Bunnies Preschool, Shephall

A bug garden, a classroom of its own and access to school grounds give Bunnies Preschool, Shephall a clear identity: play can move from construction and storytelling indoors to water, sand and den building outside. Based at Featherstone Wood School in Stevenage, it combines a preschool classroom with an outdoor area reserved for its children. The school field and wooden play equipment extend the possibilities when the weather allows.

At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good, highlighting children’s engagement, thoughtful relationships and support for emotional wellbeing, while asking for more time for children to develop answers and stronger staff coaching. Those improvement points matter alongside the praise.

The current age range is two to five. Morning and afternoon sessions, with lunch extensions for morning children, operate during term time.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for children’s learning and care: here, its play-based work includes conversation, physical activity, early number ideas and opportunities to make and explore. The daily routine combines children choosing their own activities with adults introducing particular learning opportunities. A requested toy or activity can be added where possible, giving children some influence over their day.

Indoors, children can choose construction toys, imaginative play, drawing and early writing, books, small-world play and mathematical activities. These are practical materials rather than a succession of formal lessons. In one adult-supported example, scales and baking equipment accompany play dough so children can investigate weight and size through handling objects and talking together.

Child of the Day gives a selected child a choice of activity and small responsibilities, such as sounding the bell when the session finishes. This makes participation concrete. Songs on the carpet include Good Morning and Days of the Week, with another song linked to the topic where possible; stories or singing bring the morning to a close.

In May 2024, children created a sensory garden, investigated soil and watered plants while discussing colour and scent. Group singing also involved foam, bubbles and water to bring rhymes into play. These examples show how familiar subjects became experiences children could handle and discuss, rather than simply listen to.

Outdoor and Community Life

The outside playground becomes part of the play space during the morning. Its bug garden, ride-on toys and play house sit alongside sand, water, train sets and den building. Children have several ways to be active or imaginative, rather than relying on one piece of equipment.

Warmer summer weather can bring use of the main playground and the large wooden equipment on the grass. The setting’s own outdoor space is exclusively for preschool use, while access to the wider school grounds adds another setting for physical play. These are different spaces with different uses, an important distinction for families weighing the outdoor offer.

In May 2024, the reading area provided somewhere for children to explore books independently, alongside group storytelling. The local children’s library was also invited to open days. Reading therefore featured both in shared activities and in opportunities for children to choose a book themselves.

In May 2024, families were brought together through picnics and social gatherings before children started. Staff gathered information about children’s interests and development to help shape activities. This made settling a process involving the family, rather than simply the child’s first session.

Daily mindfulness activities at that time included breathing exercises and conversations about feelings, supported by books about emotions. Children also shared pictures and stories from home during circle time. These offered different routes into talking about personal experiences: a familiar photograph, a fictional character or a physical exercise.

Friendships had practical expression. In May 2024, older children helped younger ones across a balancing beam, offering hands and encouragement. Staff recognised considerate behaviour and maintained clear rules. Children could practise both accepting help and giving it.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described respectful relationships with parents, including advice that helped families respond to challenging behaviour at home. The current staff structure includes designated safeguarding leads and special educational needs coordinator roles, with paediatric first aid training listed across several staff roles. These are arrangements for care and support, rather than a substitute for the dated safeguarding judgement.

In May 2024, staff exchanged developmental information with other childcare settings children attended and welcomed other providers into the preschool. For children dividing their week between settings, this offered a way for adults to coordinate their support. It should not be confused with an admissions advantage at a school.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1 Featherston Road, Stevenage, SG2 9PP, on the Featherstone Wood School site. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon; afternoon sessions run from noon to 3pm. Morning children can extend their attendance through lunch club until 1pm or 2pm, and the daily routine also describes staying through the afternoon until 3pm. The distinction is useful: a morning with a lunch extension and an afternoon session are separate attendance choices.

Getting There

Parents have no allocated parking on the school site, except for blue badge holders; the parking directions identify Featherston Road or The Hyde shops and the footpath beside the car park. That makes the final part of the journey on foot a practical consideration for families bringing younger siblings.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2024, the preschool provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Snack time includes fruit or vegetables, cereal or crackers, and milk or water. Children can choose when to join the snack table during its rolling period, with an adult checking that children absorbed in play do not miss it.

Attending this preschool does not guarantee a Reception place at Featherstone Wood School. Families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school place.

• Thinking time and staff coaching. In May 2024, children sometimes had too little time to answer questions fully, and coaching needed to become more firmly established. At a visit, ask how staff now extend children’s ideas and support one another’s teaching.
• Term-time attendance. Both morning and afternoon sessions sit within the school-term calendar. Families needing care during school holidays will need a separate arrangement.
• Lunch extensions. Morning children can stay until 1pm or 2pm for lunch club. Discuss which extension fits your child’s routine and how lunch is organised.
• School-site access. Parent parking on the school site is restricted to blue badge holders. Consider how the walk from Featherston Road or The Hyde shops will work with your family’s daily journey.

Bunnies Preschool, Shephall suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, including a morning extended through lunch. Its strongest practical assets are the classroom’s varied play choices, the preschool’s own outdoor area and access to larger school spaces.

The May 2024 picture combined engaging sensory activities and attention to feelings with clear teaching improvements to address. Families who value imaginative play, outdoor activity and a school-site setting have concrete reasons to consider it, while keeping thinking time and staff coaching central to their visit discussion.