Busy Bunnies

A Montessori shelf for choosing activities, practical household tasks in the role-play area and outdoor learning led by a Forest School leader give Busy Bunnies a recognisable mix of independent play and adult guidance. Montessori here involves showing children how to use materials suited to their development; Forest School brings learning outdoors. These approaches sit alongside the everyday work of talking, playing and preparing for school.

Busy Bunnies has capacity for 22 children, with a current age range of 18 to 60 months, on Wightman Road in Hornsey. At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. That assessment provides a useful foundation, but its two improvement priorities also matter: clearer information for parents about learning and more teaching-specific staff development.

The scale is worth distinguishing from the room arrangements. The 22 places are for the nursery as a whole, rather than a promise about the number of children sharing any particular activity. For parents, the strongest reasons to consider Busy Bunnies are its practical learning materials, outdoor teaching and a settling process that starts before the child's first regular attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Infants combines soft furnishings with treasure baskets and materials for exploratory play, giving younger children things to investigate in a room designed around their movement. Pre-school has a Montessori shelf, literacy and numeracy areas, and role-play involving household jobs such as setting a table or cleaning up, connecting independent choices with skills children can use beyond nursery.

These are different learning environments rather than interchangeable rooms. Younger children's play centres on handling and discovering materials; older children's surroundings also make space for early reading, writing and problem-solving. The Pre-school activities include both choices children make themselves and tasks guided by adults.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play gives children opportunities to build language, movement, early number skills and relationships. Montessori activities add guided use of educational materials, while a Forest School leader takes learning outside. Neither approach replaces the framework.

Creative work includes dancing, role-play, music and making marks. Early literacy involves stories, phonetic sounds and tracing letters; number activities explore counting, shape and measurement. Cooking, pottery and football broaden the activities beyond table-based tasks. The practical value is the variety of ways children can participate, using movement, conversation and materials rather than one form of instruction.

The daily routine moves between child-chosen play, group songs and adult-led activities. Younger children have a nap period, while older children undertake Montessori activities; hand-puppet stories and child-led storytelling follow. Later, quiet time and meditation form another change of pace. This gives the day identifiable rhythms while retaining periods when children direct their play.

In September 2023, colour exploration included tissue paper, coloured water and predictions about mixing colours. Children also practised pencil control and worked on puzzles. These examples show how one interest could generate different tasks, from experimenting with materials to more precise hand movements.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2023, the garden contained cherry, apple and fig trees. Children discussed growing food and recognised when fruit could be picked. That made the outdoor space a practical resource for learning about plants, rather than simply a place to run around.

During the same month, activities drew on children's family cultures and holiday experiences, with displays relating to food and greetings. Children's home experiences became starting points for discussion and discovery. This is a useful complement to the current curriculum's emphasis on finding out about people, communities and the environment.

Parents can attend short settling sessions with their child before the start date. A key-worker then takes responsibility for helping the child settle. This creates a link between the initial sessions together and the child's subsequent nursery attendance, rather than treating settling as a single introductory appointment.

For Infants, daily communication combines a diary with spoken feedback. That gives parents two ways to hear about their child's day. In September 2023, staff offered comfort and knew children individually; routines also encouraged children to manage tasks such as putting on shoes, tidying materials and washing their hands before meals.

At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted asked the nursery to improve information that helps parents continue learning at home and to deepen staff development in teaching and learning. The distinction matters: an account of the day's care is useful, but parents also need to understand the developmental work behind activities. These were improvement priorities within a Good judgement.

Meals are prepared at the nursery each day, with a four-week menu cycle and vegetarian choices. Its food policy excludes nuts, salt and sugar, while dietary requirements and allergies are catered for on request. Parents supply nappies and formula, so those items remain part of the family's preparation for attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Busy Bunnies opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, and operates throughout the year. These are opening hours. The daily routine includes breakfast, lunch, tea, indoor and outdoor play, and a rest period for younger children.

Telephone contact is the route for fee enquiries and appointments to view the nursery. Settling sessions serve a separate purpose: they allow parent and child to spend time together at nursery before regular attendance begins.

Getting There

The address is Busy Bunnies, Wightman Road, London, N8 0LY. Hornsey is the nursery's local setting, with its activities divided between indoor spaces and outdoor learning.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2023, the nursery received early-education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise of an individual child's funded arrangement. Fee enquiries are handled directly by telephone; parents also need to supply nappies and formula.

• Starting age and attendance. The current age range is 18 to 60 months, while the Infants description covers younger babies. At a visit, which room, attendance arrangement and funding terms would apply to your child's age and intended start date?
• Learning information. September 2023 brought a recommendation for better information about children's developmental priorities. Ask how the daily diary and conversations now connect nursery activities with learning at home.
• Teaching development. More specialised development in teaching and learning was the other September 2023 improvement priority. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how staff develop and adapt the activities children undertake.
• Food requirements. Meals follow a four-week rotation and the nursery has a policy excluding nuts, salt and sugar. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice and their child's arrangements before attendance.

Busy Bunnies suits families drawn to practical, play-based learning: Montessori materials, household role-play and outdoor teaching give that preference concrete form. Its weekday opening window and year-round operation also matter for parents planning regular childcare.

The September 2023 Good judgement sits alongside two useful points for a visit: how parents receive information about learning, and how staff develop their teaching. The clearest reason to choose it is the combination of hands-on activities and a settling process involving parents before the start date, rather than the opening hours alone.