learning through direct experience.

Trips to the village library, café and park broaden the places children encounter. Links with local care homes add contact across generations, while sponsorship of the Lymm Dickensian Festival connects the nursery with a named local celebration. The festival connection is community involvement, rather than a promise of a particular nursery activity or annual costume requirement.

During the June to August 2024 inspection, preschool children began their day with a park walk, toddlers practised balancing across ramps they had constructed, and babies explored movement through crawling and tummy time. These examples show how physical activity was adapted to different stages. They also give parents a more useful picture than a general claim about outdoor learning.

Relationships and Communication

Famly provides updates about children's days, and parents can take part in stay-and-play sessions and wellbeing coffee mornings. These offer different ways to remain connected: brief updates during the working day and opportunities to share nursery experiences in person.

During the June to August 2024 inspection, staff gave children reassurance and worked with parents during settling. However, information about individual needs, including patterns of behaviour, was sometimes insufficient. The practical issue is the detail behind a settling conversation: knowing what comforts a child matters, but so does understanding what tends to upset them and what support helps.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The June to August 2024 findings included repeated failures to apply procedures consistently, inadequate supervision and an incident in which a child reached an unsecured area; immediate preventative action had been taken, but the recurring weakness still affected assurance about children's wellbeing. The improvement requirement covered staff and managers' understanding and implementation of procedures as well as information gathering from parents.

During the June to August 2024 inspection, children contributed ideas through nursery council meetings. Staff also used sensory boxes and fidget toys to help children manage emotions, and supported discussions about loss through activities involving flowers and memories. The current sensory room adds a physical space for sensory exploration, although a room alone does not explain how an individual child's support is organised.

Freshly prepared snacks and meals are provided, with provision for dietary needs. For private care, food and everyday supplies are included in fees; days using early years funding carry separate charges, as detailed below.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 29 Eagle Brow, Lymm, WA13 0NA. Opening hours are 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks, with bank holidays closed.

The full-day session runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Morning attendance is 7.30am to 1pm, and the afternoon runs from 1pm to 6.30pm. A Short Day runs from 9am to 3pm. Early Bird provision covers 7am to 7.30am, while Late Bird covers 6.30pm to 7pm; these distinguish the opening window from the standard full-day booking.

Before-school care runs from 7.30am to 9am and after-school care from 3pm to 6.30pm. Holiday Club bookings include a full day from 7.30am to 6.30pm, a morning from 7.30am to 1pm or an afternoon from 1pm to 6.30pm. The older-child provision caters for ages four to 11. Ad hoc hourly care is also a booking option.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01925 759 220 or by email to lymm@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered alongside private paid care. Private fees include meals and snacks, plus sun cream, formula, wipes and nappies. That reduces the everyday supplies families need to pack.

On days when early years funding is applied, meals, consumables and activities are charged separately, with the charge category depending on the funded hours used that day. The distinction matters when comparing a funded booking with a private one: the inclusive private-care arrangement does not remove the funded-day extras. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Supervision and procedures. The June to August 2024 findings included recurring supervision weaknesses despite immediate action after an incident. At a show round, ask how staff now apply procedures consistently and how access to unsecured areas is prevented.
• Individual needs during settling. Information gathering needed improvement at the June to August 2024 inspection. Discuss how the team captures your child's routines, behaviour and support needs, and turns that information into daily care.
• Funded-day costs. Meals, consumables and activities attract separate charges on days using funding. A written breakdown for the intended attendance pattern helps families compare costs, including the Short Day or part-day options where relevant.
• Planning a visit. A show-round request becomes a confirmed appointment only after the nursery team arranges the details. Use the visit to discuss dietary requirements and confirm current practice for any allergy affecting your child.

Kids Planet Lymm suits families seeking morning or afternoon attendance as well as full-day or shorter-day care, with older-child provision potentially useful for siblings. The allotment, Outdoor School sessions and village outings give its offer substance beyond the timetable.

The balance needs to remain clear. There is plenty for children to explore, but the June to August 2024 supervision and information-gathering concerns are material choosing points. A family's decision should give the everyday application of care procedures as much attention as the facilities and attendance options.