Bush Babies Day Nursery

Six children under two, a rear outdoor play area and activities built around a book of the week give Bush Babies its small-scale character. Sensory exploration forms part of the activity offer, while older children have space for messy play and activities shaped by their interests. For parents choosing between settings, those are useful distinctions: the offer combines a modest overall size with different spaces for different stages.

Bush Babies Day Nursery has capacity for 24 children aged from birth to five in Cleckheaton. Ofsted rated it Good at its 17 January 2024 inspection. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families a choice of attendance patterns rather than a single daily commitment.

Rooms and Ages

Treasure baskets, water play, music and movement encourage children to explore through their senses. These are concrete ways for babies to investigate sounds, textures and materials before they can explain what interests them. The under-two provision accommodates six children, a useful scale to weigh when choosing care for a baby.

For children aged two to five, the nursery's largest indoor area combines a messy play area with a main room where activities follow children's interests. Wet and creative activities have their own space. The whole-setting capacity should be read separately from these age-group arrangements: it is not a statement about how many children attend together on a particular day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum provides the framework for learning, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics alongside creative exploration and understanding the world. In everyday terms, that means learning includes talking, playing, handling materials and practising self-care.

Activities based on the book of the week give stories a place beyond reading time. Sensory exploration, loose parts play and imaginative activities sit alongside experiences led by adults and time for children to choose their own play. That combination gives parents something concrete to look for: how an adult introduces an idea, then allows a child to explore it independently.

In January 2024, children experimented with ice and tried warm water as a way of melting it. Staff used questions to extend the investigation. Older children also practised recognising letters and identifying their names during circle time. These examples show the substance of the day at that point: practical exploration for one activity, early reading skills for another.

Outdoor and Community Life

A large outdoor play area sits behind the building, adding a physical space beyond the indoor rooms. In September 2009, participation in the personal, social and emotional development outdoors project led to changes to the outdoor area and its play resources. That is a historical development, rather than a promise of a current programme.

Day trips, outings and seasonal events also form part of the activity offer. In January 2024, children had regular opportunities for outdoor physical play. The practical value is straightforward: movement has a place in the nursery day as well as creative and language activities.

A series of pre-visits brings children and parents into the settling process before attendance begins. That gives the transition a concrete structure, with opportunities to become familiar with the setting together. It is a useful feature for families making their first move into nursery care.

At the January 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities were supported well, with positive relationships and good progress. In January 2024, the special educational needs coordinator worked with parents, practitioners and other professionals, while children's key people provided continuity through close relationships. The useful detail is the mechanism: support involved communication between the adults around a child.

Communication with families also had several forms in January 2024. Daily conversations were complemented by individual learning journals and development summaries, while activity and story bags offered ideas for learning at home. These channels served different purposes: quick exchanges about the day, a longer view of development and something practical to use together at home.

Health routines included opportunities to practise toothbrushing and learn about dentists in January 2024. Children also washed their hands, worked towards using the toilet independently and selected resources for themselves. However, adults sometimes intervened too quickly with coats, shoes and nose wiping. Giving children more time to manage these tasks was one of the improvement priorities, alongside more targeted professional development for staff.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 5 Cross Church Street, Cleckheaton, BD19 3RP. Bush Babies opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am to 6pm, throughout the year apart from one week at Christmas.

Morning sessions run from 7.45am to 1pm; afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm. A full day runs from 7.45am to 6pm. Weekly rates are based on full days from Monday to Friday, so the weekly arrangement and the individual session options serve different attendance needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded early education is accepted for children aged nine months, one, two, three and four, subject to receipt of a valid government code. The funding arrangements include qualifying two-year-olds' fifteen hours each week, fifteen hours for three- and four-year-olds over 38 weeks, and 30 hours over 38 weeks for eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds. Extra hours beyond a child's allocated funding can be added to a day session at registration for an additional charge, subject to availability.

Fees include food, snacks and drinks, together with nappies when needed. This brings an everyday consumable into the fee as well as meals. Obtain a current written quotation for your chosen attendance pattern.

Payment falls due at the start of the agreed weekly or monthly period, with bank transfer and tax-free childcare accepted. Holiday or sickness absences attract half fees for up to two weeks per year; other absences attract full fees. Bank holidays are charged at half fees, while the Christmas closure week carries no charge. These terms matter when comparing the cost of attendance across a year, rather than looking only at a usual week.

• Independence in practice. In January 2024, adults sometimes completed everyday tasks too quickly for children. On a visit, ask how children are now given time to tackle coats, shoes and self-care themselves.
• Teaching development. The January 2024 improvement priorities included training that builds specifically on practitioners' teaching. Ask how that work has changed the activities and interactions children experience.
• The youngest group. The under-two provision accommodates six children and settling includes pre-visits with parents. Ask how a baby's sleep routine is handled within that arrangement.
• Year-round costs. Holiday, sickness and bank-holiday charging differs from the Christmas closure. Use a written quotation for your chosen session pattern to understand the annual commitment.

Bush Babies suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day care, with a small under-two provision and separate space for older children's creative play. Sensory activities, the book of the week and the rear outdoor area give the offer tangible substance. The January 2024 priorities around independence and staff development are useful points to explore alongside the settling arrangements and attendance terms.