Kindred Salisbury Nursery and Pre-School

A frog pond, tennis courts and a nursery day that moves between indoors and outside give Kindred Salisbury its character. Sharing the Leehurst Swan Independent Day School site, this Campbell Road nursery combines nature exploration with opportunities for active play. The school grounds are a useful part of the offer, rather than simply an address.

Children can attend from 3 months up to 5 years. Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 25 April 2022, a dated judgement that should sit alongside the current arrangements when families make their choice. Outdoor play, a flexible settling process and preparation for starting school are the strongest practical threads here.

Attendance includes full days, School Day bookings, mornings and afternoons, with both year-round and term-time arrangements. That variety matters for families fitting childcare around different working hours.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: in parent terms, learning through play sits alongside communication, physical development and learning to get along with others. Salisbury's daily routine combines activities shaped around children's interests with opportunities to choose their own play. Circle time brings greetings, a discussion about the weather and the day's plans; stories and singing provide another shared point in the morning.

Music and Dance and French add named enrichment to the day. Little Kickers and Kidz Love Fit are also enrichment sessions. Their practical value is the opportunity to take part in something beyond the ordinary play routine, although families should explore what those two sessions involve during a visit.

In April 2022, children experimented with tubes and pasta, changing the angle to see how the pasta moved. Construction play included building photographs, measuring tapes and clipboards. Those examples show how practical resources gave children something to investigate, discuss and try for themselves.

The same April 2022 findings identified two teaching priorities: clearer learning intentions and better-matched challenge in adult-led activities, alongside stronger support for mathematical understanding. Introducing unfamiliar letters before children had developed their awareness of sounds and rhymes was one example. For parents, the useful distinction is between an appealing activity and an activity carefully matched to what a child is ready to learn.

Outdoor and Community Life

The sensory garden and mud kitchen give outdoor play concrete substance, while the trees provide space for imaginative games. Children can move between indoor and outdoor environments for much of the day, with outdoor play encouraged across the seasons. That makes outside time part of the routine rather than a separate occasional outing.

Exploring around the frog pond and using the tennis courts extend the possibilities within the school grounds. In April 2022, children also built a raised route from crates and planks, working together before practising their balance. This was an example of children changing their play environment themselves, rather than only using fixed equipment.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with the parent or carer staying for an hour, meeting the child's key person and completing All About Me, which captures routines, preferences and interests. The next session lasts approximately 1.5 hours with the child staying independently; a third lasts approximately 2 hours and includes a snack. These are starting points, with additional sessions or shorter visits at quieter times offered when a child needs them.

The emphasis is on adapting the process to the child. Completing All About Me gives staff a practical starting point for familiar care, while gradually introducing time apart allows families to build up attendance in stages. Daily collection includes an update on the child's day, so communication continues beyond the settling period.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and SEND support very effective, with staff working closely with parents and other professionals; children learning English as an additional language received help through pictures and words from their home languages. These are inspection-time findings, rather than a new judgement on today's provision.

Quiet time now includes reading, yoga and relaxation, with opportunities for younger children to sleep. The afternoon therefore has room for rest as well as further activity. In April 2022, staff used puppets and books to help children recognise emotions, and a timer helped children take turns. These concrete methods made feelings and sharing easier to understand.

School preparation includes teacher visits, parent transition meetings and a home corner with school uniforms and book bags. Familiar objects and faces help children explore what starting school might feel like. The nursery sits on an independent school site, but attending does not guarantee a Reception place at Leehurst Swan Independent Day School; families use the school's own admissions process.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 19 Campbell Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3BQ. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks, with a separate term-time offer covering 38 weeks. The year-round arrangement includes a closure between Christmas and New Year.

School Day bookings run from 8am to 4pm, and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. Full Day bookings run from 7am to 6pm in the funded arrangements and from 8am to 6pm in the unfunded table for children under 3. Mornings start at 7am in the 30-hour and unfunded arrangements, but at 8am in the 15-hour arrangement; all finish at 1pm. These differences make the booking category important when matching care to a working day.

Getting There

Families can use the school car park, including an area near the nursery entrance. A buggy store supports families who walk and need somewhere to leave their pushchair.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible working families may access up to 30 funded hours from the term after their child turns 9 months; 15 funded hours start from the term after the child's third birthday. Funding can be used through term-time arrangements or stretched across the year-round offer; private childcare is also offered. The attendance calendar and the funded entitlement need to be considered together, rather than treating the headline hours as an identical weekly arrangement throughout the year.

Home-cooked meals and snacks are included in private fees, as are nappies, wipes, milk and formula. Funded sessions carry separate food, non-food and activity charges, so the treatment of those items differs from private care.

Families who do not wish to use consumables alongside funded hours must notify the nursery in writing and follow its Nursery Consumables Policy. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, with the Salisbury fees information providing the charge structure.

• Teaching challenge. April 2022 brought improvement priorities around mathematical understanding and the purpose of adult-led activities. During a visit, ask how staff now choose the next learning step and adapt an activity for children at different stages.
• Booking category. Morning and full-day start times differ between funding arrangements. Have the agreed pattern, attendance calendar and separate funded-session charges set out together in the written quotation.
• Named enrichment. Little Kickers and Kidz Love Fit form part of the enrichment offer. Use the one-to-one visit to explore what each involves and how participation works for your child's age.
• School-site expectations. Tennis courts and the frog pond broaden play opportunities, but nursery attendance does not guarantee admission to the school. Treat nursery choice and the school's admissions process as separate decisions.

Kindred Salisbury suits families seeking morning or afternoon care as well as those needing a full day or School Day pattern. Its strongest current attractions are the outdoor spaces, access to school grounds and a settling process that can expand around a child's needs.

The April 2022 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, with specific teaching priorities that deserve attention. For families who value outdoor play and gradual settling, there is plenty here to weigh alongside the exact session category and funded-session charges.