Bunny Run Child Care Centre

Five acres of private woodland give Bunny Run Child Care Centre its defining character. Outdoor learning reaches from babies travelling in quad pushchairs to preschool children investigating the coast at Eastbourne. This is a nursery where the natural world supplies much of the material for play, conversation and discovery.

Based on The Drive in Hellingly, near Hailsham, Bunny Run has capacity for 140 children, with a current age range of three months to five years. At its October 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in the use of joining information, continuity of staff and support for independence. Those findings matter alongside the woodland setting.

Families can book full days or morning and afternoon half days, with separate session times for term-time funded attendance. The practical choice is broader than the opening hours alone.

Rooms and Ages

Five named rooms organise the nursery around children's development, with mobility influencing the move out of the youngest provision and later rooms building towards preschool.

Caterpillars combines natural and sensory play materials with quieter resting areas and dedicated outdoor space for under-twos, while quad pushchairs make woodland exploration possible for babies who cannot yet walk there themselves.

Butterflies is for babies who have become confident and mobile, offering a home corner, construction and tactile play, songs introducing colours and numbers, access to the under-two outdoor areas and a quiet room for sleep.

Hedgehogs welcomes children in the term following their second birthday, pairing an outdoor classroom for sand, water and mark-making with a slide, tyre swing and climbing frame, while everyday learning includes cutlery, open cups, toothbrushing and toilet training supported with parents.

Badgers serves older two- and three-year-olds, bringing together name recognition, a weekly colour, number or shape, regular drama and independent dressing, with Bunny Cottage providing a setting for imaginative play alongside planting boxes, bird feeders and a mud kitchen.

Owls is the preschool room for three- and four-year-olds, combining daily woodland use and access between garden and indoors with problem-solving, turn-taking and a plan-do-review approach in which children select activities and adults help extend their learning.

These are different stages of the day, rather than interchangeable room descriptions. Sleep remains part of the younger children's arrangements, while dressing, eating and making choices become explicit areas of learning as children grow.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides learning through play, covering areas such as language, physical development, early mathematics and understanding the world. Adults observe children's play to assess progress. Each child's learning journal brings together observations, photographs, videos and progress checks, helping identify strengths and areas needing additional support.

Daily forest school activity groups add a concrete outdoor strand: children investigate woodland creatures and their habitats, pause to listen and explore the surroundings. The woodland includes bug hotels, dens, looking logs, a trim trail and spaces for stories and creative work. These give children different reasons to return to the same environment, from physical challenges to close observation.

Owls also has a beach School session at Eastbourne, where the nursery has a chalet. Nets and magnifying glasses support exploration, and finds can return to the nature table for further investigation. The coast extends the subject matter beyond the woods; no fixed frequency is attached to these sessions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Babies make regular park trips to see ducks, while sturdy pushchairs let the youngest children share woodland experiences. Outdoor participation therefore begins before independent walking, rather than waiting for children to reach a later room.

In October 2022, children helped grow vegetables and chose chopped vegetables for the rabbits. A children's council involved them in decisions about the setting. These were practical experiences of caring for living things and expressing a view, giving the outdoor provision a social dimension as well as a physical one.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a Key Person who develops a relationship with the child and family and compiles the learning journal. Before regular attendance begins, settling sessions give parents and children time with the setting and the staff who will care for them. Caterpillars works with families to follow feeding and sleeping routines from home as closely as possible.

EyLog is the online journal and communication system. Parents can see newly added observations, photographs and videos, comment on them and contribute experiences from home. Termly parents' evenings provide dedicated time with the Key Person, while the nursery's open-door arrangement allows concerns to be discussed with staff or management outside those meetings. Communication has both a scheduled and an everyday route.

In October 2022, joining information was not used consistently, including information about languages spoken at home. Staffing difficulties also meant children did not always spend enough time with adults who understood their individual learning needs. Adults sometimes completed small tasks for children too quickly, reducing opportunities to practise independence. These are specific weaknesses to explore, rather than a general objection to the nursery's care model.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Practical support changes with age: Butterflies has somewhere quiet to rest, and Hedgehogs works with parents on toilet training, with alternative activities for children who no longer need an afternoon nap. Learning journals provide a mechanism for spotting where further support may be needed.

Ofsted's regulatory outcomes dated 20 December 2022 and 12 June 2025 described action to address safeguarding agency liaison and related responsibilities; the later outcome confirmed that the relevant requirements were then met. The recurrence makes current reporting arrangements a worthwhile discussion point for families.

Zebedees delivers hot lunches and buffet teas each day, including organic purées for babies. The nursery publishes a nut-free policy and describes menus catering for dietary and medical requirements.

Preparation for school is tangible in Owls. Reception teachers visit after school places have been allocated, donated uniforms become role-play materials, and the Moving On display shows children's future schools, classrooms and teachers. This helps make the next setting familiar before the move.

Sessions and Attendance

Bunny Run opens Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks each year, with closures at Christmas and on bank holidays. Full-day bookings run from 7.30am to 6pm; the two half-day choices are 7.30am to 1pm and 1pm to 6pm. A full-week booking is also offered.

Funded morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, and funded afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. An optional early start covers 7.30am to 8am. The difference between a private morning booking and a funded morning matters for families who need care before 8am.

Getting There

The address is The Drive, Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4EP. A large car park serves the setting. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01323 848490, by email at info@bunnyrunchildcare.co.uk or through the contact form, which also offers a prospectus request.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early years government funding is accepted for all ages and delivered during term time. The fee guidance includes examples using 30 hours funding, with private fees applying outside term time. Funding therefore needs to be considered alongside the family's year-round attendance needs, rather than treated as covering every booked week.

Private fees include meals, snacks, forest school and other additional activities. For funded sessions, meals and snacks carry optional separate charges, or families can supply food that follows the nursery's healthy-food policy. Caterpillars fees also include cotton nappies. The funding and fees page explains how private and funded attendance fit together.

• Continuity and independence. The October 2022 improvement points concerned familiar staff, effective use of family information and allowing children to do more for themselves. At a visit, ask how staff maintain that continuity and use home-language and routine information from the start.
• Safeguarding reporting. The December 2022 and June 2025 outcomes addressed agency liaison and related responsibilities, with the later requirements confirmed as met. Ask how the nursery maintains these arrangements in everyday management.
• Term-time funding and food. Private fees include meals and snacks. Funded attendance is term-time only, with optional separate charges for meals and snacks. Request a written quotation covering the intended attendance across the year; families affected by allergies should also confirm current food practice.
• A strongly outdoor day. Woodland groups run daily, and the nursery describes children spending nearly their whole day outside. Discuss clothing and how your child would use the outdoor spaces across the seasons.

Bunny Run suits families seeking woodland-led early learning with a choice between full-day attendance and shorter morning or afternoon sessions. Babies share the outdoor setting, while Owls adds coastal exploration and concrete preparation for school. Those are substantial reasons to consider it.

The balance rests on delivery as well as surroundings. The October 2022 improvement points about staff continuity, family information and independence deserve attention, alongside the later safeguarding reporting outcomes. For parents comfortable with an outdoor-heavy day, the rooms, communication arrangements and attendance choices provide a clear basis for a detailed visit.