Busy Bunnies Nursery, Ashfield

A single room at Summer House Children’s Centre gives Busy Bunnies Nursery, Ashfield its shape: children from two years to school age share one learning space, with free-flow play and indoor and outdoor activities. Communication, growing independence and close contact with families are the strongest themes. This is an early education setting with a clear practical boundary: its offer centres on term-time mornings.

At its 13 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) received good support. Two improvements mattered: involving every child during group activities and collecting a fuller picture of children’s abilities from parents before planning their early learning. Those points deserve attention alongside the positive judgement.

Paid and funded morning sessions run from 9am to noon, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care, with play supporting language, independence and exploration. Ashfield’s single room serves the whole age group rather than dividing children between separate age-labelled rooms. Free-flow play gives children opportunities to make choices during the session; indoor and outdoor learning environments extend where that play can happen.

In May 2025, communication shaped the teaching. Older children answered questions that encouraged longer spoken responses, while younger children and those with SEND heard objects named using simpler language. Staff also used signs to help children connect words with meaning. These were concrete ways of adjusting an activity to different children, rather than expecting everyone to respond in the same way.

Mathematics appeared in everyday situations that May: older children counted those taking part in a group, and staff helped children identify shapes drawn outside. Imaginative play also became a chance to help others. Children playing superheroes repaired a broken wooden railway after staff brought the problem into their game. The value lay in connecting make-believe with a practical act of kindness.

Group learning was less consistent. In May 2025, some children lost engagement during shared activities because staff did not draw everyone into the learning. For parents, the useful distinction is between having activities planned and helping each child participate in them.

Relationships and Communication

A key person supports relationships with children and families from registration through to the move to school. Termly consultations provide planned opportunities to discuss development, while regular family workshops and stay-and-play sessions offer a more hands-on connection with nursery life. These routes serve different purposes: a consultation can address progress, while a shared session lets parents take part in activities.

Famly, the nursery’s communication and learning-journal app, brings observations, messages and everyday updates together. Parents can contribute observations of their own, report an absence and access newsletters or invoices. Translation tools help families who use English as an additional language follow communications. The practical benefit is a two-way channel, with learning at home able to enter the conversation as well as updates coming out of nursery.

In May 2025, new children attended introductory settling sessions and received comfort from staff when they were upset. Staff also discussed children’s days with parents and offered help with toileting and enjoying books at home. However, the starting information gathered from families did not cover children’s abilities fully enough to support precise planning from the outset. Settling emotionally and understanding a child’s development are separate tasks; both matter.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Current staff training covers speech and language development and supporting children with special educational needs. In May 2025, individual learning targets and time working with a child separately were part of the provision. These mechanisms give parents something concrete to discuss when considering how support would work for their child.

Daily independence was also visible in May 2025. Children practised putting belongings away, serving their own drinks and clearing used snack items, with staff guidance where needed. Handwashing before food was linked to an explanation about germs. Small routines became opportunities to practise doing things for themselves.

Healthy snacks are provided, with a menu that changes each term. The group-wide snack approach gives children changing foods to try rather than an unchanging selection.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery operates at Summer House Children’s Centre, 2 Clare Rd, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 5BB. Its paid session runs from 9am to noon; funded attendance uses the same morning window. Opening is Monday to Friday in term time, so the arrangement fits families seeking a morning of early education with the rest of the day organised separately.

The branch can be contacted on 01623 232500. For paid attendance, obtain a current written quotation from the nursery so the cost of the intended pattern is clear.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded hours are offered during term time. The morning session uses three hours of funding, keeping the funded arrangement aligned with the nursery’s opening window rather than extending it into an afternoon.

Parents supply nappies and wipes. Suncream can either be supplied from home or purchased through the nursery’s annual arrangement, so the consumables position depends on the item and the family’s choice.

The group-wide trips and events policy makes participation optional. Some outings may involve a parental contribution, and nursery remains open for children who do not take part. That preserves normal attendance for families choosing the usual session instead.

• Morning-only timetable. Attendance ends at noon and follows term time. Families needing afternoons or holiday childcare will need arrangements that cover those periods.
• Participation in group activities. In May 2025, some children were not drawn fully into shared learning. During a visit, ask how staff adapt group activities for children who find it harder to join in.
• Starting information and costs. The May 2025 improvement point concerned learning about children’s abilities before planning their development. Ask how home observations now shape that starting picture, and request a written quotation covering snacks and the chosen suncream arrangement.

Busy Bunnies Nursery, Ashfield suits families seeking term-time morning early education, whether using funded hours or paying privately. Its single-room setting, key person approach and Famly communication give the offer a clear shape. The May 2025 strengths in language work and everyday independence add substance, while participation in group learning and fuller information from parents remain the key points to explore. The timetable is the decisive practical fit.