Busy Bees Portsmouth

Counting while babies roll balls, balancing on garden blocks and learning to pour a drink: the August 2023 picture of Busy Bees Portsmouth was one of learning threaded through ordinary play and care. Those small experiences give parents more to consider than a curriculum label alone. The setting is at North Harbour Business Park on Compass Road, Portsmouth.

At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with SEND generally received useful support, although staff needed to apply agreed strategies more consistently and explain individual learning priorities better to parents. Later supervision findings also matter to the decision.

The nursery has capacity for 126 children and accepts children from 3 to 60 months. That whole-setting capacity is separate from the number sharing a child's daily activities.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: for families, that means education and everyday care belong together, rather than learning being confined to formal lessons. The August 2023 activities show what that looked like in practice, from mathematical language during play to opportunities to practise physical skills.

In August 2023, practitioners joined babies' ball games and introduced counting as the balls moved between children. Older children explored volume by putting materials into containers and taking them out again. These were practical ways to connect numbers and mathematical ideas with something children could handle, rather than an isolated exercise.

Physical development took different forms across the ages. In August 2023, babies used low furniture to pull themselves upright, toddlers practised balance on wooden blocks outdoors, and older children worked with scissors and other tools. The progression is useful for parents to understand: movement, coordination and hand control were being practised through different experiences, rather than one activity being applied to every age.

Outdoor and Community Life

In August 2023, children could move between indoor play and the outdoor environment, choosing activities for themselves. The garden's wooden blocks gave toddlers a concrete balancing challenge. Outdoor access therefore contributed both to children's choices and to opportunities for movement.

Older children also used a teaching room in August 2023 to explore digital technology. Meanwhile, toddlers shared stories with their key person in a quiet space. These examples show that the day included smaller, calmer experiences alongside active exploration. They are useful points of comparison for a child who enjoys movement but also needs time away from busier play.

Relationships and Communication

In August 2023, babies received comfort from their key person as they settled, and practitioners talked with them during nappy changes and helped them drift off to sleep. The practical significance is the connection between care routines and relationships: changing and resting were also opportunities for attention and reassurance.

Parents had opportunities to speak with their child's key person and could follow development through an online portal in August 2023. However, individual learning priorities were not consistently explained. An update about what a child has done and an explanation of what they are working towards serve different purposes; families need the latter to make activities at home relevant.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In August 2023, the special educational needs coordinator worked with families and outside professionals to arrange support. The weakness concerned consistency in carrying agreed strategies into everyday practice. For a child needing additional help, that distinction matters: an agreed plan needs to translate into the interactions they experience throughout the day.

Self-care was also part of daily life in August 2023. Children practised using cutlery and pouring drinks, while a nose-wiping station and mirror helped them attend to their own hygiene. These concrete routines gave children opportunities to do manageable tasks for themselves.

Following regulatory visits in October 2023 and February 2024, Ofsted recorded supervision shortfalls and action taken to correct them, including revised procedures and subsequent staff training and support. Corrective action was taken on both occasions, but supervision concerns recurred between October 2023 and February 2024, making this a material consideration for families.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year and closes on bank holidays. This makes the holiday calendar relevant to families arranging cover across the working year, as well as to those comparing daily opening windows.

Getting There

The address is North Harbour Business Park, Compass Road, Portsmouth, PO6 4SF. Parents can contact the nursery through its contact form or telephone 02392 383 030; new-parent enquiries can also go to the central enrolments team on 0330 333 8133.

In August 2023, the nursery provided funded educational places for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a statement of today's entitlement arrangements.

• Repeated supervision findings. The October 2023 and February 2024 outcomes both recorded corrective action after supervision concerns. During a visit, ask how supervision is organised across activities and how managers maintain the changes in daily practice.
• Support carried through the day. In August 2023, agreed SEND strategies were applied inconsistently. For a child requiring additional support, discuss how their plan reaches every practitioner caring for them.
• Learning updates with a purpose. Individual learning priorities were not consistently shared in August 2023. Ask to see how a child's next learning priorities are explained to parents and connected with activities at home.
• Attendance and the total bill. With year-round opening and a dated history of funded provision, the practical question is: which booking patterns and funded arrangements suit your week, and how are meals and consumables treated in your written quotation?

Busy Bees Portsmouth merits consideration for families seeking year-round weekday care who value learning through practical play, physical activity and growing independence. The August 2023 examples give that educational picture substance: ball games, garden balancing and everyday self-care each had a role.

The decision also needs to account for supervision concerns in October 2023 and February 2024, alongside inconsistent SEND strategies and communication of learning priorities in August 2023. Families should weigh the arrangements discussed at a visit alongside that dated account of nursery life.