Busy Bunnies Nursery, Braybrook

A separate garden for babies, free-flow play and three rooms give Busy Bunnies Nursery, Braybrook a clear physical shape. Babies have outdoor space of their own; toddlers and preschool children share a larger garden. For families choosing care across the early years, that separation is a useful part of the offer.

The nursery has capacity for 34 children aged three months to five years, at Braybrook Cp School in Orton Goldhay, Peterborough. At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective. The practical offer combines morning, afternoon and all-day sessions, with funded hours delivered either during term time or stretched across the year.

There are also two important reservations from April 2024: staff deployment sometimes interrupted children's engagement in adult-led activities, and work with parents needed strengthening, especially where families spoke English as an additional language. Those points matter alongside the positive judgement.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room has a separate garden, while the Toddler Room and Pre-School room use the large shared garden. Purpose-built accommodation and free-flow play make movement between learning spaces part of the session, rather than confining the day to one room.

The room structure separates babies from the older stages while retaining shared outdoor space for toddlers and preschool children. For a parent comparing provision across ages, the useful distinction is the environment each stage uses, rather than treating the nursery's total capacity as a room size.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines contribute to learning, alongside activities guided by staff. Braybrook also responds to children's interests and gives them opportunities to make choices.

In April 2024, books were accessible in a book corner, children selected them for themselves, and staff read with small groups. A book could also go home for family reading. That connects an activity in the nursery with something parents and children can share beyond it.

During the same month, children collaborated on puzzles, exchanging ideas and pieces. Staff used questions to encourage their thinking. However, adult-led activities sometimes lost children's attention because staff had not fully considered where they should be working. The distinction is useful: an appealing activity still depends on how adults organise it.

Outdoor and Community Life

In April 2024, the outdoor area included large climbing walls, vegetable growing and guinea pigs for children to help care for. These offered different kinds of experience: physical challenge, watching plants develop and taking responsibility for animals.

The current daily routine gives garden free-flow periods to both morning and afternoon attendance. Occasional trips and special events are also part of the group-wide offer reproduced for Braybrook. Participation is optional, contributions may be requested for some trips, and the nursery remains open for children who do not take part. A trip therefore need not determine whether a child can attend that day.

Relationships and Communication

A key person builds relationships with the child and family from the start through to the move to school. Regular family workshops and stay-and-play sessions offer opportunities to join in, while termly consultations provide a more structured discussion of development.

Tapestry is an online learning journal that lets parents see children's activities and achievements and contribute observations from home. The group-wide description used at Braybrook also includes newsletters and information through the service. Some families who use English as an additional language translate information from the app, which offers another way to understand nursery communication.

In April 2024, families were invited to visit before children started, helping them become familiar with the surroundings. Staff also combined an app with conversations at the end of the day. Nevertheless, engaging parents in learning remained an improvement point, especially for families using English as an additional language. Access to messages and participation in a child's learning are different things.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Staff have training in speech and language development and supporting children with special educational needs. At the April 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator and key people set achievable targets, monitored development and sought support from other professionals, helping children make good progress.

In April 2024, staff also used words supplied by parents in children's home languages, clear spoken language and visual cues. Everyday independence included pouring drinks, serving food and getting ready for outdoor play. These are concrete examples of care and learning working together, with children practising manageable tasks for themselves.

Lunch can be cooked by the nursery cook, or families can send a healthy packed lunch. The group-wide snack arrangement used at Braybrook changes its menu each term, giving children different foods to try.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Braybrook Cp School, Braybrook, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, PE2 5QL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with bank holidays closed.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm, and all-day sessions from 8am to 6pm. The paid-session options also include 9am to 3pm, 8am to 3pm and 9am to 6pm. These choices give families several ways to fit attendance around work and other commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged nine months, two, three and four years. Funded hours can be arranged between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, up to ten hours in a day, with term-time or stretched delivery according to parent preference. For an entitlement of 15 hours a week, the term-time option uses those hours during term; stretching spreads attendance across the year.

Parents supply nappies and baby wipes, with no consumables charge for those items. Sun cream has a separate charge if families choose nursery provision, or parents can supply their own. Occasional trip contributions apply only where requested, and participation remains optional. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

The nursery occupies a school address, but attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still use the local authority's school admissions process; nursery attendance and a school application are separate decisions.

• Adult-led activities. In April 2024, staff deployment sometimes reduced children's concentration. On a visit, ask how adults now organise group activities and sustain children's involvement.
• Communication across languages. Tapestry allows family contributions, and some families translate app information. The April 2024 improvement point concerned engaging parents in learning, so ask how home-language communication supports participation beyond receiving updates.
• Attendance and funding. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions sit alongside term-time and stretched funding. Discuss which combination matches the days and hours your family needs, including how cooked lunches are arranged during funded attendance.

Braybrook suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as all-day attendance, with term-time and stretched funding offering further flexibility. Its separate baby garden, shared outdoor space for older children and two-way Tapestry journal are tangible reasons to consider it.

The April 2024 judgement was positive, but adult deployment and parental engagement deserve attention when choosing the setting. The strongest case is practical: different attendance patterns, environments for different stages and opportunities for families to contribute to their child's learning.