Kids Planet Crosby
Kids Planet Crosby is a day nursery in Liverpool for children aged 0 to 4, with 135 registered places. Ofsted report card, 15 June 2026: Expected standard in 4 areas, Urgent improvement in 2 areas; safeguarding standards not met.
137 Liverpool Road, Liverpool, L23 5TE
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 0 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 135 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 22 April 2016 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 15 June 2026
Who runs it
Kids Planet Crosby is run by Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement
- Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement
- Safeguarding standards not met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 15 June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders have not ensured that safeguarding procedures are implemented consistently to keep children safe. Weaknesses in staff deployment, supervision and collection procedures place children at significant risk of harm. As a result, children do not consistently benefit from the robust systems needed to protect their safety. During the inspection, children's privacy was not consistently considered during toileting and intimate care. The provider took immediate action to address this. However, children do not consistently experience the safe and well-organised environment they deserve.
Despite these significant weaknesses, children arrive happily and separate from their families with confidence. They develop warm relationships with staff, who know them well and respond sensitively to their individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those known to children's social care receive tailored support that helps reduce barriers to learning. Strong partnerships with parents and external professionals help staff understand children's individual needs and provide consistent care and learning experiences.
Children confidently explore the stimulating indoor and outdoor environments. They enjoy conversations, stories and practical experiences that develop their communication, mathematical understanding and physical skills. Staff encourage children to make choices, solve simple problems and become increasingly independent. Children show curiosity, sustain their attention and proudly demonstrate what they have learned.
Children increasingly manage aspects of their own care and enjoy regular opportunities to be physically active and play alongside their friends. They benefit from an inclusive environment where they are valued and supported to achieve from their individual starting points. However, these positive experiences are undermined by the significant weaknesses in safeguarding. This means children do not consistently experience the safe and secure environment they deserve.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Expected standard
Inclusion is a strength at this setting. Leaders have created an inclusive culture where children and families receive timely support. Staff identify children's individual needs through ongoing assessment and use their knowledge of child development to identify emerging gaps quickly. Leaders work closely with parents and external professionals to plan, review and adapt support as children's needs change. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who are disadvantaged and those known to children's social care access the curriculum alongside their peers.
Leaders take effective action to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing. Staff receive effective guidance to help them meet children's individual needs. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to identify children's needs, plan appropriate support and review its impact over time. For example, staff use advice from physiotherapists, health visitors and feedback from parents to adapt children's daily experiences and the support they provide. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to provide tailored resources, specialist equipment and targeted support. As a result, disadvantaged children and children with SEND develop greater independence, communication and physical skills.
Partnership working is a strength. Parents value the close working relationships with staff, therapists, health professionals and children's social care, and describe being fully involved in planning for their children's care and learning. This provides continuity between home and nursery. However, staff do not always identify the smaller steps some children need to build securely on their existing knowledge and skills. This means support is not always as precisely tailored as it could be.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that reflects all 7 areas of learning and prepares children for their next stage of development. Communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development are prioritised from the earliest age. Well-resourced indoor and outdoor environments encourage curiosity, exploration and sustained play. As a result, children develop curiosity, sustain their engagement and build the knowledge and skills they need for future learning.
Staff use ongoing assessment, including the progress check at age 2, to understand what children know and can do. They use this information to identify children's next steps and adapt teaching to meet their individual needs. Staff share children's next steps with parents, so learning continues at home. For example, parents receive ideas to develop children's communication, early literacy and mathematical understanding through everyday activities. This provides continuity in children's learning and development.
Typically, staff use their knowledge of children's different starting points to adapt teaching and build on what children already know and can do. They introduce new vocabulary through stories, play and everyday experiences and naturally weave mathematical language into learning. For example, as children balance, jump and move through hoops outdoors, staff encourage them to use positional language such as 'through', 'around' and 'over'. Staff encourage children to wait for their turn, persevere and celebrate one another's achievements. This strengthens children's physical development, mathematical understanding and personal, social and emotional development. However, at times, staff identify next steps that are too broad. This means teaching does not always support children to make the progress of which they are capable.
Achievement: Expected standard
Children make progress from their starting points across the areas of learning, particularly in communication and language. They develop increasing confidence, independence and curiosity as they move through the nursery. Children proudly demonstrate their achievements. For example, younger children confidently identify facial features and develop early communication through interactive play, while older children begin to write their own names and independently select the resources they need to extend their play.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those known to children's social care make progress from their individual starting points. They receive support that reduces barriers to learning and helps them develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for their next stage of learning.
Children develop the foundational knowledge they need as they move through the nursery and prepare for school. Parents particularly value the progress children make in the prime areas of learning. Recent work to strengthen curriculum progression is beginning to support children to build more securely on what they already know and can do.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard
Leaders promote a positive environment with clear expectations for behaviour. Children behave well and develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff provide calm, consistent support and use praise and encouragement to reinforce positive behaviour. Even the youngest children show kindness and consideration for others. For example, toddlers carefully wrap a baby doll in a blanket and gently rock it to sleep. As a result, all children develop positive attitudes to learning and form respectful relationships with others.
Staff support children to collaborate and take turns in ways that reflect their age and stage of development. For example, babies enthusiastically roll balls backwards and forwards with staff, celebrating one another's success. Staff adapt routines and expectations to children's individual needs, so they remain engaged and participate alongside their peers. Children confidently join group activities, share resources and cooperate with one another. Recent changes to daily routines are beginning to support children's engagement. For example, new lunchtime arrangements are beginning to support children's needs. However, leaders have not yet ensured these routines are implemented consistently by all staff. As a result, children do not always experience the highest levels of engagement throughout every part of the day.
Leaders understand the importance of regular attendance and monitor this carefully. They work closely with families where attendance becomes a concern to help children establish routines that support their learning, wellbeing and safety.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement
Children's welfare and wellbeing are not consistently promoted. Leaders do not consistently ensure that care practices support children's safety, dignity and wellbeing. Leaders failed to ensure effective staff deployment. This meant children did not consistently receive care that was organised safely during key parts of the day. Consequently, children were placed at risk of harm. In addition, at the time of the inspection, staff did not consistently protect children's privacy during toileting and intimate care. Leaders took immediate action during the inspection to address this.
Despite these weaknesses, children develop warm and secure relationships with their key persons. They confidently seek comfort, reassurance and support when needed. Young children beam with happiness as they catch sight of their key person. Staff know children's individual care routines well, including sleeping, feeding and emotional needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive thoughtful care that reflects advice from external professionals and supports their individual health and wellbeing.
Typically, healthy lifestyles are promoted through nutritious meals and daily opportunities for outdoor play. Children become increasingly independent as they wash their hands, clean their teeth and manage everyday routines. Safe sleep arrangements are securely embedded and sleeping and feeding routines reflect children's individual needs. Children are supported to recognise, express and manage their emotions through caring interactions with staff. However, these positive aspects do not outweigh the significant weaknesses in the promotion of children's welfare and wellbeing.
Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement
Significant weaknesses in leadership and governance mean leaders do not ensure children's safety and welfare are consistently promoted. The provider notified Ofsted of a significant safeguarding event after a child left the nursery with the wrong authorised collector. Leaders responded promptly by reviewing collection procedures, removing parent access to door codes and installing doorbells. This strengthened the security of the premises. However, leaders did not ensure effective staff deployment or robust risk assessment during key transition times, such as sleep times and collection. This meant leaders did not consistently ensure children's safety and welfare. Consequently, leaders failed to meet several statutory requirements.
Leaders identify when staff require additional support and provide supervision and training. However, they do not review, monitor or evaluate the impact of this support precisely enough. Supervision does not focus precisely enough on staff's personal effectiveness, or ensure known risks relating to staff suitability are identified, monitored and reduced. Consequently, leaders cannot demonstrate that staff consistently remain suitable to carry out their roles safely or that safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented consistently in practice.
Leaders use additional funding effectively to reduce barriers for children and support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Strong partnerships with parents and external professionals promote children's learning and wellbeing. Parents value the support they receive and describe communication as open and responsive, particularly following the significant safeguarding incident. Leaders demonstrate a positive attitude to making the required improvements. However, at this time, breaches in requirements remain.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- ensure all staff understand and consistently implement the setting's safeguarding policies and procedures so children's safety and welfare are promoted at all times (by 20 July 2026)
- strengthen supervision arrangements so they evaluate staff practice effectively, identify gaps in knowledge and ensure staff consistently implement policies and procedures that keep children safe (by 20 July 2026)
- ensure risk assessment and staffing arrangements are robust so children are appropriately supervised and are not exposed to avoidable risks during all parts of the day, including key-transition times (by 20 July 2026)
- take action to ensure staffing arrangements meet the needs of the children and assure safety at all times (by 20 July 2026)
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 15 June 2026. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Bright Sparks Nursery - Day nursery, Liverpool L23 5TW, 30 places, 0.2 milesOfsted, 11 May 2017: Outstanding overall
- EduKate Tuition - Day nursery, Liverpool L23 0RP, 0.3 miles
- Atherton House School - Day nursery, Liverpool L23 7TF, ages 0 to 4, 60 places, 0.4 milesOfsted, 2 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Streatham House Nursery - Day nursery, Blundellsands L23 8UQ, ages 0 to 4, 80 places, 0.5 milesOfsted, 22 December 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- All Saints Children's Ventures Limited - Pre-school, Liverpool L23 9TQ, ages 2 to 4, 32 places, 0.6 milesOfsted, 12 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Sacred Heart Catholic Academy - Secondary, under 0.1 miles
- Olsen House School - Special, 0.2 miles
- St. Mary's College - All-through, 0.2 miles
- Merchant Taylors' Schools - All-through, 0.2 miles
- Great Crosby Catholic Primary School - Primary, 0.3 miles