Sunny Days Nursery

Sunny Corner, a fantasy-themed outdoor space with fairies, giant pebbles and shells, gives Sunny Days Nursery a recognisable character. This parent-committee-led setting in St Day combines imaginative outdoor play with village outings and practical tasks such as growing food. Its community connections shape what children do, rather than simply supplying a backdrop.

The nursery occupies the St Day and Carharrack Community School site, at Burnwithian near Redruth, and has 37 places in total for children aged 0-5. At its February 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective. Those are dated judgements, and a later notification failure is an important part of the picture for families.

Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions sit alongside preschool wraparound care. The attraction is a combination of shorter attendance patterns, outdoor resources and parent involvement, with clear questions to pursue about learning challenge, communication and regulatory practice.

Rooms and Ages

Sunbeam room and the pre-school room provide the nursery's room structure. Key-person support and parent updates accompany the move to preschool, helping maintain familiarity during the change.

Both rooms have rest areas, cots and sleep mats. Sleep follows home routines where possible, giving younger children somewhere to pause during the day.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the common early-years framework here: children develop language, relationships, movement, early reading and mathematics through play and planned activities. Painting and chalk support mark-making, while dressing and toileting build independence.

Beyond that framework, the in-house Forest School includes growing vegetables and plants, connecting outdoor activity with food. St Day School helped fund the provision.

In February 2023, preschool staff gave children time to answer questions. Wooden-spoon story characters supported reading, and a pallet with milk crates became a pretend bus, providing starting points for conversation and imagination.

That February 2023 account also described children weighing coloured oats and moving them between containers to explore quantity. Preschool children served their own water and cleaned their plates, practising everyday independence. However, some adult-directed activities did not stretch children ready for greater challenge.

Outdoor and Community Life

Sunny Corner brings imagination outdoors: trucks and diggers share a soil pit with shells and oversized pebbles. A chalkboard, mud kitchen and sandpit support drawing and experimenting. The shelter provides shade and rain protection.

A climbing frame, slide, bikes, cars and balancing equipment support physical play. In February 2023, children balanced on tyres and planks, while raised cubbies provided a cosy place to read with torches.

Outings include the park, village walks and Feast Day celebrations; children may also visit the shop or post office. Parents can join trips further afield. Familiar local places give learning about the world a practical setting.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who plans and monitors learning and provides a familiar relationship for both child and parent. Settling-in sessions help children get to know staff, their room and other children when they first join. The emphasis is on familiarity built through contact, rather than expecting a child to adapt immediately.

Tapestry Learning Journeys is the app used to share photographs, milestones and information about children's progress. Parents can respond to posts, so communication can include their perspective as well as staff observations. Alongside this, newsletters carry practical information about what children need to bring.

In February 2023, parents received photographs and spoken updates, but communication did not consistently include the specific learning steps staff were targeting. A photograph of an enjoyable activity and an explanation of what comes next serve different purposes. That distinction remains a useful point for families assessing how the key-person system works for them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A lead SENCO role coordinates concerns about additional needs and can help families access professional input, including speech and language support. Staff also undertake training that includes autism awareness, children's mental health and safe sleep. These are mechanisms for responding to individual needs; families can discuss how they would translate into support for their own child.

School transition includes sharing children's interests, friendships and learning information with the receiving school. This gives the next setting a fuller picture than a simple list of achievements. Attendance here does not guarantee a Reception place at the school on site; families still use the local authority admissions process.

Meals follow a menu that changes weekly, and children can help with cooking, growing and food preparation. Dietary requirements are gathered from parents, making a child's needs part of the meal arrangements.

Ofsted's compliance outcome dated 12 December 2024 recorded that Sunny Days had failed to report a significant event, following a regulatory telephone call on 9 December 2024. That notification failure is the latest published regulatory position and should be considered alongside the earlier safeguarding judgement, rather than absorbed into it.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is St. Day & Carharrack Community School, Burnwithian, St. Day, Redruth, TR16 5LG. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by calling 01209 821868.

Morning sessions run from 8.30am to 11.30am, afternoon sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, and the all-day pattern from 9am to 3pm. The pre-school room opens from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Wraparound care takes place in the nursery room in half-hour bookings, including an 8am to 8.30am session.

Bookings are agreed before attendance begins and kept consistent to support routines. The nursery operates for 50 weeks of the year, while preschool follows a term-time pattern of approximately 37 weeks and closes during school holidays and Feast Day. A month's notice is required when changing booked sessions, so alterations to a working pattern need advance planning.

Getting There

During term time, the school car park is restricted to permit holders between 8.15am and 4pm, with two disability spaces for badge holders. Parking is also available in the village and beside the church, so the school site should not be assumed to provide unrestricted parking for nursery families.

Funding and Paid Extras

Sunny Days offers eligible two-year-old funding, the usual 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds, and 30-hour funded places for qualifying three- and four-year-olds. Claiming the full 15 funded hours requires attendance over at least two days per week. Funded sessions must last between 2.5 and 10 hours; the half-hour wraparound bookings are a separate arrangement. The 15-hour entitlement can be stretched over 12 months, with a maximum of 11 funded hours per week. The separate 30-hour arrangement requires an approved application and a funding code.

Private hours are charged by booked session. Lunch, breakfast and snacks attract separate charges where applicable, including alongside funded attendance; children receiving EYPP are exempt from these charges under the fee policy. Play activities may also be charged where applicable, and planned trips can carry an additional charge communicated in advance.

Parents supply sun cream and hats, with sun cream applied before attendance on warm, sunny days. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page explains the charging structure. Invoices cover the following month and are due by the 26th, making payment timing another part of the childcare budget.

• Learning challenge and useful updates. February 2023 improvement points concerned stretching the most able children and sharing their targeted learning steps with parents. On a visit, ask for an example of how staff extend an activity and how the key person explains the next step to a family.
• Notification practice. The 12 December 2024 outcome concerned failure to report a significant event. Ask what changed in the notification procedure following that finding; the dated outcome should inform the conversation without assuming a later resolution.
• The attendance agreement. Nursery closing times conflict between 5.30pm and 6pm, although the shorter session patterns have specific times. Confirm the closing time in the written booking agreement, especially if work commitments depend on late collection.
• Dietary needs and extras. Dietary information is collected, while food and some activities are charged separately where applicable. Families managing allergies should confirm current meal practice and have the applicable extras set out alongside their chosen sessions.

Sunny Days suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, a 9am-3pm day, or preschool wraparound bookings. Sunny Corner, Forest School growing activities and village outings make it a useful option for parents who value practical outdoor learning and community involvement.

The February 2023 improvement points and December 2024 notification failure remain material to the decision, alongside the attendance agreement and communication about learning.