Busy Bees Nurseries

Busy Bees Nurseries, a nursery network in the UK and Ireland

Busy Bees Nurseries is a nursery chain that, according to its own presentation, operates 390 centres in the UK, Ireland and other territories. Its activity focuses on the care of preschool children and on supporting families from choosing a centre through to the transition to primary school.

The company presents itself as a leading provider of childcare in the UK, a status it attributes to its size and which is not supported in the material by independent data.

Bee Curious, the proprietary early years curriculum

The network's pedagogical core is Bee Curious, an early years curriculum created by sector specialists. The company describes it as the UK's only independently evaluated early years curriculum, and notes that its design aims to stimulate curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. The programme is organised around figures called Little Discoverers and different areas of discovery.

The offering is completed by the evaluation carried out by the Open University and a section presenting the experts involved in its development and the scientific basis of the method.

Brands and services for families

Alongside the main brand, the group includes other childcare brands: Busy Bees Montessori and Kids.1st. For families, the website details aspects of daily life at the centre, such as the child's settling-in process, nutrition and staff work, and dedicates specific sections to child protection and safeguarding policies.

• Busy Bees app, which sends families updates about the child's day-to-day life and milestones.
• Open days and booked visits to the centres.
• Free funding and fees calculator.
• Information about the transition to primary school and new starters.
• Parent pack and payment management.

Government-funded childcare

The network states that it offers government-funded places, including up to 30 funded hours, in England, Scotland and Wales. The company refers to a funding and fees calculator to estimate how funded hours can reduce the weekly nursery cost. For Scotland, it mentions additional conditions for extra sessions.

Careers and internal training

Busy Bees maintains its own careers portal and training and apprenticeship programmes for its staff, as well as a section dedicated to working life at the company. The company also publishes corporate information such as its gender pay gap report, its modern slavery transparency policy and its tax strategy.

Awards and recent activity

The material includes several news items about Ofsted inspections. The Sutton Scotney nursery celebrates its result after its latest inspection, in which children were described as happy, settled and showing enthusiasm for learning from the moment they arrive. The East Grinstead nursery also celebrates its evaluation, with children described as happy and able to form strong bonds with staff. In addition, the network was shortlisted in seven categories of the national Nursery Management Today awards.

In the community, more than 150 children at Busy Bees Norwich Hospital took part over several months in a storytelling activity that culminated in a pre-loved teddy bear drive, raising over £1,500 for BBC Children in Need. The company continues its partnership with this charity for a second year and its centres take part in fundraising initiatives in their local communities.

Structure and corporate contact

The company has a National Support Centre in Burntwood, Staffordshire, which centralises correspondence. It has separate phone lines for general enquiries and for new families, as well as a messaging channel. The website includes a centre finder by location or postcode.

Location and contact

Shaftsbury Drive, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 9QP · Phone: 01543 678450