Busy Bees Haslemere

A large garden, sensory play for babies and stories that shape afternoon activities give Busy Bees Haslemere a recognisable character. Based at Pitfold House, it combines age-group playrooms with outdoor space surrounded by parks and fields. This is a setting where learning extends beyond the activity table: textures, movement and everyday care routines all have a part to play.

At its January 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with children forming close relationships with their key person and teaching building on their interests. Two improvement priorities temper that assessment: communication about changes needed to be more timely, and routines sometimes interrupted children's play or overlooked their individual needs.

The nursery has 88 places in total, with a current age range from birth to five. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings serve different family schedules, with separately booked early and late extensions.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing learning and everyday wellbeing into the same nursery day. Alongside it, the group-wide Bee Curious curriculum uses children's interests to shape purposeful play and planned activities. At Haslemere, that includes storytelling and role play for communication, counting and patterns for mathematical understanding, and creative work through art, music and movement.

Mark-making and phonics introduce early literacy; group activities give children practice in listening and concentrating. Movement and outdoor learning develop physical coordination.

Book of the Moment supplies a theme for afternoon activities, extending stories beyond story time. Curious Mind brings maths, sensory experiences or problem solving into the older children's afternoon.

In January 2024, toddlers tackled ice containing toy dinosaurs, using hammers to release them and talking about the cold. Adults extended the activity through questions and encouraged children to collaborate. Another activity used portraits and facial features to explore how people resemble and differ from one another. Those examples show learning through objects, conversation and shared tasks.

Rooms and Ages

Baby areas sit alongside playrooms for toddlers and preschool children, with spaces tailored to the different age groups. The baby day includes exploration of colour and texture, stories and guided outdoor activity; naps follow the child's routine at home. That makes rest part of the day rather than a separate consideration for parents to fit around activities.

In January 2024, babies explored bags containing different materials while adults introduced words describing what they could feel and do. Singing also included simple signs, which toddlers used in exchanges with staff. For the youngest children, these examples connect physical exploration with the beginnings of communication.

Outdoor and Community Life

The large garden includes themed spaces for guided play. Older children explore nature in different weather conditions, with parks and fields surrounding the nursery.

In January 2024, preschool children practised climbing and balancing on an obstacle course. They also ran with staff in the wind while pretending to be animals. Outdoor activity combined physical challenge with imaginative play, rather than serving only as a break between indoor sessions.

Relationships and Communication

A key person provides the relationship around which each child's care and learning are organised within Bee Curious. In January 2024, staff recognised babies' gestures and signs of tiredness, responding with comfort and gentle rocking. Adults also explained simple safety expectations to toddlers, including why they needed to sit while eating. Care and communication worked together in those small interactions.

Assessment had a practical purpose too. In January 2024, practitioners used observations to decide what children needed to learn next and completed the progress check for children aged two to three. That check supported conversations involving parents and other professionals, giving families a structured point at which to discuss development.

The current Busy Bees App shares updates about children's progress during the day. Its role is useful, but it should be considered alongside the January 2024 communication concern: leaders did not consistently pass on information about changes promptly enough. Digital updates and clear explanations of nursery decisions serve different purposes.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Quiet play or nap time also forms part of the older children's day. In January 2024, toddlers collected their comfort items, found their sleeping mats and put their shoes away before resting. These manageable tasks gave children opportunities to practise independence within familiar routines.

The same visit identified a limitation: staff sometimes applied nursery routines too rigidly, interrupting play or failing to respond fully to an individual child's needs. That matters for families whose child needs flexibility around sleep, meals or transitions between activities. The question is how the daily structure adapts to the child.

Food is cooked each day by the on-site nursery chef, using two seasonal menus accredited by NHS Startwell. For dietary needs, allergies and cultural preferences, the nursery's policy is to discuss requirements with families and arrange suitable alternatives.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Pitfold House, Woolmer Hill Road, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 1QA. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. The nursery closes on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas, so those closures belong in a family's childcare planning.

The standard full day runs from 8am to 6pm, with a full-week option covering Monday to Friday. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm; afternoons run from 1pm to 6pm. An early session covers 7.30am to 8am, and a late session covers 6pm to 6.30pm. Extensions outside the standard full day require advance booking.

The minimum weekly booking is one full day or two morning or afternoon sessions. Childcare is sold by session, so work and collection need to fit the booked hours.

Enquiries can be made through the Haslemere contact form or by calling the nursery on 01428 658726. Fees are paid monthly in advance; bank-holiday closures remain chargeable, and sickness or holidays do not attract session exchanges or refunds. A non-refundable registration charge applies, with part credited to the first invoice after the child starts.

Getting There

On-site parking supports collection and drop-off. Haslemere train station is a six-minute drive from the nursery, and the setting also has road access towards the A3.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use the 15-hour and 30-hour funding schemes, with funded hours stretched over 50 weeks. The 15-hour scheme provides up to 11.4 hours a week on this arrangement, while the 30-hour scheme provides up to 22.8. Additional attendance beyond the funded entitlement is charged separately, so stretched funding and the total booked session need to be considered together.

Meals, drinks and snacks are included in standard privately paid childcare fees. During funded sessions, food and non-food consumables are separate, optional charges: the group-wide Busy Bees One package combines food with items such as nappies, wipes and sun cream where applicable. Families can therefore distinguish payment for additional care hours from contributions for these daily items.

A refundable deposit applies to fully funded places and is credited to the first invoice after the child starts; it is waived for funded two-year-olds using the local authority's 15-hour scheme. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the funding and fees calculator provides illustrative estimates rather than a personalised price.

• Communication about changes. January 2024 identified delays in sharing information with parents. During a visit, ask how changes to care arrangements are explained alongside everyday app updates.
• Flexible routines. January 2024 also identified routines that could interrupt play or miss individual needs. Ask how staff adapt sleep and activity transitions to your child's home pattern.
• Funded-session extras. Food and consumables carry optional separate charges during funded hours. These sit alongside charges for additional privately paid hours, so both affect the total cost.
• Dietary arrangements. The nursery arranges alternatives through discussion with families. If allergies affect your child, confirm current preparation and serving arrangements before joining.

Busy Bees Haslemere suits families seeking either morning or afternoon sessions or full-day attendance, with advance-booked extensions for an earlier start or later collection. Its garden, story-linked activities and practical learning experiences give children several ways to engage with the day.

The January 2024 judgement provides a positive quality assessment, balanced by specific concerns about communication and the flexibility of routines. For parents, the strongest decision rests on how those two everyday matters work alongside the current curriculum and attendance pattern.