Sunnybrow Day Nursery

A Victorian building, a secluded garden and the Octagon garden classroom give Sunnybrow a recognisable setting above Kendal town centre. Tall ceilings and large windows bring light into the three-storey building; outside, separate garden areas and a large sandpit give children different spaces to explore. The appeal is concrete: indoor rooms, outdoor play and a garden classroom for smaller groups.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Sunnybrow Outstanding, finding that its curriculum supported ambitious learning and that consistent relationships helped children settle. Those relationships matter as much as the surroundings. The inspection examples describe adults extending conversation through play, helping children finish activities before moving on and encouraging them to try tasks before stepping in.

Sunnybrow Day Nursery has capacity for 92 children, with care spanning three months to five years. Hill Top, Never Never Land and Pre-School organise the progression from baby routines to preparation for primary school. Families can choose all-year-round care or term-time-only attendance.

Rooms and Ages

Hill Top occupies the top floor for babies from three months to two years, following individual feeding and sleeping routines, with mobile toys supporting physical development and the Peter Rabbit room introducing painting, crafts, dance and songs.

For two- to three-year-olds, Never Never Land on the first floor introduces shared mealtimes and a more structured routine, with construction, playdough, art, water and sand activities in the Tinkerbell and Peter Pan rooms, plus a nap after lunch where needed.

Pre-School serves children aged three to five on the ground floor, combining changing weekly themes with role play, messy activities and independent access to the garden.

The layout creates a clear sequence through the building. For a younger child, the starting point is their own routine; later, shared breaks and meals become part of the day. Preschool surroundings include a quiet corner, a carpeted area and a drinking fountain, giving children opportunities to practise managing familiar needs alongside their play. Hill Top has one adult to three children, the statutory minimum for children under two.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS guides preschool learning through play, exploration and preparation for school, with a different theme each week. It is the common early-years framework rather than an extra programme. Here, the practical resources include dressing-up clothes for role play and a messy area for painting, gluing, water and sand, so children can approach a theme through conversation, movement and making things.

In November 2023, language teaching grew out of what children were doing. Adults added vehicle sounds to babies’ and toddlers’ play, and introduced positional language during a cellophane activity. These were short exchanges attached to something children could see and handle, rather than vocabulary presented in isolation.

Books also had a place indoors and outside that November. Children chose stories to share with adults at circle time, while parents and children selected books for reading at home. That connection gives families a shared activity to continue beyond the nursery day. Songs and rhymes added another route into early literacy.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Octagon is a garden classroom used for small-group play and learning. Alongside the large sandpit and garden areas suited to different ages, it gives the outdoor space a purpose beyond running around. Preschool children have free access between their room and the garden, allowing outdoor play to form part of their choices during the day.

In November 2023, physical activities followed children’s developing abilities: babies practised balancing with soft play equipment, toddlers moved towards pedalling wheeled toys, and preschool children tackled tyres and obstacle courses. The progression is useful for parents to understand. The same broad aim, gaining control of the body, took different forms at different stages.

Outdoor role play also carried practical learning that November. Children explained how to respond to a fire and contact emergency services. Play gave them a way to rehearse useful knowledge, while counting routines helped them understand how a group stays together.

Relationships and Communication

Individual routines remain central in Hill Top, where feeding and sleeping follow the child. Never Never Land makes room for a post-lunch nap when a toddler still needs one, rather than treating the move to a more structured day as an end to daytime sleep. Its toilet-training support includes ideas for parents and a shared approach between home and nursery.

The famly online platform brings learning journeys, bookings, accounts and direct messages to staff into one place. For families, that combines the practical administration of childcare with a way to follow their child’s experiences and communicate with the adults caring for them. It also gives home and nursery a common channel for exchanging information.

In November 2023, adults supported changes of activity by warning children that playtime was nearing its end. Children had time to finish what they were doing before returning indoors. Staff also allowed children to persevere before offering help, giving independence a practical place in everyday routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and highly effective SEND support, including early recognition of developmental gaps, prompt targeted help and work with parents and other professionals while referrals and funding were being arranged. That combination matters for a child who needs additional support: help within the nursery was taking place alongside the process of seeking specialist input.

Food is freshly prepared each day, with fruit and water at snack breaks and a two-course hot lunch for toddlers and preschool children. Parents supply a further healthy snack for children staying after 4pm, so the later part of the day includes something brought from home.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sunny Brow, Elmhurst, Bankfield, Kendal, LA9 5DR. Sunnybrow offers both all-year-round care and Term Time Only Care, making the attendance choice broader than a single year-round arrangement. Term-time attendance is a named option, rather than something families must infer from the opening hours.

Weekday opening begins at 8am. Closures include bank holidays and a week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, which families using all-year-round care need to accommodate. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01539 729437 or through the enquiry form.

Getting There

Private parking is at the foot of the driveway, and the nursery sits outside central Kendal’s one-way system. For families travelling by car, an on-site parking area is a practical advantage when handling children and their belongings.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours for eligible two-year-olds and preschool provision described as Nursery Education Grant 15 & 30 Hours (NEG). The preschool 30-hour arrangement starts the term after a child turns three, subject to a valid HMRC eligibility code, with details reconfirmed every three months; families who do not meet those criteria can claim the standard 15 hours.

All-year-round care and term-time-only attendance are separate choices from funded entitlement. A family's childcare plan needs to bring together the attendance pattern, the entitlement they qualify for and any additional care they want. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Closing time. Closing hours conflict between 5.45pm and 6pm. Establish the collection deadline before making work or travel arrangements.
• A building across three floors. Hill Top is upstairs, Never Never Land is on the first floor and Pre-School is downstairs. During a visit, discuss how your child will move between their room and outdoor activities, especially while still learning to walk.
• Term-time care and funding. Term Time Only Care is an attendance option, while funded hours carry eligibility conditions. Ask how your proposed attendance pattern would use the entitlement and which meals or consumables you would pay for or supply.

Sunnybrow suits families choosing either all-year-round attendance or term-time-only care who value a clear progression from individual baby routines to a more shared preschool day. The Victorian building, Octagon and preschool garden access give that progression a substantial physical setting. The November 2023 judgement adds weight, with specific examples of conversation, independence and additional support behind it.

The strongest appeal is the connection between practical care and learning: toddlers can retain a needed nap, toilet training is shared with parents, and preschool children choose between indoor activities and the garden. Families should settle the conflicting closing times and the detail of their funding arrangement before choosing an attendance pattern.