Busy Bees Thames Ditton

A garden wrapping around the nursery, with a separate outdoor space for each room, gives Busy Bees Thames Ditton its clearest practical appeal. Children can spend time outside close to their own base, rather than relying on one shared garden alone. Inside and out, the premises have been refurbished. The setting sits in Mercer Close, near the local library and school.

With 89 places in total, the nursery caters for children from three months to five years. At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current learning offer combines the group-wide Bee Curious curriculum, which organises purposeful play around children's interests, with sensory experiences, storytelling and outdoor exploration.

Full days, mornings and afternoons give families different attendance options. The important distinction is between the nursery's opening hours and the hours covered by a booked session.

Rooms and Ages

Baby, the stage for children aged up to two, emphasises sensory exploration of texture and colour, outdoor play and rest fitted around routines at home. Toddler/Preschool, for children aged two and above, combines sensory or learning activities with outdoor discovery, stories and mathematical or problem-solving experiences. Each room has its own secure outdoor area, while the larger garden extends around the building's perimeter. That makes outdoor space part of the room arrangements, rather than simply a destination elsewhere on site.

Quiet play and naps also feature in the older stage's routine, so rest continues alongside more guided learning.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and everyday routines contribute to learning alongside planned activities. Bee Curious is the group's additional curriculum, rather than a replacement for that framework. Here, its practical ingredients include imaginative play, stories, creative work and learning outdoors, with activities shaped around children's interests and pace.

Phonics, mark-making and stories introduce early literacy; counting, patterns and problems introduce mathematical ideas. Guided groups practise listening and concentration, while hands-on play gives children opportunities to investigate for themselves.

Book of the Moment themes afternoon activities. Curious Mind brings maths, sensory exploration or problem solving into the older children's routine, while themed outdoor play spaces take activity outside.

In January 2023, a story activity using The Tiger Who Came to Tea moved from discussing the plot to examining and eating fruit. Children talked about what might happen next and compared apple colours. The example shows how one shared story could connect language, observation and discussion about food, rather than keeping those experiences separate.

Outdoor and Community Life

Older children explore nature in different weather, while practitioners guide babies' outdoor play. Each room's own outdoor area supports these different uses.

In January 2023, older children moved between indoor and outdoor areas, and a garden activity combined instruments with jumping and spinning. Children noticed changes in their breathing as they moved. Cultural experiences also reached beyond a display: traditional Thai clothes and music were used in dressing-up and dancing. Parents and visitors from a local residential home came regularly to talk about their work or share stories. These were opportunities to encounter people and experiences beyond the nursery's immediate routines.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2023, staff used pre-start information to plan settling and learning. Songs and stories comforted unsettled babies, and practitioners responded to their gestures and sounds. Comfort and communication began with what each child could already express.

The current nursery day retains room for home routines, including babies' naps, while the Busy Bees App provides updates on children's progress during the day. This offers a way for parents to stay connected between handovers. It should sit alongside a clear conversation about what their child is learning next.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that parents needed clearer access to children's next learning steps to support learning at home. Activity updates and next-step guidance serve different purposes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In January 2023, practitioners monitored children's development and discussed additional support with parents when a need emerged. A special educational needs coordinator also took part in the inspection discussions. These are concrete support mechanisms, rather than a blanket promise about meeting every need.

Care routines at that visit encouraged independence: toddlers cleaned their hands and faces and helped prepare lunch tables, while pictures identified babies' bottles. Staff counted children between areas and checked the totals together.

Current arrangements include controlled entry, managed collection procedures and practitioners trained in paediatric first aid.

Sessions and Attendance

Busy Bees Thames Ditton opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, across 52 weeks of the year, with bank holiday closures. Its standard full-day booking runs from 8am to 6pm; mornings run from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. A full-week pattern covers Monday to Friday, using the same full-day hours.

The minimum weekly booking is one full day or two morning or afternoon sessions. Childcare is sold by session, so variable working hours still need to fit those booking patterns.

Fees are paid monthly in advance across 52 weeks. Bank holidays remain chargeable; sickness and holidays bring no replacement session, credit or refund. Collection after the agreed session ends attracts an extra charge.

Getting There

The address is Mercer Close, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0BS; buggy storage and parking are among the practical facilities. Thames Ditton Station has direct London links and is a five minute walk away, while the closest bus stops are off Giggs Hill Road.

An enquiry form and telephone contact provide routes to the nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the 15 hours scheme and the 30 hours scheme, with entitlement dependent on the relevant eligibility rules. Hours are stretched over 50 weeks: the stated weekly maxima are 11.4 and 22.8 hours respectively. Additional attendance beyond funded entitlement is charged at the standard rate, and the remaining non-funded weeks also attract standard charges.

Food is prepared on site by the nursery chef, with two seasonal menus accredited by NHS Startwell; the nursery's dietary policy provides for discussions about allergies and cultural requirements so suitable alternatives can be arranged. Meals, drinks and snacks are included in standard private childcare fees, while funded sessions carry separate, optional food charges.

On funded sessions, nappies, wipes and sun cream, where applicable, also carry optional separate charges. The group-wide Busy Bees One package combines those consumables with food charges according to the session attended. Funding therefore needs to be considered separately from the package and any additional private hours.

A non-refundable registration charge applies to standard childcare, with part credited to the first invoice after the child starts. Fully funded places instead require a refundable deposit, credited to that first invoice and waived for funded two-year-olds using the 15 hour local authority scheme. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Learning beyond the daily update. The January 2023 improvement point concerned parents' access to children's next learning steps. During a visit, ask to see how these are explained and linked to activities at home.
• Opening hours and booked hours. Opening starts at 7.30am, while the standard full day starts at 8am. Families needing the earlier start should establish how that time fits their proposed booking.
• The funded-year calendar. The fee calculator places the non-funded weeks in April and December, while the session fee sheet specifies April and May, plus an additional non-funded day. Obtain the agreed calendar with the written quotation before committing to a pattern.
• Dietary arrangements. The nursery provides for suitable food alternatives following discussion of dietary needs. Families managing allergies should confirm current preparation and serving arrangements during their visit.

Busy Bees Thames Ditton suits families considering either full days or shorter morning and afternoon attendance, with year-round opening and outdoor access attached to each room. Its strongest current details are physical and practical: the perimeter garden, age-shaped daily routines and clear session choices. The January 2023 Good judgement adds a dated assessment of quality. The decision should also turn on how clearly staff explain children's next learning steps and how the funded calendar fits the family's booking.