Kids' Zone

Holiday childcare with den-building and hands-on discovery gives Kids' Zone its character. This setting occupies a purpose-built space at Another Place Hotel in the Lake District, where the August 2025 activities included investigating wood with torches and making shelters for animals. The holiday context matters: children are joining a session during a stay, rather than necessarily following a familiar nursery routine.

At its 18 August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Kids' Zone Good and judged its safeguarding arrangements effective. It has capacity for 12 children in total; the children attending at that visit ranged from 0 to 12 years old. That inspection-time age range should be read separately from the whole-setting capacity.

In August 2025, play moved between imaginative construction, conversation and outdoor exploration. Children worked together on an imaginary aeroplane, discussing what to build it from and changing their design as the game developed. Staff used the activity to encourage negotiation and shared problem-solving. Learning grew out of what interested the children, rather than being detached from their play.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children's learning, development and care. Here, the August 2025 examples included practising language through stories and rhymes, comparing sizes during gardening and talking through ideas with other children. These are concrete ways for early learning to sit within a holiday session.

An evening forest school session, involving outdoor building and exploration, gave children material to talk about afterwards. They recalled making dens from sticks and logs, measuring a stick and looking towards the mountains and lake through binoculars. The equipment had a purpose: measuring, observing and discussing what they discovered.

Potato digging also became a chance to compare size and weight. A worm prompted another comparison of length. Indoors, torches helped children investigate markings in wood, while a tepee provided an opportunity to practise sharing space. These August 2025 examples show the breadth of the activities children encountered, rather than a fixed timetable for every session.

In August 2025, children sought closeness with staff and drew them into their games. Practitioners listened attentively and encouraged consideration for other children, including making space for someone else in the tepee. For a child attending during a holiday, those small exchanges matter: relationships have to develop within the time the family is there.

Emotional conversations were part of play too. When children talked about being afraid of wasps during a construction activity, staff helped them discuss the feeling and ways to cope. This gave children words for an experience that might otherwise interrupt their enjoyment.

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified a weakness in gathering information about children's existing knowledge and skills before attendance, which restricted the precision and challenge of learning plans. The booking form already gathered interests and care needs, but that was not enough to establish what each child could already do. For parents, the distinction is useful: favourite activities and care routines are only part of the starting picture.

Kids' Zone is at Another Place, The Lake, Watermillock, Penrith, CA11 0LP. Its capacity of 12 is a whole-setting figure, rather than the size of an age group or an indication of places free to book.

In August 2025, the setting operated throughout the year, from Monday to Sunday. Session timings changed with the season, the day and the ages attending. That inspection-time arrangement makes it important to match the childcare element to the family's particular holiday plans.

Guests staying at The Brackenrigg Inn also have access to Kids’ Zone supervised sessions. This connects the childcare offer to stays beyond the main hotel building and is a useful practical detail for families choosing accommodation.

• Information before attendance. The August 2025 improvement point concerned children's starting knowledge and skills. Ask how the booking process now captures what your child can already do, alongside their interests and care needs.
• Sessions during your stay. In August 2025, timings depended on season, day and age. When arranging a stay at the hotel or The Brackenrigg Inn, ask which supervised sessions fit your child's age and your plans.

Kids' Zone suits families seeking supervised holiday activities with opportunities for outdoor discovery and imaginative play. The August 2025 examples are appealingly concrete: shelter-building, potato digging and collaborative construction, supported by staff who engaged with children's ideas and feelings.

The important qualification is the information gathered before children attend. Sharing a child's existing skills as well as their interests helps staff choose a more suitable starting point. For families considering childcare as part of a stay at Another Place, that deserves attention alongside the activities themselves.