Busy Buddies Nursery at Puxton Park

Flower-petal perfume and produce grown in vegetable plots give Busy Buddies Nursery at Puxton Park a recognisable outdoor thread. Those activities featured in January 2023, alongside a more searching question about how consistently children benefited from the garden.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), were making good progress. The setting has capacity for 23 children, with an age range from birth to five years.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: here, the January 2023 examples included conversation, stories, sensory exploration and choices during play. Children selected toys, songs and snacks, giving them opportunities to practise independence.

In January 2023, adults extended children's vocabulary through conversation and answered babies' babbling. Stories held children's attention across the ages. In the baby room, nursery rhymes and messy play accompanied gentle conversation and reassurance, bringing language into care as well as organised activities.

Summer experiences described in January 2023 included local park visits and growing produce in vegetable plots. Children also made perfume with flower petals. The garden contained plentiful resources, but its use across the year needed improvement: children were missing more consistent opportunities to learn outdoors.

In January 2023, the key person used information gathered from families before children started to plan their learning. Daily updates covered routines, helping parents connect the nursery day with care at home. Staff modelled sharing and turn-taking, while children helped clear up after play and lunch.

Room changes received practical attention in January 2023: children visited their next room alongside their key person. Babies received help at mealtimes and slept according to their needs. For children with SEND, staff worked with families and outside agencies and used additional funding to address individual needs.

The address is Puxton Park, Cowslip Lane, Hewish, Weston-Super-Mare, BS24 6AH. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closure between Christmas and New Year.

In January 2023, the nursery received funding for early education for children aged two, three and four. At that time, staff supplied healthy snacks and parents supplied lunch.

• Outdoor consistency. In January 2023, the garden was not used to its full potential throughout the year. Ask how outdoor learning now continues beyond summer.
• Planning attendance. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Ask which booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would fit your child's week.

Busy Buddies merits consideration for families seeking a small overall capacity and an emphasis on conversation, sensory play and outdoor experiences. Its January 2023 account gives concrete examples of care and learning, with year-round use of the garden the clearest point to explore. Families needing weekday care across the year have an opening schedule to work with.