Busy Bees Brooke Street

In July 2024, a calendar built around children's own family celebrations and a swap shop for clothes, shoes and toys gave Busy Bees Brooke Street a recognisable character. Its strongest inspection detail concerns conversation: adults expanded children's vocabulary through everyday exchanges.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that communication and language were well planned, with an ambitious curriculum that helped children prepare for further learning. There was a clear qualification: staff coaching needed sharper individual attention to make education more consistent across the team.

The nursery occupies Brooke Street in Chorley, PR7 3BS, and accepts children from three months to five years, with capacity for 209 children in total. Full-time childcare, morning sessions and afternoon sessions give families different attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care here: language, physical skills and social understanding belong within the ordinary nursery day. The practical detail from July 2024 shows how that translated into activities for younger and older children.

Babies explored books about animals, with matching sounds, songs and objects encouraging them to join in. Older children selected stories and remembered books they had enjoyed before. The progression matters: a baby could participate through a sound or gesture, while an older child had opportunities to choose, recall and talk.

Conversation also extended beyond naming an object. In July 2024, adults added descriptive words to younger children's short utterances, while older children encountered more demanding vocabulary during work about the body. This gave everyday exchanges a learning purpose. Recording devices allowed children learning English to hear words in their home language, making their existing language part of the activity.

The fund of knowledge calendar connected celebrations and significant events to the families attending the nursery in July 2024. Its value lay in that personal connection: children learned about their friends' home experiences rather than encountering celebrations only as abstract topics.

Daily routines provided another opportunity to participate. In July 2024, children responded to a warning about the next part of the day by helping tidy resources together. Sharing materials and taking turns were part of the same account. For parents, this makes the practical habits of nursery life as relevant as the planned activity.

Relationships and Communication

Family support had a physical space of its own in July 2024: a room where parents could seek advice. Alongside it, the nursery swap shop let families exchange toys, footwear and clothing. These were useful, concrete ways of bringing parents into nursery life, extending the relationship beyond a brief conversation about the day.

Developmental information also travelled home. In July 2024, staff shared information that helped parents continue children's learning outside nursery. The emphasis was on connecting the two parts of a child's life, with parents able to build on what children were doing during the day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and well-established SEND support, including assessment, targeted work with the special educational needs and disability coordinator, and effective use of additional funding for individual help and resources. The detail is useful for families whose child may need additional support: the approach involved identifying a learning gap and planning a response to it.

Health routines in July 2024 included handwashing, support with nose wiping and resources about oral health. Children were encouraged to drink water, and indoor movement activities were used when hot weather prevented outdoor exercise. Emotional vocabulary received attention too, with children learning words for feelings and practising how to express them.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. That year-round pattern is relevant for families arranging childcare beyond school terms.

Attendance options include full-time childcare and morning or afternoon sessions on weekdays. The distinction is useful: families can consider a shorter part of the day as well as a full-time arrangement. Enquiries can be made through the Brooke Street contact form or the central enrolments team on 0330 333 8133.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The options include 30 Hours working families funding, 15 Hours universal funding for children aged 3 and 4, and 15 hours for 2-year-olds receiving support, subject to eligibility. These are separate routes, so a family's circumstances determine which applies. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Consistency across staff. The July 2024 improvement point concerned supervision, coaching and mentoring that did not address individual staff development precisely enough. On a visit, ask how coaching now supports consistent teaching across the team.
• Language support. July 2024 practice included home-language recordings and adults extending children's speech. Families raising a child with more than one language can discuss how their child's language will be included in daily activities.
• A shorter-day pattern. Morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside full-time childcare. Discuss which pattern fits your child's routine and your family's working day when visiting.

Busy Bees Brooke Street suits families considering either full-time childcare or morning and afternoon attendance, with year-round opening supporting continuity beyond term time. Its July 2024 strengths were concrete: conversation woven into activities, celebrations linked to children's families and practical support for parents through a room for advice and a swap shop.

The coaching concern deserves attention alongside that positive picture. The most useful judgement is therefore a balanced one: a Good nursery with specific strengths in its inspection account, and a clear improvement point about making the educational experience consistent across staff.