Busy Bunnies Huthwaite

Busy Bunnies Huthwaite
Unique reference number (URN): 2818541
Address: 11 Main Street, Huthwaite, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 2QW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 30/12/2024
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Busy Bunnies Huthwaite Ltd
Inspection report: 5 June 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Generally, all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, make
expected levels of progress in their development. They engage in a variety of activities,
which ignite children's curiosity and engagement in learning. Children show confidence
when they make choices in their play as they play alongside others. Children build on their
communication and language skills. They repeat words staff say and learn new vocabulary.
Children learn language as they hear staff narrate what they are doing in their play.
Furthermore, children engage in meaningful conversations and ask questions to promote
their thinking skills. This helps them to learn new skills that prepare them for the next stage
of their education. Sometimes, children do not fully benefit from planned activities to build on
what they already know and can do.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have access to high-quality
interactions from staff that support their individual care needs and learning. Children benefit
from targeted support that enables them to access their learning. This results in children
making progress from their starting points.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
All children show they feel safe in their environment. They are highly motivated and keen to
join in with activities staff provide. Children have positive relationships with their key worker.
They receive comfort and reassurance from staff when needed.
Staff support children effectively to understand behavioural boundaries and expectations.
They talk regularly with the children to consistently reinforce the rules and boundaries of the
setting. This helps children to understand the expectations, and it results in children playing
harmoniously together. Staff use a range of techniques to manage children's behaviour
effectively. For example, they give younger children gentle reminders about taking turns.
Staff adapt their interactions to ensure all children, including those with special educational
needs and/or disabilities, are included by using visual aids, such as timers, to support them
to wait their turn.
Children follow the established routines in place. For example, children independently
manage daily tasks, such as self-registration and handwashing. Children eagerly work
together to tidy up, earning wooden stars to exchange for treats.
Leaders and staff promote the importance of attendance through discussions with parents to
help them understand the importance of regular attendance. This is to support children to
reach their full potential.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children are settled and happy in the setting. Staff are passionate about developing positive
and trusting relationships with the children and their families. Staff achieve this by getting to

know children well and through providing consistent care to support children's individual
needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make
adaptations to ensure all children access the activities and routines in place. As a result,
children are well settled, safe and have high levels of wellbeing in the learning environment.
Care practices support children's good health. For example, staff provide children with
opportunities to brush their teeth daily to help promote oral health.
Staff promote children's understanding of leading healthy lifestyles further as they hold
discussions with children at mealtimes about healthy foods. Children benefit from daily
opportunities to play outdoors and frequent opportunities to visit parks. This contributes to
children receiving fresh air and engaging in physical exercise. For example, children climb
on equipment and ride on toys.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Staff gather information from parents about children's interests through key-worker meetings
before children start. This information is used to plan a range of activities and experiences
for children to follow their interests. Staff use observations and assessments to identify
children's abilities when children first start attending. However, thereafter, staff do not use
assessments as effectively to identify how to more accurately build on the skills and
knowledge children already have. Generally, the learning environment is set up using
children's current interests and their next steps of development to plan meaningful learning
that engages and excites them. For example, children develop their physical, mathematical
and literacy skills as they make marks in foam into a variety of letters and shapes. Staff
skilfully weave in teaching that extends children's understanding of numbers and size as
children gather and sort pom-poms. When staff plan activities for children, they do not
consistently focus on how they can support children's individual next steps in learning.
Staff engage in good-quality interactions with children. They encourage conversations by
asking children open-ended questions to encourage their thinking skills. For example, staff
ask questions as children create faces with play dough and a range of materials. Children
respond using descriptive words. Additionally, staff comment and narrate as children play,
introducing words and new sounds as they sing songs and read stories. As a result,
children's communication and language are well supported throughout the setting's
curriculum.
Staff make adaptations to their practice to meet the needs of children with special
educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. This
includes implementing learning tools to help children understand routines in the day to
support their understanding.
Inclusion Expected standard
Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who
may face other barriers to their learning well. They work closely with parents and other
professionals to make referrals to ensure that children receive the support they need to
make to progress.

Typically, staff use assessments to monitor the progress children make in their learning and
to plan activities to meet children's development needs. However, this is not consistently
embedded across the nursery. As a result, not all activities meet the individual needs of the
children.
Staff make use of additional funding to provide children with resources and one-to-one time
with staff. For example, funding has been used to purchase potty-training books and
resources to support children and parents with their children's toileting needs at home.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders and managers reflect with the staff team to identify the setting's strengths and
areas to develop. They are dedicated to further developing the nursery. This includes
creating new spaces for children to play and learn. However, sometimes leaders' reflections
are not fully effective in helping identify where staff need further support. For example, using
assessments effectively to build on children's skills and knowledge to develop the planning
of adult-led activities.
Leaders carry out regular supervision and appraisal meetings with staff. They provide them
with feedback on ways to improve their practice. This includes providing staff with
opportunities to support their own professional development and extend their knowledge.
For example, staff have completed training on how to support children's behaviour
effectively, using strategies such as visual aids and giving children a quiet space to regulate
their emotions. Leaders monitor staff's teaching through completing observations of their
practice and helping staff to consider the impact this has on children. Staff feel supported
and say that they feel their wellbeing is supported by the leadership team. Staff morale is
further supported through acknowledging staff's achievements.
Staff have positive relationships with parents. They suggest ways to complement children's
learning at home through activities and providing books for them to borrow to take home to
read with their children.
Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure children with special educational needs
and/or disabilities or those who face other barriers to learning receive the appropriate
support to help them achieve. For example, professionals from the community have
supported the setting to encourage children to follow healthy habits.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive eagerly to the setting and are greeted warmly by the staff team. They settle
quickly as they explore the ambitious curriculum that has been carefully planned. This
includes children demonstrating their growing independence as they select from a wide
range of activities that support their learning, developing their curiosity. For example,
children build on their physical skills as they use a range of tools to break toy animals out of
blocks of ice.

Inspector:
Emma Curry
In the garden, children develop their physical skills further as they climb across tyres and
manage their own risks as they balance and jump from equipment. Children develop
positive and encouraging relationships with one another and staff. For example, young
children giggle at one another as they pull at material when they play peekaboo games.
They show kindness as they share resources with their friends and praise each other. Staff
support children to develop their communication skills through, for example, regular stories,
songs and conversations where children confidently share their ideas and preferences.
Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff are positive role models, and
children develop secure relationships with them. For example, they are friendly,
approachable and polite. Children know and understand the setting's 'golden rules', which
are consistently reinforced by staff. These help children to understand the behavioural
expectations and build on their self-regulation.
Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who
may face barriers to their learning, are supported well. Staff and leaders have a good
understanding of the needs of the children in the setting. Staff adapt their teaching to
support children's individual needs and help them to reach their full potential, ready for the
next stage in their education. For example, staff show children images on cards as visual
aids to help children understand routines and their feelings.
Leaders and staff have strong relationships with the families that attend the setting. They
promote children's regular attendance.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen the use of assessments for some children to help staff identify
how to more precisely build on children's skills and knowledge.
Leaders should help staff to develop the implementation of adult-led activities to support
children's individual next steps in learning.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2818541
Address:
11 Main Street
Huthwaite
Sutton-in-Ashfield
NG17 2QW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 30/12/2024
Registered person: Busy Bunnies Huthwaite Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Nottinghamshire County Council
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 5 June 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 4
Total number of places
88
Our grades explained

Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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