Busy Bodies Nursery

An allotment, library visits and a link with a nursery in Gambia give Busy Bodies Nursery’s August 2025 day a reach beyond its play spaces. Based at St Mary's Old School in Euxton, Chorley, it accepts children aged 3 to 48 months.

At its August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The main improvement point concerned language: staff needed to build vocabulary more systematically around each child’s stage of development.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children’s learning, development and care; here, the August 2025 activities included choosing resources, exploring materials and practising physical skills through play. Children could follow their interests, while staff used observations to shape individual learning plans. That gave their choices a place in the planned day. Planning began with what each child already understood and could do, making individual interests useful starting points for further learning. For parents, the important connection is between a child's chosen activity and what practitioners help them attempt next. Choice and adult planning worked together.

Language practice was visible in the exploration tub that August: staff repeated words such as sprinkle, poke and squeeze for babies to imitate. These linked words to actions children were carrying out. The improvement point concerned how consistently staff extended that vocabulary and matched their conversations to individual language development, rather than whether words featured in play.

In August 2025, visits to the allotment involved growing vegetables and fruit, while the library brought singing and stories. These experiences connected practical exploration with language and books. Contact with a nursery in Gambia introduced similarities and differences between children’s lives, alongside visits to a home for older people. Books and real-life experiences also introduced religious festivals and cultures. The community element therefore extended beyond outings: it gave children material for thinking about other people and what they shared with them.

Physical activity also had a clear place that August. Children rode tricycles, ran and climbed; babies used garden and indoor equipment to practise body control. Handling tools added opportunities to develop smaller hand movements.

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found effective SEND support, with advice from outside professionals informing shared strategies and key persons setting individual targets around children’s interests. This connected specialist advice with the activities children enjoyed.

Everyday relationships mattered too. In August 2025, staff responded to children’s individual needs, spoke calmly and helped them practise taking turns and recognising emotions. Children separated readily from their families. Staff demonstrated the behaviour they wanted children to learn and used routines to support it. Children played together amicably, giving turn-taking a practical setting rather than treating it as an isolated instruction. For families, these details help explain the nursery's approach to everyday social learning: adult responses, familiar routines and opportunities to practise with other children.

Communication that August combined an online app and newsletters with conversations in person. Parents could contribute through an open-door arrangement, giving staff and families several ways to exchange information. This made communication part of ordinary nursery life, with both written updates and direct discussion. The routes served different purposes: newsletters and the app carried updates, while conversations allowed an exchange between families and staff. At mealtimes, children practised handling utensils and pouring drinks while discussing food and exercise.

The address is St Mary's Old School, Wigan Road, Euxton, Chorley, PR7 6JW.

In August 2025, opening hours were 7.45am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year. Government-funded childcare formed part of the offer at that time. These opening hours describe the operating window rather than a particular session package.

• Language development. The August 2025 improvement action called for vocabulary teaching matched more closely to individual development. Ask how staff now plan the next language steps for your child.
• Starting nursery. Children separated easily from their families in August 2025. For a newcomer, ask how settling visits and the initial attendance pattern would work.

Busy Bodies suits families who value learning through practical activity and connections beyond the nursery. Its August 2025 strengths included individual planning, community experiences and responsive relationships. The allotment and library illustrate that practical emphasis, while the Gambia link adds another perspective on children's lives. Families placing importance on independence also have concrete examples to weigh: choosing activities, using utensils and pouring drinks. Vocabulary development deserves attention alongside those strengths when weighing the nursery’s fit for your child.