Busy Bees Derby Oakwood

A lending library and children helping to check the garden give Busy Bees Derby Oakwood a recognisable character: books travel home, while outdoor play brings opportunities to learn responsibility. Those examples come from April 2023, rather than a promise about today's routine. This is the Smalley Drive nursery in Oakwood, Derby, with capacity for 110 children aged 3 to 60 months.

At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support through prompt identification of needs and work with families and other professionals. The learning priorities were more precise: staff needed to develop children's thinking more consistently during unplanned play and give them greater freedom to choose their activities.

Full-time childcare and morning or afternoon attendance are offered through the nursery's booking enquiry. That gives families more than one attendance pattern to consider.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. This means developing language through conversation, learning to share and recognise feelings, and practising independence through everyday tasks, all illustrated in the nursery's April 2023 activities.

In April 2023, planned activities drew on children's interests and staff understood what individual children needed to learn next. Adult-guided activities included questions that encouraged children to think and words that broadened their vocabulary. The useful distinction is between planning an activity and making something of an unexpected discovery. Both matter to a child's experience.

Unplanned play was less consistently developed in April 2023. When children discovered a snail outdoors, the response acknowledged their excitement but did little to build further conversation or thinking. Children also sometimes had too little choice over their play materials. These weaknesses affected both the learning adults drew from children's discoveries and children's control over their own play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden offered more than space to play in April 2023. Children joined staff in looking for hazards before outdoor activities and understood that damaged equipment should be brought to an adult's attention. This made looking after their surroundings something they could participate in.

A bee discovered on play equipment became another shared experience that month. Children helped decide where it could be moved and connected their ideas with Buzz, the nursery teddy. Their contribution mattered: the adults and children worked together, rather than the adult simply removing the bee and ending the conversation.

The lending library also linked nursery and home in April 2023. Families borrowed books to share with their children, giving stories a life beyond the nursery day. It was a practical response to parents having difficulty accessing their local library, with reading at home supporting the language work happening in nursery.

Familiar relationships were central to the April 2023 daily experience. Children had close connections with their key person, and staff used personal comforts and suitable play to help babies and younger children settle. The practical strength was attention to the individual child: settling involved recognising what helped them feel comfortable.

In April 2023, adults talked with children about feelings and gave gentle reminders about sharing and taking turns. Toddlers were also allowed time to work out how to put on their coats when their first attempt went wrong. Everyday tasks became opportunities to practise independence, with staff resisting the temptation to do everything for them.

Communication with families was another part of care in April 2023. Parents spoke positively about updates on development and progress. Staff also monitored sleeping babies closely, making sleep supervision a specific part of the care described at that date.

In a compliance outcome dated 25 January 2024, Ofsted recorded that the nursery had failed to notify it of two earlier staff allegations, although it had correctly notified a further allegation on 16 November 2023; during the regulatory telephone call on 22 January 2024, the manager confirmed understanding of the notification requirements. This later finding qualifies the reassurance families can take from the earlier safeguarding judgement.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 29 Smalley Drive, Oakwood, Derby, DE21 2SF. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures on bank holidays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

Families can request full-time childcare or select morning and afternoon attendance for weekdays. These are different booking choices within the opening window; the opening hours should not be treated as the length of every booked session. Enquiries can be made through the nursery's contact form or its central enrolments team on 0330 333 8133.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered. The funding 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.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. For families combining funding and paid childcare, the useful comparison is the complete attendance arrangement and its associated charges, rather than the funded entitlement alone.

• Children's choices. In April 2023, children sometimes had limited control over what they played with, and spontaneous discoveries were not consistently extended. During a visit, ask how staff now develop child-led play and respond to unexpected interests.
• Notification procedures. The 25 January 2024 outcome recorded failures to notify two earlier allegations. Ask how concerns are escalated and how notification responsibilities are checked.
• Settling into Smalley Drive. Familiar staff and personal comforts supported settling in April 2023. A visit is the opportunity to discuss how your child's key person and settling sessions will be arranged.
• The complete funded arrangement. Eligibility determines the funding route. Request a written breakdown covering the funded attendance pattern, additional paid hours, meals and consumables before committing.

Busy Bees Derby Oakwood suits families considering full-time childcare as well as those seeking morning or afternoon attendance in Oakwood. Its April 2023 experience included useful, tangible practices: books borrowed for home, children helping care for the garden and toddlers given time to manage everyday tasks themselves.

The decision should also account for the learning improvements identified in April 2023 and the later notification failures recorded in January 2024. Full-time, morning and afternoon attendance give families different practical choices, but the dated learning and notification findings remain material considerations.