Busy Bees Chelmsford

5 The Meads, Chelmsford CM2 0GT
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8.6 53 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Chelmsford, Chelmsford
Busy Bees Chelmsford is situated in the heart of the city, within walking distance of the town, central park and the duck pond.

Set on one level, each room in the nursery offers access to the spacious and secure garden area where children can explore and develop their interest in nature whilst discovering the wide range of activities available. There are endless opportunities for your child to have fun with friends throughout the nursery and challenge themselves by taking safe risks.

The diverse staff team are friendly, welcoming and strive to give all children a great start to their education. The nursery provides an extensive variety of activities to suit every child’s interests. The fantastic team have carefully selected a range of educational resources in line with the Early Years Education Stage (EYFS) curriculum so that your child is ready to take the next steps in their educational journey.

All the nutritious meals are freshly prepared on site using many locally sourced ingredients. The fully qualified chef is skilled in preparing carefully balanced meals which also take account of any dietary requirements your child may have.

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Care Provided by Busy Bees Chelmsford

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Chloe Russell (Centre Director)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 40
  • Total Places for Children
  • 99
  • 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

Busy Bees Chelmsford Reviews (53)

Total of 53, showing 1-20
8.6

Busy Bees Chelmsford has a Review Score of 8.6 (8.639) out of 10, based on 6 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Busy Bees Chelmsford has 53 reviews.

Overall Experience

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Date Published

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Review from A M (Mother of Child) published on 25 December 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Overall, an amazing nursery. My son has been very happy and he is always developing. We see him come home with new skills all the time! They have a great structure for the babies in the class (my son is 13 months at time of writing), allowing nap time as required and lots of activities. The staff are
generally very helpful and engaging.
Minor criticisms. They are not punctual in the morning, 7:30 is really 7:35 am and that is frustrating. Equally, it can take 10-minutes-plus at pick-up. Also, as with all nurseries, there are a lot of illnesses and especially at the beginning, he got sent home for what felt like everything. We spent more time at home than at nursery, this has improved as they have got to know my son. Finally, you get great daily updates, but I wish we got more observations (development reports). However, if you want to know anything they are always happy to answer questions!

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Review from M S (Father of Child) published on 11 November 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A lovely place to send our girls.
Overall, I'm very happy with the experience that we've had with Busy Bees. Both of our daughters have received an excellent level of care in their time at the nursery, have developed good relationships with the staff and their peers and, most importantly, enjoy their
time there.

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Review from James B (Father of Child) published on 4 October 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son and daughter both attend Busy Bees Chelmsford and love every day there. The staff are wonderful and attentive and it's lovely to see on the app pictures of what they've been up to. They particularly enjoy playing in the outdoor area which was one of the main reasons we chose this nursery. It
also helps we walk past and wave at the nearby ducks to and from nursery every day. Thoroughly recommended!

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Review from Paula L (Mother of Child) published on 23 September 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Honestly, I cannot rate this nursery highly enough! My little girl has been going here for 19 months now and the excitement she has each time she goes is priceless. We receive nothing but the friendliest of welcomes every single time.
The range of activities are impressive. The choices of food available
from an onsite chef are moreish. The app is updated regularly. Busy Bees creates a safe, structured, and loving environment that allows my little one to thrive through storytelling, song, dance, visuals, sensory room, outside playtime, and most of all, creating such wonderful relationships with her little friends and grown ups.
The biggest attribute that this nursery has is every single member of its staff. Their attention to detail, attitude, ambiance, smiling faces and handovers are professional and warmingly personal.
I have the happiest little 3-year-old that loves to tell a story and she retells nothing but happy stories about her day at nursery. Thank you Busy Bees!

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Review from Damien H (Father of Child) published on 29 May 2024
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery, feel like the staff have created a lovely bond with my child and absolutely adores his key person and learns a lot when he's there.
The meals my child has sound delicious too and very nutritious.
Thank you Busy Bees!

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Review from Tanya W (Mother of Child) published on 7 September 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I am very happy with the care and bonds my daughter has built up with in the under 2's unit. She has become so much more settled, happier and is developing well. Very pleased with the transition and settled from the baby room to the first steps room. I feel it was done smoothly and helped my daughter
build up a bond with her new key person.

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

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. Best wishes, Busy Bees


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Review from Sarah S (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees is an excellent nursery with some of the best staff. Our son has been attending part-time for the last 3 years, since he was 11 months old and the care and development he has received has been excellent. Well organised and friendly team. He loves his time there and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend
to others.

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Review from Chloe S (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My oldest child has been coming to Busy Bees Chelmsford since she was 9months old and is now 4.5 and she loves it and she has such a lovely relationship with all the staff at the nursery. My youngest who is 1.5 has only just started a fixed day after being born in covid times and Busy Bees have been
so good at settling her in. They were also amazing at being flexible prior to this while my industry recovered after lockdown. I’m very happy we decided to send both our girls here. The team are all so lovely and I know how much my girls learn and grow there.

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Review from Joe E (Father of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The team at Busy Bees Chelmsford are first class. They are all incredibly friendly and provide a superb level of care to both of my children. They are attentive and conscientious, one of my children has required different medication for periods of time and another started their nursery life with a restricted
diet and they managed the medication and dietary requirements with no problem. The food is of great quality, healthy and varied. Both kids absolutely love going to nursery and have formed great relationships with the team and as a parent you really get the impression the team there genuinely care about the children. The initiatives and the varied curriculum are also excellent and provide our children with a great academic start. I would absolutely recommend this nursery setting, the team are brilliant, the facilities are a great standard and my children love it.

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Review from Hannah D (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Both my daughters have attended Busy Bees Chelmsford. We chose this venue as it is close to town and an easy walk to the train station. They have extended opening hours to early drop and late picks ups, they have big classes so therefore quite a lot of flexibility if you need to book an extra session
at late notice. They have a lovely outdoor garden that all ages can use. Due to these reasons, it is one of the more expensive nurseries but we felt it was worth it for us! It is a big nursery so children who are slightly more sensitive may feel overwhelmed at first. However, the staff are lovely. One of my daughters is more sensitive and really needed help settling into the baby room and they spent lots of time and effort making her feel happy at nursery and she loves it now! Overall, I would definitely recommend it!

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Review from Anastasija K (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We love our nursery! My son is always happy to be there, he has got his favourite teachers and friends. His communication skills have improved so much. The nursery staff are very friendly and attentive.

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Review from Oliver T (Father of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Really great nursery. They’re always pushing the boundaries and trying to get the best out of the kid’s couldn’t ask for more. We’ve had experience of the nursery right from babies and my daughter has always had a good lasting bond with her carers.

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Review from Nadine T (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Honestly such an amazing nursery! The staff are so kind, friendly and so helpful.
My daughter was not potty trained and was struggling with her speech but since going to Busy Bees Chelmsford she's come on tremendously!
She now completely off nappies and doesn’t stop chatting this is her improvement
in a few months of going can only imagine what she will be like in the following months/years.
Thanks everyone.

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Review from Roxie W (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our son goes to Busy Bees three full days a week and absolutely loves it. The facilities are super and he particularly loves the garden space. He’s made great friends and loves the staff home-cooked food too.

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Review from Rebecca J (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has attended Busy Bees Chelmsford since October 2021 and the staff at the nursery have gone above and beyond to help her adjust to being in an educational setting outside of home which given lockdown was a real worry for us.
The staff are all so welcoming, knowledgeable and you definitely
feel that the nursery is small enough for them to know all the children, regardless of which class they are in, which is reassuring. There are regular updates on the app and via email and they are always able and willing to give an update over the phone as well if needed.
In the last month we've been able to visit classrooms and it's been really lovely to see that my daughter is a well-liked and integrated member of the nursery community. Really, really happy with the care that they show her.

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Review from Lee G (Father of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This our second child we have had attended there and both have loved it and I have found it to be a very well run nursery. Special mention to one member of staff who goes the extra mile. Our children are very very happy to attend

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Review from Rebecca D (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Both my daughters have attended Busy Bees Chelmsford since they were babies. Nearly 7 years in total now. We have never had any problems. Support is always second to none. Both our daughters have always been so happy and forged wonderful friendships with both the other children and the staff. I will
be sad when my youngest leaves in August to go to school.
I always recommend to friends.

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Review from Mateusz F (Father of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Whilst choosing a right nursery for our daughter we benchmarked all best nurseries in Chelmsford and this one scored highest because it:
- Is the cleanest,
- Has new/not worn out toys and furniture,
- Has private play garden of a fair size,
- Windows aren't covered by film like we seen in other
places so kids can enjoy sunlight,
- Aircon was not stinky as we seen in an other place.
- It supports an app (provides daily updates on what child does but also includes observations and assessments which we find brilliant).
Our daughter has been there since she turned 15 months, for over a year now. She loves it there and immediately developed a great bond with her carers. I can see that she is liked there and feels very good. She learned a lot already and started developing a good British accent that she would never learn at home! I can recommend to everyone considering a nursery in Chelmsford - even if it isn't the closest one to where they live.

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Review from A H (Mother of Child) published on 26 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees have been fabulous with my little girl. Since joining, she has come on leaps and bounds in terms of playing and learning how to interact. As a covid baby, she spent most of her first year only interacting with parents. Being here has given her the confidence she needs to make friends and explore.
She has also discovered her love for the garden. As each room has their own garden area, she loved being out as much as possible, and this branch definitely facilitates this.
A plus factor from the parents perspective is the on-site chef! A dream for busy parents making sure we don't have to faff around with lunchboxes and not worrying about frozen ready meals! Each seasonal menu looks great and my little girl loves all of them!

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Review from Sam M (Father of Child) published on 19 April 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees Chelmsford has been brilliant for our little boy who has been attending for the last 18 months. He is now almost three and the interactions, with both staff and other children, he had through lockdowns have been invaluable to his development. The staff and facilities are fantastic and our
boy really enjoys his time there. The learning and how he has developed his confidence have also been great.

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Current Review Score: 8.6 (8.639)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.6 (8.639) out of 10 for Busy Bees Chelmsford is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 6 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.9 out of 5 from 6 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 4.736 for Busy Bees Chelmsford is calculated as follows: ( (55 Excellents x 5) + (15 Goods x 4) + (2 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 72 Ratings = 4.736

  • 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 3.903 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Chelmsford is based on 6 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 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 = 3.6

    • 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 99 number of registered child places is 19.8. 6 Positive Reviews ÷ 19.8 = 0.303

  • 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.

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Awards / Recognitions (0)

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Meet the Team (1)

Chloe

Chloe Russell

Job Title: Centre Director

Joined: 2014

Hello, my name is Chloe Russell and I am the Centre Director of Busy Bees Chelmsford. 


I joined Busy Bees Chelmsford in October 2014 as an apprentice, studying my Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications In childcare. Upon gaining my Level 3 qualification I was promoted to Room Manager, Senior Room Manager, Assistant Centre Director and became the Centre Director of Chelmsford In May 2024. 


As a Centre Director, I am very passionate about parent partnership and creating exciting environments for children to be inspired and welcome. 


Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Chelmsford

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

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

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Chelmsford Open?

Busy Bees Chelmsford 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 Chelmsford have capacity for?

Busy Bees Chelmsford has capacity for a total of 99 Children.

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

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

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Busy Bees Chelmsford to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Chelmsford has an Enhanced Service – more info.