Busy Bees Epsom

Separate gardens for younger and older children, a wellness room and weekly Tots in Sport sessions give Busy Bees Epsom a clear character: outdoor discovery sits alongside movement and quieter activities. The building is a converted doctor's surgery in Epsom town centre. Its nature area adds another setting for exploration, while practical touches such as buggy storage and take-home evening meals make the offer relevant to family routines.

At its 6 January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with improvements needed in matching activities to children's learning needs and giving them consistent opportunities to manage tasks independently. Those points matter alongside the grade. An activity can be inviting yet still miss the right level of challenge for an individual child.

Busy Bees Epsom accepts children from 3 months to 5 years and has 68 places in total. Full days, mornings and afternoons provide different attendance options.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation, movement and everyday routines all contribute to learning. Alongside it, the group-wide Bee Curious curriculum organises purposeful play around children's interests and their pace of development. At Epsom, its activities include storytelling and role play for communication, counting and patterns for early mathematics, and mark-making and phonics for early literacy.

The baby day includes exploring textures and colours, sensory activities and outdoor play with staff support. For the older Toddler/Preschool age group, activities include problem solving, mathematics and experiences involving the senses. These are different ways into learning rather than a day built entirely around adult-led tasks. Guided group activities also give children practice in listening and concentrating together.

Book of the Moment provides a reference point for afternoon activities. It connects the day's play with a selected book, giving stories a place beyond a single reading session. Creative work includes music, art and movement, while outdoor activities give children another way to investigate their surroundings.

In January 2023, the youngest children explored low play equipment and sought reassurance from nearby staff. Toddlers experimented with paint using both brushes and fingers, while older children used counting, comparison and words describing position during their garden discoveries. The examples show how different ages could approach physical exploration, creativity and early mathematics through ordinary play.

Outdoor and Community Life

Separate gardens serve children under and over 3, with a nature area adding opportunities to investigate living things. That division gives outdoor play an age-based structure. A wellness room provides space for breathing exercises, mindfulness and yoga, adding a quieter physical setting alongside the gardens.

Weekly Tots in Sport sessions add a recurring activity to the timetable. The nursery also uses the local park and library, extending experiences beyond its own building. These outings bring a change of setting and resources, rather than keeping every experience within the nursery grounds.

In January 2023, children searched for worms around logs, discussed habitats and checked the garden before exploring. Babies shared books with staff, toddlers danced to familiar rhymes, and older children discussed story characters and possible endings.

Relationships and Communication

Children have a key person within the Bee Curious approach, linking their interests with caring routines and planned learning. The Busy Bees App provides updates on their progress during the day. A parent room adds a physical space for family contact, while buggy storage supports families bringing younger children.

In January 2023, staff shared information with parents about care, learning and development. Work with the local health visiting team supported children's two-year-old checks, and parent representatives helped bring families' views into discussions with management. This was communication with a practical purpose: connecting nursery observations, family knowledge and developmental checks.

Sleep follows home routines in the baby day, with naps offered according to the child's usual pattern. Quiet play and rest also form part of the timetable. Keeping the home routine relevant gives families a concrete point of continuity as a child adjusts to spending time away from home.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective SEND support through assessment, prompt planning with parents and other professionals, and continuing progress, alongside effective support for children learning English as an additional language. The mechanisms are useful to understand. In January 2023, staff used words from children's home languages, and visiting translators supported children and families with communication.

Meals are cooked at the nursery by its chef, using two seasonal menus accredited by NHS Startwell; the nursery's allergy and dietary arrangements involve discussing requirements with the centre director and arranging suitable alternatives. Children attending all day can also take home a free evening meal, easing the practical demands of the evening.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and operates across 52 weeks of the year. Full-day bookings run from 8am to 6pm; morning sessions are 8am to 1pm, and afternoons are 1pm to 6pm. A full-week pattern covers Monday to Friday. These options allow families to choose between shorter sessions and a complete nursery day.

The minimum weekly booking is one full day or two morning or afternoon sessions. Bookings cover defined sessions; hourly childcare is not offered.

Bank holidays are closure days, with normal charges applying. Fees are paid monthly in advance and based on 52 weeks; sickness and family holidays do not bring session exchanges, credits or refunds. Those terms make the booked pattern consequential even when a child misses a day.

Getting There

The address is 12 The Parade, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5DH, with a tree-lined driveway and parking area. Epsom train station runs services to London and the surrounding area, making the town-centre location relevant to families travelling onwards by rail.

Enquiries can be made through the Epsom contact form or by calling 01372 745 905. The branch also offers online visit booking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered through the 15 hours scheme and 30 hours scheme, subject to eligibility. Hours are stretched over 50 weeks: the respective weekly maximums are 11.4 and 22.8 hours. Extra care beyond the entitlement is paid for separately, so funding and the overall booking pattern need to be considered together.

For privately paid care, meals, drinks and snacks are included in the fee. For funded sessions, food and consumables such as nappies, wipes and sun cream carry separate optional charges through the group-wide Busy Bees One package. These are additional to the funded care hours, rather than part of the entitlement itself.

The non-funded periods charged at standard rates are 5 to 9 April 2027, 3 to 7 May 2027 and 31 August 2027. A non-refundable registration charge applies, with part credited to the first invoice; fully funded places instead require a refundable deposit credited to that invoice, waived for funded two-year-olds using the 15 hour local authority scheme. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Challenge and independence. January 2023 improvement points concerned activities being too difficult for some children and inconsistent opportunities to practise self-care. During a visit, ask how staff choose the next challenge and give children time to complete everyday tasks themselves.
• The funded calendar. Funding stretches across 50 weeks, rather than the full fee year. Request a written quotation showing your session pattern, the non-funded periods and the optional food and consumables charges together.
• Your child's daily routine. Baby naps follow home patterns, and the wellness room supports quieter activities. Use a visit to discuss settling, sleep and how your child would move between busy play and rest.
• Dietary needs. The nursery arranges alternatives for allergies and other dietary requirements. Families affected by allergies should confirm the current preparation and serving arrangements before joining.

Busy Bees Epsom suits families seeking either full-day care or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with outdoor exploration, weekly sport and space for quieter activity. The separate gardens, wellness room and take-home meals give the choice practical substance. The January 2023 learning and independence improvement points remain relevant to the choice, and stretched funding needs to be weighed against the full booked year. For parents who value that mix of movement, stories and everyday convenience, there is plenty here to assess closely.