Kids Planet Worsley

A separate roof top garden gives Kids Planet Worsley a recognisable physical character: this purpose-built City Road nursery combines spacious indoor rooms with direct access to secure outdoor areas. Outdoor space is part of the building’s design, giving families something concrete to weigh alongside the care and learning offer.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its August 2021 inspection and judged safeguarding effective at that time. Children are accepted from 1 to 59 months. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings give families different ways to use the setting, rather than a single attendance pattern.

The strongest reasons to consider Worsley are its indoor and outdoor layout, the choice of sessions and a private-fee package that includes everyday care essentials. The dated inspection also gives useful examples of learning through children’s interests, alongside a specific improvement point about younger children’s independence.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday terms, that means learning and care belong together: conversation, play and practical experiences contribute to children’s development, rather than education being confined to a separate lesson.

In August 2021, staff used stories, songs and conversation during activities to extend children’s language. Water play provided a concrete example: children experimented with containers and pipes while adults introduced words for quantities and how much a container held. The activity connected vocabulary with something children could test themselves.

Other August 2021 examples showed different kinds of exploration. Younger children searched through shredded paper for toys, while older children manipulated sticky dough. These were hands-on experiences with opportunities to keep trying, investigate materials and make choices. Children’s interests and experiences at home helped shape the activities, giving staff a starting point connected to each child’s life.

An interest in dinosaurs led, in August 2021, to children watching a reptile egg hatch and subsequently caring for a bearded dragon. Experiences of local festivals also prompted a nursery festival day. These examples show how an interest could develop into a shared experience, although they belong to that period rather than a current activity calendar.

Outdoor and Community Life

The current building provides direct outdoor access as well as its separate roof top garden. For a parent comparing settings, the useful distinction is between the outdoor areas connected to the rooms and that additional garden space. The layout deserves attention in its own right.

Alongside the branch’s physical spaces, its offer includes group-wide outdoor learning centred on practical experiences with nature, such as investigating wildlife and growing vegetables. Sports activities are also included in the private-fee package. These additions sit alongside the early years foundation stage; they do not replace its learning and care requirements.

In August 2021, settling involved staff getting to know children through their families. Adults used familiar stories and rhymes, and helped children manage disagreements through conversation and compromise. For families, these examples give a more useful picture of relationships than a general claim about warmth: familiarity, language and help with social situations were part of the day.

At the August 2021 inspection, Ofsted identified missed opportunities for younger children to practise independence and personal care, asking staff to plan more deliberately for these skills. This is a specific reservation about adult practice. Everyday tasks can be learning opportunities, so the balance between providing help and allowing a child to try matters.

The manager holds SENDCo qualifications, providing a relevant point of contact for discussion of additional needs. That qualification establishes a role and background, rather than guaranteeing a particular support arrangement for every child.

Famly, the group-wide parent app included in Worsley’s offer, provides updates during the day. It gives parents a way to follow nursery life while their child is attending. In August 2021, staff also used a software system to share information with families; the current named app should be considered separately from that historical observation.

Freshly prepared food includes snacks as well as meals, with provision for dietary needs. Meals and snacks are included in private fees, while a separate meal charge applies on days when early years funding is used.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 8a City Road, Worsley, Manchester, M28 1BD. Standard opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks of the year; bank holidays are closures.

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Morning runs from 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 6.30pm. Full Time uses the same daily hours as Full Day. Early Bird adds a separately priced period from 7am to 7.30am, while adhoc hourly care is another paid option. The early period is an additional booking, rather than the standard opening time.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0161 7033777 or by email to worsley@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk. A tour request and an application route are also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded childcare and private paid care are offered. Private fees include nappies, formula milk, sun cream and wipes, alongside meals, snacks, sports activities and the parent app. This reduces the list of everyday consumables families need to supply under that fee arrangement.

Funded attendance has a different charge structure: meals, consumables and activities are charged separately on days with early years funding applied. The charge band depends on how much funding is used that day. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Younger children’s independence. The August 2021 improvement point concerned opportunities to practise personal care. During a visit, ask how staff now build these tasks into younger children’s routines and decide when to help.
• Outdoor access. Rooms connect directly to secure outdoor areas, with a separate roof top garden as well. A tour is a useful opportunity to discuss how your child’s age group uses each space.
• Funded booking costs. Meals, consumables and activities attract separate charges on funded days. What would a fully funded booking include for your child? Obtain a written breakdown before agreeing an attendance pattern.

Kids Planet Worsley suits families seeking either a full-day booking or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with Early Bird care adding an earlier start. Its purpose-built layout and separate roof top garden are clear attractions, and the private-fee inclusions simplify everyday supplies.

The August 2021 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment. The practical decision is whether the spaces, attendance options and care arrangements fit your child, with younger children’s independence deserving particular attention.