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Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery

Ofsted: Good
(Apr 2023)
·
4.8(16 parent reviews) ·The Goward Hall, Cade Street, HEATHFIELD, TN21 9BU · East Sussex
Number of places
52 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Apr 2023
Local authority
East Sussex

About this day nursery

Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery, situated in Heathfield, is part of Bluebell Children's Nurseries, offering childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years. The nursery operates five days a week from 8 am to 6 pm all year round, with additional options for early drop-offs and late pick-ups, closing only for Bank Holidays and a week over Christmas.

The dedicated staff strive to create a warm, secure, and stimulating environment where each child's happiness and development are prioritised, fostering self-confidence and friendships. The nursery provides a rich and varied play environment, incorporating engaging activities such as weekly yoga and Hartbeeps sessions, as well as visits from local community members like zoo keepers, firefighters, dentists, and police.

Children also have the unique opportunity to care for hatching ducklings each spring and participate in weekly Spanish and French lessons, enriching their learning experience. Bluebell Wood emphasises outdoor learning, recognising its importance in understanding the world, and encourages child-led activity planning to ensure the curriculum reflects children's interests and provides a sense of ownership over their day.

The nursery is committed to inclusivity, offering support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by collaborating with parents and professionals to identify and address individual needs.

Our ethos

Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery is committed to fostering a sense of ownership over their day through child-led activity planning, ensuring the curriculum reflects children's interests. They emphasise outdoor learning for understanding the world and provide a rich, varied play environment with unique opportunities like caring for ducklings and engaging in weekly yoga, music, and language sessions. The nursery prioritises inclusivity and supports children with SEND in collaboration with parents and professionals.

What it's like

Children of all ages and abilities are happy, settled and confident at the friendly and welcoming setting. Staff embed their chosen curriculum to motivate children and provide interesting activities, and children have good opportunities to develop physical skills and healthy lifestyles.

All-inclusive feesYoga and Hartbeeps sessionsOutdoor learning focused

Pricing & funding

Fees are all-inclusive, covering all meals, snacks, organic baby purees, formula milk, nappies, wipes, and sun cream. There is no minimum session booking requirement, although attending at least twice a week is recommended for continuity.

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
  • Deposit£80.00 / session

Good to know

  • Fees are all-inclusive of meals, snacks, formula, nappies, wipes, and sun cream.
  • There is no minimum session booking requirement.
  • An £80 deposit is required to secure a place, which is refundable when the child leaves.
  • The deposit is non-refundable if the child does not start at the nursery.
  • Fees are invoiced monthly in advance.

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, all year round (closed Bank Holidays and one week at Christmas)

Food

All meals and healthy snacks included, organic purees & formula milk for babies included

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Session types

Full day, Early start, Late finish

Established

2011

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery

Last inspected 5 April 2023 · Kelly Hawkins

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children of all ages and abilities are happy, settled and confident at the friendly and welcoming setting. Staff embed their chosen curriculum to motivate children and provide interesting activities, and children have good opportunities to develop physical skills and healthy lifestyles.

Inspector highlights

  • Children are happy, settled and confident
  • Staff embed their curriculum well and motivate children
  • Children behave well and staff are positive role models
  • Good opportunities for physical development and healthy lifestyles
  • Managers monitor quality and provide staff with constructive feedback

Areas to develop

  • 1support staff to organise changes in routines more effectively to fully engage all children during these times
  • 2provide staff with information and consistent ways to support children who speak English as an additional language even further.
Inspection #10280226 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities; for example, they implement strategies such as providing a calm space with low lights and calming music for children who become overwhelmed.

Outdoor space

Children use outdoor areas to explore different surfaces and create art, for example using chalk on outdoor walls. Staff complete risk assessments for the outdoor environment and children have opportunities to develop physical skills.

EAL / language support

Some staff do not consistently use effective techniques, such as visual timelines or key words, to support children who speak English as an additional language.

Parent Reviews of Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery

4.8
(16)
G L
11 months ago

My children of different ages have been going to bluebell wood for over a year and all are always coming out very happy and joyfully talk about their day. All staff, beit baby room, toddler and older room all have catered well to my children's needs to date over the time they have spent there. They are warm and welcoming and a friendly team.

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Nicola Jones
2 years ago

Our son has been at Bluebell Wood since he was 12 months old and he leaves for school this year. He adores his time at nursery and we love to hear about all the activities he’s been up to when he comes home. The staff are wonderful, they get to know the children so well and they’ve really helped shape him into a confident and happy 3 year old. He was a COVID baby, initially very shy and we were apprehensive about him starting school in September as he will be young in his year, but thanks to his time at Bluebell Wood we feel he’s fully equipped with all the skills he needs for school, he’s gained so much independence recently and he’s eager to learn new things. We’ll be very sad to say goodbye in August but so grateful to Dawn and all the team at Bluebell Wood for doing such a wonderful job in not only caring for him, but having a significant impact on his development. Would highly recommend this nursery.

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Emma Ralph
2 years ago

My son only joined in January this year. I can not fault this nursery they have been very supportive with my personal situation, they have encouraged my son and that has helped him build in confidence. He struggled to start, but now goes in no problems and has such fun here. Their communication has always been great. I would highly recommend this nursery.

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Becks B
3 years ago

Our daughter started at Bluebell Wood in August last year. She settled in so quickly and really loves her time at nursery, she smiles on drop off and is still smiling when we pick her up in the afternoon which makes working and being away from her so much easier as we know she is having fun, learning and eating well! I love seeing updates and photos on the app as each day she is doing different and fun activities, she recently moved from the baby room up to the 18month+ group and took it all in her stride due to a well managed phased transition. The staff are all knowledgeable and caring and we are so happy with the nursery choice we made. Thank you to all the team at Bluebell Wood!

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Fran Ryan
5 years ago

I could not recommend this nursery enough. My son absolutely loves it and gets so excited every time he goes. All the staff are exceptional and my son adores them all. They are all so caring, professional and fun. It is clear to see they all love their job and are all great at it. They are so happy to help however they can too. I am so happy that I found a nursery that I feel so comfortable sending my son to, where I know he is safe, happy and having the time of his life 😀

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Bluebell Wood Children's Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: January 2012

  • April 2023Good
  • September 2017Good
  • May 2015Good
  • January 2012Good

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