The Big Top Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Aylesbury 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 They do not publish prices, so ask.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 October 2023. Open since 2013, with 50 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Buckinghamshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Buckinghamshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
HP18 0JDWhat 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, 26 October 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and excited for their day at this setting. Children and parents are greeted by friendly staff. Parents share information about their children. For example, if they have had breakfast and how their morning has been so far. Staff use this information to plan for the child's day. Children excitedly choose from a range of activities that staff plan around their interests and sessional topics. For example, staff provide activities using resources that children recently collected on an autumn walk to the park, such as conkers and leaves.
Staff have high expectations for children and what they want them to learn. They know the children well and plan for their next steps in learning. Staff are good role models. Children's behaviour is good. They show that they know the routines well and what is expected of them. Children are confident learners and staff provide a range of activities, indoors and outdoors, which capture children's interest. For example, children in the garden make 'mud soup'. They add different herbs and spices that staff have labelled in jars.
Children learn about healthy eating and oral hygiene. Staff plan activities for the children to grow vegetables and prepare their own food. For example, children grew carrots; they then picked these and had them with their lunch. Children learn about the importance of cleaning their teeth and practise through activities with props that staff provide.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide older children with further mathematical challenges, to help progress their skills further n help staff understand the need to allow younger children more time to think and respond to questions.
- 26 October 2023Good
- 3 May 2023Inadequate
- 6 October 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Big Top Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- 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.