Busy Bees Newbury

Monks Lane, Newbury RG14 7TD
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8.0 34 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Newbury, Newbury
Busy Bees Newbury, is well-situated to assist local parents in a positive and convenient way with their childcare needs. Registered with Ofsted to welcome up to 104 children, from babies of two months old to pre-school children of five years.

Features that make this nursery an ideal place for children to learn include a selection of play rooms, with two specialist pre-school rooms and two toddler rooms, a secure outdoor play area and the opportunity for messy play.

All staff are CRB checked and up-to-date with health and safety issues, with regular risk assessments and an on-site chefs producing a nutritious menu.

Care Provided by Busy Bees Newbury

  • Type of Service
  • Day Nursery – Privately Owned
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lucy Hills-Harding (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 20
  • Total Places for Children
  • 104
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays
Total of 34, showing 1-20
8.0

Busy Bees Newbury has a Review Score of 8.0 (7.965) out of 10, based on 1 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Busy Bees Newbury has 34 reviews.

Overall Experience

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has enjoyed his 3 years of time at Busy Bees nursery and I would recommend it for anyone else. It’s not been the easiest of times given the pandemic for 2 years - I believe they did their best against the open challenges. Compared to any other nursery, the fee was a reasonable one, especially
for a child attending all 5 days. My son will really miss attending this nursery as he plans to start school from September.

Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Newbury

Hello,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you’re giving your little one the best start in life with us.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. Join us as we celebrate our milestone year, visit our Busy Bees website or search for ’40 years Busy Bees’ to find out more and how to participate! We’re grateful for your trust and the opportunity to provide your child with the best start in life. Best wishes, Busy Bees


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter joined Busy Bees at the end of July and it has been one of our best decisions. I was nervous about my daughter starting full-time, but she adjusted so quickly and absolutely loves her time there. A big part of this is down to the staff, who are all friendly, caring, and engaging. My daughter
adores her key person, who is attentive, patient and just an all-round star! They do lots of varied activities throughout the day and their meals are amazing. Overall, this is a great nursery, which I highly recommend!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My children love going to Busy Bees, Newbury. The staff are always friendly and helpful, doing whatever they can to ensure the children are happy. Post covid, you can now go back into the nursery for drop off and collections, so you can get a glimpse of the children playing in their rooms, which is
lovely. They have also reintroduced the parents' evenings, although you can always get time to speak with the staff if/when needed. Overall, I would recommend the nursery. When choosing a nursery, we looked at a few local options, but this one had the best feel about it. Some of the staff have been there a long time, which says something about the place as a whole, I think.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Really happy with my daughter's progress since being at nursery. She has come on so well and is so much more confident, within herself and I can't thank the staff enough. It makes me feel happy with how she has settled in.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Great nursery! The team are amazing and my little boy loves it, especially one member of staff in particular, who is a credit to the company. The app is great and keeps communication between parents and nursery very smooth, especially with knowing what your child has eaten.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Busy Bees staff are always very caring and friendly and my daughter enjoys going to pre-school. The activities such as paintings, photo frames, gifts at Christmas - like the reindeer food are very creative and thoughtful. I have had a few issues on the admin side with invoices being incorrect but otherwise,
I'm very happy. The manager is excellent and lovely. It is a pity we haven't been able to do things like the carol concerts due to covid and that we can't enter anymore.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Manager and staff are so friendly, encouraging and engaging. Total trust in the nursery - recommend to all. Given our son so much confidence and great experiences. They've got to know him so well. Don't love the app - it often won't log in and then logs out, this needs addressing. Cannot wait to see
his brother love it too!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our two girls joined Busy Bees at Newbury a month ago after we moved to the Newbury area. Both children had previously been at nursery and pre-school, were settled, had friends and I was very nervous about the huge changes they were going through with the new house, moving away from friends as well
as starting a new nursery. I need not have worried, from their settling sessions onward's the staff at Busy Bees at Newbury have been amazing. We have not had a single day where the girls have not wanted to go into nursery and they both come out with huge smiles on their faces at the end of each day, with stories of what they have been doing all day. In a short time both girls have developed a real bond with their key person and this is due to the kind, caring and fun nature of the team members. I cannot recommend the manager and her team enough!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is a fantastic nursery with wonderful staff. My son has attended since 8 months old and is now over 2 and loves going in every day. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and really help with his development by doing age-appropriate activities. They are fed a great varied diet and get to spend
time outside most days. As a parent, I am very happy with the service provided and the feedback I get on progress.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A lovely nursery and Preschool. The staff are so wonderful and the atmosphere is always so welcoming. My daughter loves being a ‘Busy Bee’
She is now two and a half and has begun to tell us about all the fun she has whilst at Busy Bees. She shares songs and counting with us plus tells us about the
friends she has made and she adores the practitioners there and we know this because she talks about them at home. Our daughter started there before her 1st birthday and we’ve never looked back.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All 3 of my children have attended the nursery and I have a 13-year relationship with the team - many of whom are still working here over a decade later! I cannot recommend the nursery highly enough, from the tiny baby room to the preschool. Staff are friendly, caring and listen to all concerns. The
daily updated online system which tracks your child's progress both on a daily short term level and across months in terms of their development is incredibly helpful and gives you a real insight into their day and how they are progressing.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter loves the nursery very much. The staff are very kind and helpful. My child has developed well these couple of months.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter only started the nursery in September 2019 from a previous nursery and she has settled in really well. All the staff have been amazing at making her feel welcome and included.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We already have one child at the nursery so we're confident that our second child would love it. Our daughter found being away from home hard at first but the team were absolutely brilliant. She has only been there for three months but you wouldn't know it. Everyone worked together to settle her in
and made it all so much less stressful. Thank you.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son attends 2 mornings a week which I was concerned would mean a limited experience, I was wrong!
He loves his time at nursery and loves all the staff, it's like an extended family.
His social skills were already good but we feel nursery has really encouraged his self-confidence.
He comes home
with lots of new words/actions which makes us smile.
Looking forward to his March review on how he is progressing against his peers.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been attending Busy Bees since October.
From the moment we met the staff there we have felt welcomed.
The staff greet us warmly every day. My son attends and I really feel that he is looked after well.
The staff recognised he was shy and unsure and have done their best to put him at ease,
because of this he has settled in well.
I feel informed and supported by all staff at Busy Bees.
As a mum of 5, my children have attended various nurseries over the years and Busy Bees is definitely the best.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter started full time at Busy Bees about a month ago and the team there have been fantastic. This was a big change for my daughter and I and it is taking her some time to settle. I must say all the staff have been amazing in this process and have been so good to my daughter. She even talks about
the girls all the time at home now. Besides this, my daughter has learned so much and it's a pleasure to take her to childcare, knowing she is well looked after and is learning so much. I would highly recommend this nursery.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

From the beginning, the staff have been amazing. They make great efforts with my children who after only a month adore them.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little boy found it hard to settle in. The staff were great though and after a hard few weeks, my little boy started to enjoy going.
He now gets so excited when he arrives and doesn't want to leave.
He eats everything they give him (which doesn't happen at home) and has really good naps.
It makes
it easier going back to work knowing he is having a great time.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started pre-school here in September. He has struggled to settle but the staff have been amazing in coming up with ideas to support him. He is gaining confidence every day and enjoys his days at Busy Bees.
The food is excellent, he always eats everything. He is being prepared for reception and
I think that he will transition as easy as possible, thanks to all the work that is being put in now.

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Current Review Score: 8.0 (7.965)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.0 (7.965) out of 10 for Busy Bees Newbury is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 1 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.0 out of 5 from 1 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.917 for Busy Bees Newbury is calculated as follows: ( (11 Excellents x 5) + (1 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 12 Ratings = 4.917

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 3.048 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Newbury is based on 1 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 = 3

    • ii) 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 104 number of registered child places is 20.8. 1 Positive Reviews ÷ 20.8 = 0.048

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please Contact Us for Latest Vacancies

Awards / Recognitions (1)

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Meet the Team (1)

Lucy

Lucy Hills-Harding

Job Title: Centre Director

Joined: 2015

My name is Lucy, I have been at the nursery for 7 years and have been the Centre Director since 2019. I trained in my level 3 about 14 years ago and have gained lots of experience throughout my career. I am the Nursery's Designated Safeguarding Officer. I have paediatric first aid and First Aid at work.


Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Newbury

What is the Age Range of Children that Busy Bees Newbury accepts?

Busy Bees Newbury accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Newbury Open?

Busy Bees Newbury is open: Monday 07:30-18:00, Tuesday 07:30-18:00, Wednesday 07:30-18:00, Thursday 07:30-18:00, Friday 07:30-18:00.

How many Children does Busy Bees Newbury have capacity for?

Busy Bees Newbury has capacity for a total of 104 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Newbury to the centre of Newbury?

1.2 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.