Happy Bunnies
GoodTakes funded hours★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in St. Helens for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2025. Open since 2017, with 55 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All 3 and 4-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free early education or childcare each week or 30 hours if eligible for 38 weeks of the year. Some 2-year-olds in England can get 15 hours passport for 2 free early education and childcare funding if eligible.
Worth knowing. In certain circumstances funding can be stretched over a maximum of 51 weeks instead of the usual 38 weeks in this instance parents/carers may be required to pay a top up fee.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
WA10 2JLWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 March 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Leaders are unwavering in their commitment to provide high-quality care and education for children. Together with the staff team, they have created a welcoming and inclusive environment that supports children to make good progress in their learning and development. Children thoroughly enjoy attending. They quickly engage in their chosen activities and are enthused and motivated to learn.
Rooms are a hive of activity. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement as they explore sand and water, experiment with creative materials, manipulate play dough and learn about minibeasts.
The curriculum for communication and language is a true strength. Children benefit from a language-rich environment where staff model vocabulary, use repetition to reinforce understanding and ask thought-provoking questions. Strategies to identify emerging gaps in children's communication skills are used quickly and effectively by staff to help children make progress. As such, children are becoming confident and skilful communicators.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's understanding of the overarching curriculum intent and what this means in practice, so that they are clear what skills and knowledge they want children to gain during their time at nursery and how to achieve this.
- 10 March 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 27 November 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Happy Bunnies
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.