Kids Planet Haywards Heath

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies and children are extremely confident and happy. They continually giggle and communicate with excitement in this inspiring and outstanding nursery. They thrive in a safe, emotionally secure environment, where they form strong, nurturing bonds with the dedicated and passionate staff who truly know each child. Children approach learning with enormous enthusiasm and curiosity. They eagerly engage in an exceptional variety of rich, stimulating experiences that ignite their imagination and extend their learning and development. Children are incredibly respectful. They consistently invite others to join their play and demonstrate enormous kindness and empathy. Their behaviour is a result of the exceptional interactions and nurturing support provided by staff, who consistently model positive relationships and foster a warm, inclusive environment where every child thrives and feels valued.

Staff are highly skilled in promoting children's communication and language development, embedding rich and meaningful conversations throughout daily routines and play. They introduce new words, model expressive language and create a rich learning environment that inspires confident communication and listening. For example, in the garden, children explore light and shadow using coloured magnetic shapes. Enthusiastically, they discover patterns when they observe the shapes their bodies create, which leads to an abundance of rich conversation with staff about shapes, shadows and light. The nursery provides an outstanding, inclusive curriculum that fully supports the diverse needs of all children. Staff have an exceptional understanding of each child's development and individual next steps in learning. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make outstanding progress from their starting points.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff expertly nurture children's recall of action songs and stories. For example, they create engaging, interactive sessions that captivate children's attention and stimulate their memories. Older children are deeply engaged during story time, eagerly responding with prompts and asking for the story to be read numerous times, showing their strong interest and enthusiasm. Younger children greatly enjoy song and rhyme sessions, joining in with actions, sounds and familiar words.
• Staff conduct thorough and purposeful observations and assessments to truly understand each child's strengths, development and next steps in learning. This information is used to develop individual, personalised learning opportunities and experiences that support every child's unique progress. Staff monitor each child's progress extremely closely and make appropriate rapid referrals to external agencies and professionals, allowing children to gain any extra support they need. Additional funding is carefully and strategically managed to ensure all children have access to the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential.
• Staff support children to have an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children grow vegetables in the garden and then eat them. Children are provided with a large variety of fresh, home-cooked food for them to enjoy. Staff actively encourage children to take safe, calculated risks in their play, supporting their confidence, resilience and problem-solving skills. Children have continuous opportunities to play in the fresh air. For example, older children ride bikes, balance on beams, use climbing frames and run around. Younger children have excellent opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, staff provide space for them to crawl, climb and cruise around furniture safely.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the nursery. They praise the dedicated and passionate staff team, welcoming environment, abundance of resources and the remarkable progress their children make. They feel included, listened to and respected in their child's learning and development, creating a strong sense of trust in the nursery.
• The managers are truly exceptional, demonstrating a dedication to every child's learning and development. They have a clear and ambitious vision with effective strategies in place that motivate and inspire all staff, creating a positive and empowering culture, where staff feel fully valued and supported. Staff well-being is deeply embedded. They feel supported and respected, with an excellent focus on mental health, work-life balance and ongoing training and learning.