Kids Planet Burgess Hill

Kids Planet Burgess Hill
Unique reference number (URN): 2851090
Address: 9 Victoria Way, Burgess Hill, RH15 9NF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 07/07/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited
Inspection report: 4 September 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Typically, children make secure progress from their starting points. They build on the
knowledge and skills that prepare them well for the next stage in their learning. Children are
curious learners, who enjoy choosing from a range of different activities that interest them.
They show high levels of engagement and focus on activities, such as using syringes to
squirt water, scooping in soil and sticking to create their own art. Children develop the skills
they need to be independent, building on their confidence. For example, babies learn how to
use their cutlery at mealtimes. Children begin to use tongs to pick up their fruit, while older
children pour their own drinks from jugs, serve their lunches with spoons and practise eating
with a knife and fork. Children learn to use tissues to wipe their noses and wash their hands
afterwards.
Children share a love of books and this is promoted through the nursery. Babies recall parts
of stories they have heard before and develop their language, such as saying 'sssssss
snake', when they talk about 'The Gruffalo'. Older children are able to express their needs
well, they enjoy conversations with staff and each other, talking about their play, interests
and experiences out of the setting. They build on their language and remember words, such
as 'stethoscope', when learning about people who help them and role playing doctors and
nurses in the baby doll hospital.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have established a positive and respectful environment with clear expectations for
children's behaviour. Staff understand and apply these well. They are excellent role models.
Staff model positive behaviour throughout the day and support children to share, take turns
and show kindness. Children across the setting behave well. Older children confidently
remind others of how to use the resources correctly. For example, when some children bang
plastic tubes on the floor, children remind each other they must not do that and demonstrate
how to use these correctly.
Staff know children well, including staff who do not always work in the same rooms. They
provide comfort to children when they are unsettled, such as blowing bubbles to provide
some calm. Staff encourage other children to join in with activities, supporting them to build
relationships with each other.
At times, staff focus on completing tasks around routine times, such as changing children,
tidying up or preparing meals, and not on children's individual needs. This means during
these times, some children occasionally become upset or wander without support to
transition smoothly.
Leaders know families well and their own circumstances. They are aware of when children
are late and follow up on non-attendance promptly, supporting parents and carers to
overcome any barriers to children's attendance. They ensure parents understand the

importance of their children attending, so children can benefit fully from the routines and
learning experiences on offer.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Staff know children very well. They form warm and nurturing relationships with them. Staff
generally support children's wellbeing effectively. However, during some transitions, staff do
not consistently consider children's individual needs. For example, at times, staff focus more
on completing routine tasks than preparing children for change, and children who take time
to settle are sometimes transitioned without warning. This can lead to children becoming
momentarily upset.
Staff promote healthy lifestyles very well. For example, children enjoy nutritious meals
cooked on site by the nursery's catering team. Staff share home learning bags with recipes
from the nursery and leaflets on healthy eating with parents and carers, as well as resources
to support toothbrushing at home. In addition, staff take children on outings to the local
shops to buy healthy foods for snack time. This supports children's understanding of making
healthy food choices.
Leaders have made improvements to the outdoor space and how staff promote children's
physical development. Children have scheduled time outside and on the soft-play equipment
to ensure each child has the required daily amount of physical exercise. Children enjoy
activities that help them to move their bodies, such as climbing on equipment and moving to
music, followed by opportunities to rest and relax. For instance, children experience calming
moments in quieter areas, and older children take part in meditation sessions. All children
sleep in line with safer sleep practices and staff follow children's individual sleep routines.
Staff consistently promote positive hygiene practices, such as regular handwashing.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have a clear and ambitious view of the curriculum, which is designed to meet all
areas of learning. Generally, staff understand the curriculum well. Leaders have identified
this as an area of improvement and are providing support for staff to build on their
knowledge and skills.
Staff understand the skills they want children to learn. They provide a range of activities to
engage all children and support them in developing skills. For example, staff include cutlery
that babies will use at mealtimes in play dough, so that they become familiar with these
resources. Outside, staff encourage babies to use spoons to scoop soil and find hidden
wooden mushrooms. This helps children to develop the skills they need for self-serving at
mealtimes and feeding themselves, which supports the intent of the curriculum. Older
children receive support to develop their independence further at mealtimes. In this way,
learning is sequenced, and children build on what they already know and can do as they
move through the nursery.
Staff are deployed well so that they can engage with children. In general, their interactions
support and extend children's learning. For example, they hold up 2 mushrooms and ask the
babies how many they have. Babies eagerly point and count the mushrooms. During water
play, babies select various wooden foods from the water tray and collect them in cups. They

add water and staff comment on the pretend vegetable soup they are making. They ask
babies what vegetables they have in their soup, supporting their language and imagination.
As babies take out each item of food from their cup, staff count the items, supporting babies'
early mathematical development. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to support
children's learning further with interactions, such as when they are moving from one activity
to another or during story times.
Staff support all children, including those with barriers to their learning or wellbeing, to
access the curriculum. For example, they provide quieter and calmer spaces, where children
can focus and strengthen their listening and attention skills through physical games. Staff
encourage children to draw shapes on the floor and count how many objects they have
knocked over. This strengthens their mathematical understanding, while also developing
their physical skills.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders support families well who have children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities. They identify children's needs quickly and effectively by gathering detailed
information, when children join the setting. For instance, they use forms, discussions with
parents and carers and close observations. Children, including those with barriers to their
learning or wellbeing, benefit from adaptations to the routine that suit their needs. For
example, staff offer flexible settling sessions to support children to settle at their own pace,
and breaks and activities in quiet areas. This helps all children to feel calm, settled and
ready to learn.
Leaders work closely with other professionals, such as health visitors, local authority support
services, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. They create plans of
support, including strategies, such as now-and-next boards, visual timetables and visual
cards to support children to understand what is happening next and feel prepared for
transition times. While staff typically use these strategies, they are not yet applied
consistently throughout the day. This means that some children do not always receive the
support they need to manage transitions successfully, which can affect their confidence,
independence and engagement in learning.
Leaders work with parents and staff to regularly review plans of support. They ensure
children have the right support, when they need it, such as having an education, health and
care plan in place to support transition to school. Leaders use additional funding well to
support children's specific needs. For example, leaders purchase resources and children
take these resources with them when they leave the setting to support transition to their next
stage in learning, such as school. They also use funding to provide bespoke learning
opportunities, such as small groups for children to learn how to play a harmonica. This
supports children's engagement, taking part in small groups and strengthens their listening
skills.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders understand the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. They have worked
hard to ensure changes to staffing are managed smoothly, and newly recruited staff receive

support and feel settled. Leaders are ambitious and recognise the staff team still needs time
to embed their knowledge and practice.
Generally, staff feel supported in their role, and there is a variety of training courses they can
access. Leaders support them with regular coaching and supervision sessions, where they
can discuss their practice, skills and any gaps in their knowledge. Leaders are committed to
supporting staff wellbeing. For example, they have introduced a staff passport system so
that staff receive timely, personalised support when needed. Staff benefit from an employee
assistance programme, a counselling app and an online messaging group that promotes
connection and team support. Weekly wellbeing themes and regular social events help staff
feel valued, supported and happy in their roles.
Recent improvements have been made to the outdoor area to ensure children are fully
supported to remain engaged in purposeful learning. Leaders have also recently introduced
home learning bags to help parents and carers support their child's learning. This has
received positive responses from parents, who find the bags helpful.
Leaders show commitment to supporting families and building meaningful partnerships. For
example, they provide a children's clothes swap shop, a breastfeeding area, a lending
library and a community information board to help families to access local events and
services. They also organise events that parents can become involved in, such as stay-and-
play sessions, open days and afternoon tea events. These approaches help families to feel
welcomed, supported and connected to the nursery community.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy coming to the nursery. They and their families feel welcome and valued as
part of the nursery community. Children build secure attachments with their key persons,
who know them well. This supports children's wellbeing and feelings of security. Generally,
babies are happy and settled at the nursery. Some babies who are new to the setting
receive comfort and reassurance from staff. For example, staff use bubbles to help babies
feel calm and relaxed.
There is a sense of belonging as children join staff in conversations about their interests and
experiences beyond the nursery, such as moving house. This helps children to feel valued
for their uniqueness. Babies take comfort in looking at photos of their families. They point to
the family board and name family members. Staff respond and ask who else is in their family
pictures. Babies also comment on each other's photos and name their family members and
pets. Children take the nursery bear home at the weekends and share photos with their

Inspectors:
Sophia Malcolm
Pippa Clark
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2851090
peers of what they did with him. These activities help to build links between the nursery and
home for children, who may not yet be fully settled.
Children show they feel safe as they join staff and their peers in playing. They develop social
skills as they play with others. Children share resources and activities with supportive
guidance from staff. They are curious and grow in confidence as they explore activities that
reflect their interests and stages of development. For example, children strengthen their fine
motor skills as they make dinosaur footprints and cut into play dough, while staff support
them to hold scissors correctly. Babies are aware of their surroundings and excitedly tell
staff when they can hear the sound of rain on the windows. They hold their ears and point to
the window. Staff are responsive and comment on the rain and the noise it is making,
supporting babies' early communication and confidence. These activities prepare children
well for the next stage in their learning.
Next steps
Leaders should continue to embed high-quality teaching across the nursery, so that all
children experience consistently effective interactions and support for their learning.
Leaders should strengthen the organisation of routines, especially during transition times,
to fully support children's individual needs and wellbeing.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, parents and carers and children during the
inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Address:
9 Victoria Way
Burgess Hill
RH15 9NF
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 07/07/2025
Registered person: Kids Planet Day Nurseries Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:15
Local authority: West Sussex
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 4 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
125
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.

Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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