Busy Bees Nursery and Pre-school

Three gardens, practical learning and a baby room with two sleep rooms give Busy Bees Nursery and Pre-school a clear character. Based at The Beehive in Clifford, this rural nursery combines opportunities to explore outdoors with attention to children's routines, interests and relationships. The appeal is concrete: space to play, somewhere to rest and activities shaped around the child.

The nursery's March 2024 judgement was Outstanding, with safeguarding assessed as effective. The current age range starts at three months and extends to 60 months, with capacity for 49 children in total. That whole-setting figure should be kept separate from the size of any particular room or group.

Attendance centres on a minimum daily session, with wraparound care outside it and a minimum booking of two days each week. For parents, the important combination is a substantial core day and the option to extend it, rather than an unrestricted choice of short sessions.

Rooms and Ages

Two sleep rooms give babies cots, pushchairs and bed mats to help keep rest familiar. Toddlers nap on mats in their room; miniature toilets in the toddler and pre-school areas support everyday independence.

Each room adapts its routine to children's needs, balancing singing, creative and mathematical activities with rest. That gives the day a predictable rhythm while leaving room for children's interests.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning and care: here, its day-to-day expression includes play, conversation, growing independence and activities built from observations of each child. It is the common foundation for provision, rather than an extra programme. Communication, language and emotional wellbeing receive particular emphasis.

Montessori influences practical skills; Reggio informs the use of natural materials; the curiosity approach contributes loose-part play, in which children can decide how to use the materials. These are influences on the environment, rather than a claim that the nursery follows one exclusive method. Yoga and forest school, an approach to learning through outdoor experiences, sit alongside them.

Staff make daily observations and use them in weekly planning, combining ideas led by adults with play directed by children. Staff review their planning weekly. There are no fixed topics governing the programme: a child's interest can become the starting point for the next activity. That makes the planning responsive rather than dependent on everyone following the same theme.

In March 2024, babies used a homemade picture book to match dressing-up shoes with photographs and practise putting them on. Older children built an imagined world from resources, then considered questions about the habitats they had created. These examples show how ordinary play can bring together practical skills, language and thinking, rather than treating each as a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily use of at least one of the three gardens gives children regular space to move and explore, alongside forest school sessions.

In March 2024, a bird discovered in the garden became the starting point for a sensitive discussion about life cycles and what animals eat. An outdoor classroom was also part of the setting at that time. The example matters because it shows staff using an unexpected experience as a learning opportunity, rather than relying entirely on planned activities.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person who supports settling, follows development and gives parents a consistent contact. Taster sessions gather information about the child to help staff understand familiar preferences.

Learning journeys include parent contributions and go home at least three times a year, or more on request. Daily conversations and baby diaries keep families informed; parents' evenings and key-person meetings allow longer discussions.

In March 2024, staff responded to babies needing comfort by staying close and offering cuddles until they were ready to resume exploring. A furnished garden shed provided a quieter place for family discussions, while an Easter egg hunt was one example of the social events held during the year. These were practical ways of supporting relationships, both with children and with their parents.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found excellent teaching, strong progress from children's individual starting points and excellent SEND support, including targeted support and individual learning plans reviewed regularly. Those findings give substance to the overall grade, especially for parents whose child may need additional help.

The SEND arrangements begin with an assessment involving parents, the special educational needs coordinator and other professionals where appropriate. Individual education plans set achievable targets, identify strategies or equipment and establish a review point. The key person carries the plan into daily practice, supported by the coordinator. Parents are involved in reviewing both the approach and the intended outcomes.

Medical needs are addressed through individual plans and relevant staff training. The safeguarding structure assigns lead responsibility to the manager, with the deputy covering their absence. These are defined arrangements and responsibilities; the dated inspection judgement above is the assessment of their effectiveness.

Moving to another setting or school involves preparing a transition document about development, personality and capabilities. Where possible, staff also meet or speak with the receiving setting. This gives the next team information about the child beyond a simple account of activities completed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Beehive, Clifford, Hereford, HR3 5HA. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

Children must attend on at least two days a week, and the minimum daily session runs from 8.30am to 4pm. Wraparound care can extend attendance outside that session in 15-minute increments. Funding may be used flexibly within the minimum attendance requirements, including for wraparound where a funding allowance remains. The distinction between opening hours and the booked session matters when arranging work and collection times.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or email. Families are invited to meet staff and look around; discussions can also take place by telephone, with forms sent electronically. Booking involves a deposit, refundable for fully funded children. If a family decides against taking the place, returning the booking fee depends on giving two months, described as eight weeks, of notice.

The waiting list generally follows joining order, with priority exceptions for social-services recommendations, certain children nearing school entry and disability-related circumstances. Booking guidance recommends planning a year ahead.

Funding and Paid Extras

Private childcare and funded childcare are both offered. The private hourly rate includes meals, planned activities and supplies such as wipes, nappies and sun cream; parents provide formula or breast milk for babies who need it. For funded places, food and a combined consumables-and-activities charge are optional extras charged separately. These are different charging arrangements, so the attendance pattern and its extras need to be considered together. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Meals are made fresh each day by the cook, using local ingredients where possible. The allergy policy provides for an individual action plan, giving a family-specific basis for discussing food needs.

• Minimum attendance. The two-day weekly commitment and 8.30am to 4pm minimum session make this a substantial booking. On a visit, discuss how that rhythm would work for your child and how wraparound would fit your collection arrangements.
• Funded-place extras. Food and consumables-and-activities charges are optional additions for funded children. Ask for a written quotation covering your chosen attendance and how declining either extra works in practice.
• Baby routines and allergies. Two sleep rooms offer several sleeping arrangements, while allergy support uses individual action plans. Discuss your baby's current sleep and milk routines, and confirm current allergy practice before starting.
• Booking commitment. Planning a year ahead is recommended, and the admissions terms link return of the booking fee after cancellation to two months, or eight weeks, of notice. Consider that condition before committing to a future start date.

Busy Bees suits families booking its minimum daily session or adding Wraparound care, with outdoor play and responsive planning shaping the experience. Its gardens, adaptable sleep arrangements and practical approach to learning give parents tangible reasons to consider it.

The March 2024 Outstanding judgement strengthens that case. The decision is then about fit: whether the minimum attendance suits family life, how a child's routines will be supported and how funded extras affect the chosen booking.