Busy Bees Stevenage College

London Road, Stevenage SG1 1GG
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8.4 17 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Stevenage College, Stevenage
Nestled in the heart of Stevenage, on London Road, Busy Bees at Stevenage College enjoys a prime location right next to the North Hertfordshire College - Stevenage Campus, providing an incredibly convenient location for families seeking high-quality childcare in the area.

With a focus on quality and fun simultaneously, the team strive to create endless opportunities to children to learn, play and explore. Providing a nurturing and stimulating environment where all children can flourish and thrive, your child is sure to come on leaps and bounds during their time at Busy Bees. With a wide range of engaging activities on offer throughout the nursery, there is something for every child to enjoy; from arts and crafts to imaginative play, there is never a dull day at the nursery.

The nursery also boasts a large garden area, providing children with the opportunity to explore their independence and take on safe challenges whilst supervised.

The team goes above and beyond to offer every child the best start to their early years education, providing the best care and support throughout every age and stage.

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Care Provided by Busy Bees Stevenage College

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Lisa Spicer and Joanne Knight (Nursery Managers)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 30
  • Total Places for Children
  • 98
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 3 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:30-18:30
    Tuesday 07:30-18:30
    Wednesday 07:30-18:30
    Thursday 07:30-18:30
    Friday 07:30-18:30
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays

Funding & Fees Guide for Busy Bees Stevenage College

  • Funding available with wrap around care. Fees subject to yearly increase
  • Parking

  • Large car park with space for staff, visitors and for parents to drop off/collect.


Busy Bees Stevenage College Reviews (17)

8.4

Busy Bees Stevenage College has a Review Score of 8.4 (8.375) out of 10, based on 3 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Busy Bees Stevenage College has 17 reviews.

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Review from Rebecca N (Mother of Child) published on 21 December 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My child spent almost 3 years at Busy Bees. The staff and management are highly professional, passionate, and kind. We have nothing but respect for this nurturing environment that the staff provided. My child will miss this place that is like a second home. Thank you for 3 wonderful years at Busy Bees
Stevenage.

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Review from Elizabeth S (Mother of Child) published on 16 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

All the staff at Busy Bees, Stevenage College are amazing. My daughter has been attending for 3 months now and she has settled in so well. The baby room staff are incredible. They really care for the child and you can see how much a child’s development matters to them. You can tell how much they engage
with the children; especially with all the activities. Our one-year-old is so happy to be there. The management team are also friendly and really understanding; always being happy to listen to ensure your child’s needs are met. We couldn’t be happier that our baby is at Busy Bees, Stevenage College.

Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage College

Hello, we love reading feedback like this! Thank you for sharing it with us; we will pass on your lovely comments to the team at Stevenage College.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. Celebrate our milestone year with us! Visit our Busy Bees website or search for ’40 years Busy Bees’ and find out more and how to join us. 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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Review from K C (Mother of Child) published on 7 August 2023
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Since my daughter started nursery in May we have found the staff very attentive and welcoming. Nothing is a problem and they are all very good at responding to my child's needs and ensuring she is happy. I'm very impressed with the management at Busy Bees Stevenage College. The managers are very helpful
and always kind and approachable when discussing any care needs. One staff member is very attentive with my daughter and I feel very reassured leaving her in her care.
I'm so glad we chose this nursery since my little girl loves to go there.

Reply from Evleen Price, Marketing Manager at Busy Bees Stevenage College

Hello and 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 at Busy Bees Stevenage College.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. Celebrate our milestone year with us! Visit our Busy Bees website or search for ’40 years Busy Bees’ and find out more and how to join us. 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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Review from Toni M (Mother of Child) published on 24 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have had such amazing support from the staff and managers since starting at Busy Bees Stevenage College. It was really difficult settling in during lockdown, however, they put us at ease and made the experience really easy for us and our son. He has thrived ever since and loves going in, every morning.
Any time I have ever had concerns, they have been dealt with efficiently by the staff, who are always courteous. Everyone has been so kind and friendly and I am so grateful that I can leave my son there knowing he is in good hands.

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Review from Olufunke O (Mother of Child) published on 1 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

I have found my little one enjoys being at Busy Bees. She looks forward to going in and the staff are quite responsive. They offer a variety of activities, while nurturing my child's individuality. I would recommend to anyone.

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Review from Dave C (Father of Child) published on 1 March 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees, Stevenage College, is an excellently managed nursery with fantastic staff who work very hard and clearly care very much about every single child in their care. Our daughter went right through from 9 months up to almost 5 years old before she left to start school in September and our son has
been there for 18 months now too. We’ve never had anything but positive experiences with everyone who has looked after them. Any issues that have ever arisen (as is natural with young children!), have been listened to and dealt with quickly and we have been informed of any outcomes quickly too. The biggest compliment I can pay, is that we have felt as confident leaving our children with them as we would with our own families. They have developed in leaps and bounds, both educationally and socially and my daughter is still in touch with friends made there now. The handling of the pandemic and communication throughout from the management team was also first class and deserves to be commended.

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Review from L H (Mother of Child) published on 25 February 2022
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our little girl has been going to Busy Bees Stevenage College, full time, since just before her first birthday. It's a wonderfully friendly nursery, the managers, are a credit to Busy Bees and manage the site perfectly. All staff members are happy, lovely and very engaged with the children. Our little
girl has learnt so much, she adores French and to our surprise, is very good at it, she knows her alphabet and numbers. She can add numbers together and her team playing and role-play skills are fantastic. She is a very happy girl and loves to go to nursery. Thank you Stevenage College Team.

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Review from S P (Father of Child) published on 1 November 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We've had two children at this nursery and have been delighted with the love and care shown. We would wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Review from L W (Mother of Child) published on 17 August 2021
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees have been invaluable in preparing my little girl for school. The care she has received has been great especially during the settling in period.
The management has been outstanding in supporting me too throughout our time at Busy Bees.

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Review from Justine K (Mother of Child) published on 28 October 2019
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is one of the best nurseries I have seen in Stevenage. The staff are very friendly and always make time to listen to parents. From the moment I went to enquire about a place for my son, I knew that that is where he was supposed to be. They welcomed me really well and took the time to listen to
my enquiry. At that time, it was fully booked but was given a call about 7 months later offering me a place and I was very happy.
My son has enjoyed the Nursery very much and it didn't take him time to settle in. In his first week at the Nursery, he was already waving at me and saying "bye mummy" and whenever I drop him, it is amazing how all the staff will just welcome him in. I am very happy with the staff there and the caring environment. I would definitely recommend the Nursery anytime. Keep up the good work.

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Review from Clare M (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2019
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter is currently in the Foundation Class at Busy Bees (Stevenage College). She starts her day voting for which book they will read in class which I think is fantastic, learning about democracy at 4! She is genuinely excited about the themes they are looking at in class, which also inspires us
to follow up at home. I would never have bought her a science experiment kit of my own accord! We regularly notice new skills she has learnt which we haven’t taught her or thought she was capable of, so we are grateful to Busy Bees for this. She is genuinely really fond of her carers and we are often drawing them pictures and making them cards when we get home, demonstrating the close bond she feels with them, which I know is reciprocated. I love reading the observations and assessments giving me an insight into her day. She is happy, confident and continues to grow and learn. Between us and Busy Bees, I believe we have given her a great start in life.

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Review from Irene (Mother of Child) published on 20 June 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have found Busy Bees to be a very good nursery. Our youngest started there in the Baby Room and has settled in very well. The staff have been excellent and helpful from the start, especially as settling in will be different for every child. We had additional settling in sessions and gradual start
to full-time which helped the process to be smooth all the way through.


The opening hours are very good, starting from 7.30 am til 6.30 pm which I have found invaluable.
Food is cooked on site each day and the menu has a lot of variety which has helped our children try a lot of new and different things which they may not have tried at home.


Children enjoy a lot of different activities and have great staff looking after them every day.


Feedback is given every day at handover and in addition using the Parent Zone app has been also very useful.


We used this nursery for both our children, eldest attended Busy Bees from 9 months to 5 years old until starting school.


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Review from Gemma R (Mother of Child) published on 21 September 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are so pleased with our daughters progress at this nursery. The staff are fantastic. Everyone, including the management team are always available should you have any queries or problems. She started in the baby room and developed a very close relationship with the staff in there and we knew she would
be well looked after. She has now moved to the next room and the staff have gone above and beyond to help her settle. Her speech and development have progressed so well and you can tell that she is very happy there. Each day the staff give an overview of the activities they have done. The staff carry out regular observations and feed these back to us as well. The facilities are fantastic and we love that each room has their own area of the garden that the children can use and explore. Cannot praise the nursery and the staff enough.

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Review from Tim and Jo F (Father of Child) published on 18 September 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Three years ago we dropped our daughter off here for the first time wondering if we were doing the right thing. Were we bad parents for leaving her at a nursery rather than looking after her ourselves (we really couldn't because of work) or finding a child minder? Over the last 3 years, she has grown
into a confident, outgoing and sociable little girl. We are both sure Busy Bees have played an important part in this. As we have gone in to collect her throughout the three years, we typically find a room full of happy children and the nursery workers looking after them are keeping them active and engaged. She goes to school for the first time this Friday and we feel confident she is ready and will enjoy it. Ironically, whilst she is ready to move we will both be sad! Thank you Busy Bees. Our second child is there now and our 3rd will join soon.

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Review from Natasha J (Mother of Child) published on 28 February 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees at Stevenage is a warm, friendly and lively nursery. My son has been attending since he was four months old and I love the progress he has made over the last few months. It's great to hear about what he has been up to each day. The staff are wonderful my son always has a smile for everyone
as they wish us a good morning and they have helped me enormously with getting him in a routine and with moving on to solid foods. A lot of thought and effort is put into the activities they hold and there is a wide range of books and toys to stimulate him too. I'm very pleased that I chose this nursery and I can't imagine sending him anywhere else.

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Review from Katy N (Mother of Child) published on 6 January 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has attended the baby room and now First Steps. I found the level of care and activities to be excellent and my daughter runs in every day and can't wait to be there. The hours they cover are also excellent being one of the only ones I considered due to the 7:30-6:30 opening. The outside
space is also brilliant and a big plus for the nursery- my only criticism of this is that through the winter they don't seem to go out very often even though there are coats and wellies to dress her up and keep her warm and dry. They do go into another room for a change of scene and also eat in the corridor with all the other kiddies which I think is lovely. Feedback at the end of the day is always nice and informative (and not too lengthy). I think the food is good and nutritious and there is a large variety. I have said the value for money is satisfactory and this is mainly due to the very very high prices if you are not full time, full time is heavily discounted.

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Review from Hilary S (Mother of Child) published on 9 December 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The outdoor space is fantastic and very easy for the children to access. There is always a varied menu and if ever my daughter is hungry they always give her seconds. The changing areas are always clean and they have a good system for maintaining cleanliness. My daughter is nearly ready for potty training
and the training facilities and area assigned for this gives me confidence. The staff are always happy to see us in the morning and are always interested in how my daughter has been and is getting on. My daughter once needed refrigerated antibiotics and they were excellent at recording and managing this. They always tell me in detail what she has done during the day and they keep good records of this to show you. Office staff always have time for any questions.

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Current Review Score: 8.4 (8.375)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.4 (8.375) out of 10 for Busy Bees Stevenage College is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 3 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.4 out of 5 from 3 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 4.972 for Busy Bees Stevenage College is calculated as follows: ( (35 Excellents x 5) + (1 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 36 Ratings = 4.972

  • 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 3.403 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Stevenage College is based on 3 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 = 3.25

    • 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 98 number of registered child places is 19.6. 3 Positive Reviews ÷ 19.6 = 0.153

  • 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)

Top 20 Large Nursery Groups 2018

Recipient: Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd

Date: Thursday 01 Mar 2018 More details

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Meet the Team (5)

Lisa

Lisa

Job Title: Centre Director

Joined: 1997

Lisa manages the nursery throughout the week. Lisa holds a Level 3 Qualifications in Childcare, First Aid Qualifications and is a Designated Safeguarding Lead. Lisa has over 20 years experience at this nursery and manages a successful, long standing team who are highly qualified and experienced.


Jo

Jo

Job Title: Assistant Centre Director

Joined: 2005

Jo is the Assistant Centre Director for the nursery. She has over 15 years experience at this nursery and has a Level 3 Qualification in Childcare and in Leadership and Management. She also holds First Aid Qualifications and is a Designated Safeguarding Lead.


Alison

Alison

Job Title: Senior Room Manager

Joined: 2019

Alison is one of Senior Room Managers. She is Level 4 Qualified and has worked at the nursery for 2 years.


Cheryl

Cheryl

Job Title: Qualified Early Years Educator

Joined: 2008

Cheryl is one of our Early Years Educators. She is Level 3 Qualified and is trained in Pediatric First Aid.


Karen

Karen

Job Title: Chef

Joined: 2020

Karen is the Chef at the nursery. She is very experienced and creates nutritious meals and snacks for the children.


Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Stevenage College

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

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

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Stevenage College Open?

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

How many Children does Busy Bees Stevenage College have capacity for?

Busy Bees Stevenage College has capacity for a total of 98 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Stevenage College to the centre of Stevenage?

1.1 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 Stevenage College to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Stevenage College has an Enhanced Service – more info.