Bluebirds Day Nursery

Books lead into play at Bluebirds: a story can become a puppet activity, a craft project or an exploration of the garden. This Grays nursery combines that emphasis on language with a Penguin Room for babies, a Sensory Tent for quieter moments and a structured approach to additional needs.

Bluebirds has capacity for 48 children, with an accepted age range of 3 months to 5 years. At the 13 August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall, while identifying a need for staff to stretch older children and those ready for more demanding learning more consistently.

The setting occupies a renovated building on London Road, with outdoor space behind it and parking at the front for collection and drop-off. Full-day, morning and afternoon bookings sit alongside funded session patterns, giving families several ways to organise attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Penguin Room, for children aged 0 to 2 years, is upstairs, can accommodate 12 babies and has space that can be divided for different activities, with daily sensory exploration using water, dough and sand. Its routine follows each baby's needs rather than expecting babies to fit one timetable.

Pelican Room serves children aged 2 to 3 years, using changing puzzles, games and toys alongside brief activities shaped by a weekly theme drawn from children's interests. Peacock Room, for ages 3 to 5, combines work on early reading, writing and concentration with themed learning; the room also accommodates dining, creative work and messy activities for both groups.

Penguin Room's cap is separate from whole-nursery capacity and daily attendance.

Learning and Activities

EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, that means conversation, physical play, friendships, stories, creative work and early mathematical exploration woven into the day. Staff spend the first two weeks observing a new child's play and interactions, then use those interests to plan what comes next. Parents' knowledge of their child has a place in that planning too.

Reading at Bluebirds, Theme and Activities turns a chosen book into related play using resources such as puppets, jigsaws and craft materials. Regular library visits, visiting librarians and invitations for parents to read in their home languages extend that interest beyond staff-led story time.

Physical learning is equally concrete. Balance equipment, obstacle activities and yoga support movement, while tools such as tweezers and scissors give children practice controlling their hands. Growing plants introduces measuring and recording change.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden includes planting space, construction resources and bikes, giving children different reasons to take their play outside. Children can move resources to develop their own ideas. Penguin Room's daily outdoor opportunities are weather dependent, so its outdoor routine retains flexibility.

Sensory Tent provides a quieter space away from the busy rooms, where children can relax and explore. Staff observe play there and use it to plan subsequent activities.

Outings follow children's interests rather than a fixed destination schedule. Social story books help children revisit outings afterwards.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is planned around the child. Free introductory sessions are arranged after a start date is agreed, with the first usually involving a parent staying for approximately 30 minutes and a later visit normally lasting one to two hours. Further short visits can follow when needed. For babies, these meetings include discussion of feeding, sleep and the daily care plan.

A key person is assigned to each baby, taking responsibility for settling and recording development. Across the nursery, daily conversations and termly meetings give parents opportunities to discuss learning, concerns and what they see at home. Blossom Parent App carries updates, while messages, telephone calls and individual meetings provide additional ways to communicate.

School preparation includes practical habits as well as learning activities. In August 2024, children practised managing coats and shoes, serving themselves and helping with lunchtime tasks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The Thurrock 3 Step SEN Checklist for Early Years structures how staff identify additional needs: they gather information from home, observe the child and consider changes to routines, surroundings and activities. A SEN Support Plan then sets out outcomes and interventions, with the key person and SENCO involved in reviewing progress with parents. Visual prompts, choice cards and adapted activities are among the practical tools used.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND especially strong, with individual targets, professional involvement and additional funding used for resources or individual adult support.

The building has wheelchair access, an accessible toilet and a ground floor without steps.

Food is cooked on the premises, with seasonal menus changing over a two-week rotation. The allergy policy uses room allergy lists and an ingredient folder maintained by the cook, with special diets planned with parents.

Moving to school involves sharing a transition document, arranging visits to meet the new teacher and inviting school staff to see the child at nursery. Meetings between parents, teachers and nursery staff can support that handover when needed.

Sessions and Attendance

Bluebirds is at 68 London Road, Grays, Essex, RM17 5XX. It opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, across a 51-week operating year, with the final week of the year closed.

Full Time Sessions run from 8am to 6pm. Part Time Sessions comprise a morning booking from 8am to 1pm or an afternoon booking from 1pm to 6pm. Additional hours for a part-time booking can be discussed with the manager. Sessions and booked days cannot be swapped interchangeably, which matters if a parent's working pattern changes frequently.

For 15 Hours Session Only, the shorter windows are 8am to 11am, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 3pm to 6pm; the longer alternatives are 8am to 1pm and 1pm to 6pm. The 30 Hours Sessions Only patterns are 8am to 2pm, noon to 6pm and 8am to 6pm. These funded patterns have five-day or three-day arrangements, with the three-day options subject to availability.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01375511440 or by email to info@bluebirdschildcare.co.uk. Joining involves completing and returning a registration form, and a non-refundable registration charge applies. If a waiting list operates, its order is first come, first served.

Getting There

The front car park is reserved for parents collecting or dropping off children.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour session options, with term-time and stretched attendance arrangements. The fees page explains that funding covers 38 weeks, while the nursery operates for 51; its annual calculation combines funded and unfunded weeks and spreads payments across 12 months. Families using year-round care therefore need to budget for the unfunded portion as well as any additional private hours.

Meals are charged separately on the longer funded sessions: the five-hour options under the 15-hour pattern and all the listed 30-hour patterns carry a meal fee. For babies, parents supply wipes, nappies, creams and dry formula in its original container. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Fees are payable monthly in advance. Leaving at the end of a term requires at least one month's written notice; cancelling or changing an agreed start requires four weeks' written notice. Withdrawing during the academic year can trigger a funding recalculation and an invoice for any shortfall under the nursery's terms.

• Stretch for older children. In August 2024, staff did not consistently extend learning for older children and those ready for greater challenge. During a visit, ask how a familiar activity is now developed for a child who has already mastered it.
• An upstairs baby room. Penguin Room accommodates up to 12 babies upstairs, while the ground floor has step-free access. A visit should explore how that layout fits your child's mobility and daily care needs.
• Funded attendance and changes. Longer funded sessions carry meal charges, and leaving during the academic year can prompt a funding recalculation. Compare the intended attendance pattern with the written quotation and withdrawal terms before committing.
• Allergy arrangements. Staff use room allergy lists and the cook maintains ingredient information. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and serving procedures for their child's particular needs.

Bluebirds suits families seeking mornings, afternoons or full days, including term-time and stretched attendance. Book-led play, Sensory Tent and structured additional support give the offer substance.

Balance those attractions against the upstairs baby room, funded-care withdrawal terms and the August 2024 finding about challenge for older children.