Big Bird Nursery

12a Manse Road, Whitburn, Bathgate EH47 0DH
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8.4 70 Reviews
  • Big Bird Nursery, Bathgate
The Big Bird Nursery is located at the heart of the Whitburn community, offering a home-from-home setting for children aged 12 weeks to five years.

Led by a passionate and caring team, the nursery is filled with hand-picked resources (natural where possible) to encourage self-directed play and discovery.

The nursery offers secure outdoor space with lots of fun resources to enjoy fun in the fresh air. The team also take regular trips out to local green spots to further make the most of the natural world.

Big Bird Nursery love getting the best out of each and every child and offer a safe, homely and nurturing space where children can thrive at their own pace.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Laura Hutton (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 24

Total Places for Children

  • 79

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Day rates:
    0-5 years: £69.51


    AM/PM rates:
    0-5 years: £34.75

  • Fees are subject to change. Please contact the Nursery for tailored fees information.

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:00-18:00
    Tuesday 07:00-18:00
    Wednesday 07:00-18:00
    Thursday 07:00-18:00
    Friday 07:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas

Big Bird Nursery Reviews (70)

8.4

Big Bird Nursery has a Review Score of 8.4 (8.422) out of 10, based on 6 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Big Bird Nursery has 70 reviews.

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Review from Natalie B (Mother of Child) published on 14 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
After reserving a place while pregnant, we have been made to feel welcome and part of the Big Bird family from the very beginning. We were invited to join in with an online Burns celebration during Lockdown in Jan 2021 and it was clear from that point on that my baby was going to be in great hands.
All the staff are welcoming, knowledgeable and nothing has been too much trouble. We were delighted with the settling arrangements despite COVID still playing a part in the day to day running of things. I felt very comfortable seeing the staff care for all the babies and was impressed with how child-led the environment was for the very youngest age group. The room is welcoming, accessible and is regularly adapted to keep it fresh. The activities are well thought out with consideration for the age/stage of development. It was very obvious that my baby was happy to spend time there and he seemed to come on really quickly once settled in. I love seeing the app updates each day.
Reply from Laura Hutton, Deputy Nursery Manager at Big Bird Nursery
Thank you so much for such a lovely review. It is always nice to hear that our setting makes our children and families feel welcome. We are delighted to read all about your positive experiences here…read more
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Review from Kelly Anne S (Mother of Child) published on 18 August 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This is a fantastic nursery. My son really struggled to settle in at first with only being 10 months old when he started. Each care worker went above and beyond to make his settling process as smooth as possible. Now my son absolutely loves going in and enjoys his day (so much so, that he tries to climb
back over the gate when we're leaving). We don't live local to the nursery although very happy to drive that journey each day he's at nursery and we know he enjoys it.
Reply from Pamela Stein, Nursery Manager at Big Bird Nursery
Thank you for such kind words, it is great to see him settled so well and we are delighted he is enjoying nursery.
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Review from Leona S (Mother of Child) published on 30 July 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
For the last 7 years, Big Bird has been part of our family. My eldest started going to their free PEEP class that ran weekly and we have loved it ever since.
Every child is respected and they strive to ensure all kids get a voice in their program of activities. The learning both my kids received
has been second to none. You can feel the love walking through the door.
Our journey has ended with my youngest starting school and we will miss Big Bird very much. They are the very best there is.
Reply from Pamela Stein, Nursery Manager at Big Bird Nursery
Thank you for such a lovely review. We have loved having your two children with us and we will miss you all too, but we look forward to the first school day picture! Careful you do not drive here by…read more
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Review from Katherine E (Mother of Child) published on 23 July 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Wonderful nursery, with a warm and caring environment, my nervous son settled in straight away. The facilities are brilliant and the staff are always kind and attentive. We would recommend Big Bird to anyone.
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Review from Agnieszka Z (Mother of Child) published on 22 June 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are very pleased with this nursery. Very nice and helpful staff members. They helped me get through the registration procedure easily despite my poor English. Our daughter settled very quickly and goes to the nursery with a smile. We see a great deal of progress in speaking and establishing relationships
with other children. Thanks to the application on the phone, we have a preview of what is happening with the child when she is in the nursery and provides easy contact with staff - this is great! We would also like to thank you for the beautiful photos of our daughter that create wonderful memories. Big Bird Nursery was the best choice! We highly recommend it!
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Review from Chloe R (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Big Bird Nursery is such a wonderful nursery. My son has come on so well since joining, his confidence has grown so much. The staff are always so kind and excited to see my son. They post updates throughout the day tracking everything my son has been up to, along with a daily photo of an activity. Every
Friday the staff publish on the app my son's progress and next steps. I love how involved they are in my child’s development and the communication with them is impeccable. I definitely wouldn’t send my boy elsewhere.
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Review from Ruby S (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Big Bird Nursery is amazing! Our 3-year-old has been at the nursery for over 2 years and is flourishing.
Staff, management and everyone involved with the nursery is so friendly, helpful and lovely.
Our daughter loves going to nursery and having started in the baby room, moving into the 2nd and now
being in the 3rd room, she is entertained every day and comes home having learnt something new to share!
The environment is so positive, joyful and comfortable, that we know there will be many parents who feel the same as us.
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Review from Jade W (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has only been at the nursery a few weeks but he loves it so much.
The staff are amazing and any communication between myself and the nursery have been very professional and I’ve received a prompt response.
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Review from Uzma T (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Management, staff, rooms and the care they provide is amazing. Our son is loving the nursery and is always looking forward to going there. He loves all the staff and is gaining his confidence more. We would highly recommend the nursery.
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Review from Paige N (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter started Big Bird Nursery when she was 10 months old. I feel the nursery have helped her reach all her milestone. I was really nervous about leaving my daughter in nursery while returning to work but the app really helped. The nursery staff give you lovely update and photos of how your child
is getting on in nursery and it’s lovely to see. All the staff are so friendly and when I drop off my daughter I can tell they have a great bond as she will walk into nursery herself.
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Review from Nikki W (Mother of Child) published on 13 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
All of the staff are welcoming, friendly, experienced and very caring towards the children. A lovely, safe environment with lots of activities and a great outdoor area - parents receive regular updates on the children throughout the day. Highly recommend.
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Review from Polly M (Mother of Child) published on 26 March 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little one has had so much support since starting Big Bird Nursery which has brought him on so much. The staff have been amazing with accommodating dietary changes at such short notice and provide such a nurturing environment. I can't recommend Big Bird Nursery enough!
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Review from Lisa D (Mother of Child) published on 3 March 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Cannot thank the staff enough for the care they provide my son, not only has he settled so well, I can leave him with full reassurance that he is getting the best love and in impeccable hands. Thank you so much to all the staff for looking after my baby, I trust you all completely and my little boy
loves coming to nursery. I love that I get regular updates through the day and I know everything that he has had to eat and changes, this is so comforting as a mother to know these things and I cannot praise this nursery enough. Thank you all again for making it so much easier for me going back to work, and thank you for the care my little boy receives. I look forward to seeing him grow within the Big Bird family.
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Review from Alanna M (Mother of Child) published on 26 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Big Bird Nursery has provided the best possible care for both my children from babies/young toddlers. They give the sense of trust and care for your children. Allowing you to leave them without any worry. I honestly can’t thank the team at Big Bird enough! We recommend them to everyone in need of childcare
or looking to develop them at an earlier age, which we did with our second child after seeing the clear advantages of having our first there!
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Review from Julie M (Mother of Child) published on 26 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I can't recommend the nursery enough. The staff are amazing and very knowledgeable. My little one has been attending for nearly a year now and absolutely loves it. The nursery offers a wonderful, creative and friendly environment for little ones to flourish. A huge bonus for us was the app the nursery
use that gives us constant access and updates about our child's day. The app details food and drink, naps, nappies and also an update of the exciting and developmental tasks they have been doing that day.
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Review from Victoria C (Mother of Child) published on 25 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Can speak highly enough about Big Bird Nursery. My little boy who was 14 months when he started in August had never been away from me and I was very hesitant about him starting. I shouldn't have worried as the staff are all amazing and he absolutely loves being there.
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Review from Amanda W (Mother of Child) published on 24 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Big Bird Nursery has a great reputation, which is why we chose this nursery for our little girl. All the staff are wonderful, knowledgeable and if there are any teething problems with the kids as they transition into new rooms with new key workers, they come up with inventive ways to make the child
(and the parents!) feel as comfortable as possible with the changes. Management are friendly and approachable, the food is always well thought out and healthy, and my daughter loves it here!
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Review from Kirstin B (Mother of Child) published on 24 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I’m really happy with our decision to choose Big Bird Nursery. I like how much the manager cares and how much effort she puts into getting to know the kids and parents.
Any feedback we have given has been acted upon and our son seems to love his time at nursery.
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Review from Kat Q (Mother of Child) published on 24 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Wonderful nursery I’ve used from age one to present. The real credit to the nursery is the staff who provide a generally excellent consistent level of care and provide reassuring updates over the course of the day.
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Review from Norma (Mother of Child) published on 18 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I cannot recommend Big Bird Nursery highly enough. I did a lot of research before choosing a nursery for my son and chose Big Bird despite having to travel further to get there. At times my son has struggled with going to nursery and the staff have been nothing short of wonderful. He's now been going
for years and loves being there. I love that the owners continually invest in the nursery: providing the latest training opportunities for their staff and new resources for the children. It's a wonderful, kind, creative space for my child to develop in. And as an addition to this, the way that the team has handled the coronavirus pandemic has been so professional. There are very clear rules in place to keep everyone safe and at all times there has been excellent communication with the parents.
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Current Review Score: 8.4 (8.422)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.4 (8.422) out of 10 for Big Bird Nursery is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.6 out of 5 from 6 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.8 out of 5 from 5 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.606 for Big Bird Nursery is calculated as follows: ( (52 Excellents x 5) + (12 Goods x 4) + (5 Satisfactorys x 3) + (2 Poors x 2) ) ÷ 71 Ratings = 4.606
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 3.816 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Big Bird Nursery is based on 5 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 = 3.5
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 79 number of registered child places is 15.8. 5 Positive Reviews ÷ 15.8 = 0.316
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (3)

Meet the Team (2)

Laura

Laura Hutton

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2011

Meet Laura – Nursery Manager (Maternity Cover)


Hello, my name is Laura, and I am both delighted and excited to be stepping into the role of Nursery Manager over the next year as maternity cover. I’ve been part of the Big Bird family for the past 14 years, having begun my journey in 2011 as an apprentice nursery practitioner.


Since then, I’ve had the privilege of progressing through a variety of senior roles, including Senior Practitioner, Head of Room, and Deputy Manager. Throughout my career, my passion has remained the same – to help create safe, secure, and nurturing environments where children can thrive and learn through rich, meaningful play experiences. This ethos is something I’m proud to share with the wider Big Bird Nursery team.


Outside of nursery life, I love spending quality time with my partner, daughter, and our family dog. We especially enjoy getting outdoors together and making the most of nature.


I’m really looking forward to working with our current families, welcoming new ones, and continuing my journey here at Big Bird Nursery.

Lisa

Lisa Scott

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2022

I have over 10 years of experience within the Early Education and Childcare sector, with most of that experience being in a leadership role.


I completed my HNC and HND in Early Education and Childcare at West Lothian College and then continued my studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands in 2017, where I gained my BA in Childhood Practice.


I am passionate about offering children engaging experiences both indoors and outdoors, creating an enriching natural environment where children have the freedom to learn through exploration and investigation- developing creativity and curiosity. I also believe in creating environments for all children where their individual needs and qualities are valued and respected.


I am beginning a new and exciting journey at Big Bird Nursery after spending 10 wonderful months with my daughter Evie, who will start in the Ladybird room. After spending some time with the staff at Big Bird I can already tell they share the same commitment to childcare as me and I am really excited to support them and the nursery.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Big Bird Nursery to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Big Bird Nursery has an Enhanced Service - more info.