Busy Bunnies

Forest School adds outdoor learning, and a small fruit-tree garden gives Busy Bunnies a recognisable character. This family-run Hornsey setting has capacity for 22 children and currently accepts children from 18 months to five years. Provision is divided between Infants and Pre-school, although the published infant-room age band starts younger than the current provider age range.

Ofsted judged the nursery Good in September 2023 and found safeguarding effective. Children were confident and settled, staff interactions were skilful, and the curriculum was ambitious and shaped around children's interests. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm throughout the year.

Rooms and Ages

The bright Infants room has soft furnishings, treasure baskets and heuristic play materials. Daily feedback is given verbally and through a diary, giving families a practical account of care and play. The Pre-school room adds a Montessori shelf, role-play based on everyday tasks, and dedicated literacy and numeracy areas for reading, writing, problem-solving and sequencing.

Those rooms sit within a 22-place setting. That whole-setting capacity is different from the number of children present on a particular day. The nursery's current accepted age range is 18 months to five years.

Learning and Named Experiences

The EYFS organises children's development across areas such as communication, physical development, literacy and mathematics. Busy Bunnies layers Montessori and Forest School principles on top. In practice, its curriculum covers phonics and storytelling, counting and shape, creative work, movement, relationships and understanding the wider world. A Forest School leader takes children outdoors to learn, while the wider programme names football, music and movement, cooking and pottery.

The daily routine moves from breakfast and free-flow play to circle time, an extra-curricular activity, lunch and quieter afternoon work. Younger children can nap while older children take part in Montessori activities; puppet tales, child-led stories, indoor and outdoor play, tea and a final group activity follow. This gives the day a clear rhythm while retaining periods in which children choose their own play.

In September 2023, staff turned children's interest in colour into experiments with primary-coloured ink and water. Older children predicted the result of mixing colours, while younger children practised pencil control and puzzles. Birthday parties also became language and mathematics opportunities through counting candles and naming balloon colours.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School is more than an outdoor label here because the nursery identifies a leader who takes children outside to learn. Children also used cherry, fig and apple trees in the garden. Children recalled how plants, fruit and vegetables grow and knew when fruit was ready to pick, making the natural world part of first-hand learning.

Relationships and Communication

Short settling sessions can be arranged before a child's start date, after which a key person supports the transition. In September 2023, staff knew children very well, offered comfort and built caring, respectful relationships. Children were confident, willing to try activities independently and proud to share achievements.

Communication has a positive base but also a clear development point. Parents said staff considered children's individual needs and regularly shared progress. A September 2023 finding asked the nursery to share more about its current developmental priorities, so parents could extend learning at home. The infant diary and verbal handovers give parents practical points for discussing how learning priorities are now shared.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Staff used information about children's heritage and holidays to plan cultural activities, including displays of international foods and greetings. This helped children recognise home experiences and respect one another's uniqueness. They also saw staff building independence through tidying, putting on shoes and handwashing before meals.

Ofsted found safeguarding effective in September 2023. Staff understood signs of abuse and reporting procedures, asked about existing injuries, maintained secure premises and used risk assessments for outings. Children also learned road safety on trips.

Meals are cooked on site each day using a four-week rotation. Vegetarian options are offered and the nursery says dietary requirements can be accommodated on request. Its published policy excludes nuts, sugar and salt, while fruit and water are available through the day. Parents provide nappies and formula.

Sessions and Attendance

Busy Bunnies is on Wightman Road, London N8 0LY. It opens from 8am to 6pm each weekday and operates all year. The published daily routine spans that full window, beginning with breakfast and ending with tidy-up and home time. The published full-day routine runs across those hours.

The nursery says applications, spaces, fees and viewing appointments are handled by telephone. Current nursery-specific prices are supplied through that enquiry route.

Funding and Paid Extras

In September 2023, the provider received funding to offer early education for children aged two, three and four. Current eligibility, funded-hour patterns and any additional charges need direct confirmation from the nursery. Meals are prepared by the nursery, while parents provide nappies and formula; the published information does not attach a fee position to meals.

• Age-band alignment. The current provider record starts at 18 months, while the nursery's Infants page describes a room from four months to two years. The age currently accepted is therefore an important point to settle for a younger child.
• Attendance pattern. The setting publishes weekday opening hours and a full daily routine, but not the days and session patterns families can book. Availability may shape whether the nursery fits a working week.
• Learning updates. The 2023 finding asked for clearer information about staff's current developmental priorities. The nursery's present system for sharing these priorities matters to parents who want to continue learning at home.
• Allergies and consumables. The nursery publishes a nut-free policy and says dietary requirements can be accommodated. Current kitchen practice is an important discussion for allergy-affected families, while those using nappies or formula need to provide them.

Busy Bunnies suits families looking for an all-year weekday setting where Montessori work, Forest School and a compact, clearly structured routine sit together. The fruit-tree garden, practical role play and on-site cooking make the offer tangible, while Ofsted’s Good 2023 judgement provides recent independent evidence of confident children and effective safeguarding. The main questions are practical: the accepted age discrepancy, the bookable attendance patterns and how learning priorities are now shared with parents.