Kids Planet Hollingarth

Magnetic shapes turned into a ladder for toy dinosaurs give a useful picture of Hollingarth's learning: in June 2022, children chose materials, explained their plans and tried out their ideas with staff. Small discoveries mattered. Today, Kids Planet Hollingarth caters for children from birth to five at 1 Prospect Road, Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9AA, with capacity for 58 children.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 7 June 2022 inspection, with children participating readily in play and staff extending learning through conversation. That judgement provides a dated assessment of the setting, rather than a description of every aspect of its present day.

Indoor and outdoor spaces support the current offer, while the group-wide Famly app provides updates for parents. Full days, mornings, afternoons and shorter days give families several attendance patterns to weigh up.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning and care: play, conversation and practical exploration help children develop communication, movement and independence. Hollingarth's June 2022 activities show how that can work in practice. Babies reached towards toys that made music, practising movement as they explored; older children used magnetic pieces to solve a construction problem of their own choosing.

In June 2022, play dough also prompted children to explain what they wanted to make. Staff used those conversations to help them think through possible solutions. The useful detail is the exchange between adult and child: an activity could become a chance to describe an idea, make a choice and try something different.

Group experiences had a place alongside individual play. In June 2022, younger children joined songs with actions, while preschool children discussed stories and responded to questions. Children also practised taking turns in smaller groups. For parents, these examples describe the everyday experiences behind learning to listen, speak and share resources.

Outdoor and Physical Play

Outdoor learning is part of the current offer, with spaces for play both inside and outside. The group-wide outdoor approach described at Hollingarth includes exploring wildlife, cultivating vegetables and active play. These experiences bring movement and observation into learning, rather than keeping the day entirely indoors.

Sports activities are also included in private fees. Together, outdoor exploration and physical activity offer a useful counterpoint to quieter stories and construction play. The practical question for a visit is how those experiences work for a child's particular age and stage.

Relationships and Communication

Famly, the group-wide parent app, supplies updates about children's day. It gives families a way to keep contact with nursery life while their child is attending, alongside conversations with staff.

In June 2022, online diaries carried learning plans and achievements, and parents could contribute experiences from home. Staff also discussed families' cultures and celebrations. That two-way exchange helped connect a child's interests outside nursery with activities inside it, rather than treating home and nursery as separate worlds.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities supported through external advice, funded resources and a sensory room used for quieter communication work. These are concrete examples of support at that date, with the physical space allowing more concentrated adult-child interaction.

A Designated Safeguarding Lead role is part of the current management arrangements, and the manager has paediatric first-aid training. These are arrangements families can discuss when considering individual care needs.

In June 2022, health discussions covered food choices and hydration, but teaching had not addressed healthy limits on screen use. The improvement requested was to bring appropriate screen use into children's learning about wellbeing. This matters because learning about health extends beyond eating and drinking.

Fresh meals and snacks are provided, with dietary needs catered for. Families managing allergies should discuss current meal arrangements during their visit, including how their child's needs are communicated to staff.

Sessions and Attendance

Hollingarth operates for 50 weeks of the year, with opening hours of 7.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday. The attendance choices include a Full Day from 7.30am to 5pm, Morning from 7.30am to noon and Afternoon from 1pm to 5pm.

Morning Plus runs from 7.30am to 1pm, while Afternoon Plus starts at noon and ends at 5pm. Short Day covers 9am to 3pm. Full Time has the same 7.30am to 5pm window as Full Day, and Late Bird covers 5pm to 5.30pm; ad hoc hourly care is another option.

These differences matter when matching care to working hours. A morning finishes before lunch-time commitments that might suit Morning Plus, while Short Day starts later than the full-day pattern. The core Full Day also ends before the nursery's closing time, so Late Bird is a separate consideration for a later collection.

Getting There

The address is 1 Prospect Road, Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9AA, on the main route into town. The nursery can be contacted on 01229 836 269 or by email at hollingarth@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are both offered. The important distinction is what accompanies each: private fees include meals and snacks, together with formula, sun cream, wipes and nappies; on days using early years funding, meals, consumables and activities carry separate charges.

The funded-day charges vary according to the hours attended. That makes the whole booking pattern relevant to the bill, rather than funded childcare being simply the private day with its hourly charge removed. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Matching the working week. The Monday-to-Thursday opening window ends at 5.30pm, while Full Day ends at 5pm. At a tour, confirm how Friday attendance and Late Bird fit the exact weekly pattern you need.
• Funding and the whole bill. Meals, consumables and activities are charged separately on funded days, whereas private fees include these items. Request a written quotation for your chosen sessions, with the funding arrangement and additional charges itemised.
• Learning about screens. In June 2022, healthy screen use was the improvement point. Ask how this now features in children's learning about wellbeing.
• Individual care. The June 2022 sensory room supported quieter communication work, and current meals cater for dietary needs. Use a visit to discuss settling, any additional support and, where relevant, current allergy practice for your child.

Hollingarth suits families seeking either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon sessions, with Short Day and the Plus options adding further choices. Its June 2022 learning examples give substance to the picture: children discussed stories, experimented with materials and explained their own plans. Current outdoor provision and Famly updates add practical value for children and parents.

The decision turns on matching the attendance pattern and funding costs to family life. The difference between a Full Day ending at 5pm and opening until 5.30pm deserves attention, as does the separate charge structure on funded days.