Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital

St Albans City Hospital, Waverley Road, St Albans AL3 5PN
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9.6 88 Reviews
  • Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital, St Albans
Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital strives for high quality childcare and a learning environment that suits individual development.

A bright interior includes age-appropriate interiors and themes that inspire the imagination, with a hundred-acre wood baby room, enchanted forest baby room and wonderland room, as well as construction area and computer resources.

There is a healthy menus and active lifestyle programme and the nursery has received a five-star rating for environmental health.

Care Provided by Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Claire Bye (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 24
  • Total Places for Children
  • 51
  • Age Range
    • from 0 years 2 months
    • to 5 years 0 months
  • Opening Times
  • Monday 07:00-19:00
    Tuesday 07:00-19:00
    Wednesday 07:00-19:00
    Thursday 07:00-19:00
    Friday 07:00-19:00
  • When Closed
  • Bank Holidays

Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital Reviews (88)

Total of 88, showing 61-80
9.6

Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital has a Review Score of 9.6 (9.553) out of 10, based on 8 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital has 88 reviews.

Overall Experience

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My children have been at this nursery since 2013 and love it here. The staff are great and always go the extra mile to make my children feel loved and make me feel at ease leaving them in their care. The little personal touches the nursery offers, really makes it for me; every staff member knows my
children and understands their individual needs.
Recently the nursery has really focused on letters with the preschoolers and my son has really come on in his learning as a consequence.
Despite having been subject to some difficult circumstances, the nursery staff and management, in particular, have always conducted themselves in a truly professional manner.


All in all - great nursery and great job! Thanks to everyone at Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital!


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I would highly recommend this nursery.
The staff are excellent and very caring. My children have been very happy here.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our experience with Busy Bees St Albans Hospital has been entirely positive. Our little girl has been attending the nursery for 7 months and has thrived in the environment. Each member of staff is dedicated to the children and exudes happiness and friendliness. From the variety of activities the children
experience to the meals they eat, it gives us great pleasure to see our daughter enjoy being there so much.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I couldn't be happier with my choice of daycare that I made for my daughter. The staff are incredible and there is a real sense of community. My daughter is in the pre-school room but she knows everyone. She loves being asked to 'help' with the little ones and she takes her responsibilities very seriously!
Each child is seen as an individual and staff make every effort to adapt resources to meet the needs of each child. Communication is excellent and I am fully aware of my daughter's progress and next steps. The extra activities available are great. Fantastic good, wonderful manager. We love it!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We are really pleased with the nursery. Our daughter loves it and we have consistently been impressed with the staff, the organisation and all of the activities that they do. We would certainly recommend it.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I cannot recommend Busy Bees at St Albans City Hospital highly enough.


My two children (3 years and 1 year old) go to the nursery happily every day.


When my younger one is tearful, carers hold her until she becomes happier again.


Now older one is at pre school, through everyday activities

she learns many things. - how to solve confliction when her friends wanted to use her toy, how to talk about herself in front of friends, what to do when her friends did something she didn't like, and joy to play with friends. As well as these essential skills which are very important to build her personality, she now learns the alphabet at pre school. that makes her more confident around her world,


I feel really lucky that our kids go to this nursery. As a parent, knowing your children are in good hands and having a good time every day with friends means a lot. And for that all reason above, I would recommend this nursery to everyone who is after a nursery with excellent standard and full of love.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We have been using this nursery since 2007. All our 3 daughters have had a fantastic time there and we will be sad to say goodbye next year.
Recently our daughter who is currently there was diagnosed with coeliac disease and the staff have been incredible. She had a gluten free food available the next
day and they have worked with us ever since - it is the staff who make this nursery extra special.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

As a parent with two children attending this nursery, we have been very happy with the quality of care given to them. The nursery helped our children settle in very quickly and the staff were wonderful and went to great lengths to help us through our separation anxiety with lots of reassurance. We were
able to contact the nursery throughout the day and speak to the key person and find out how they were which gave us a peace of mind. Our children seemed happy and stimulated with the activities provided throughout the day

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We highly recommend this nursery for a caring, fun, educational and family-oriented environment for childcare. Our two boys attended this nursery and they both loved it. They enjoyed the wide range of activities, such as: Drama Llamas, football & regular special events. The management and staff are
professional, caring and friendly and in the six years our boys attended the nursery, we never had a bad word to say. We always felt as if we were dropping them off with family for the day. Our eldest had some additional needs and the nursery were key in supporting him, as well as us as parents. They always made time to talk through any concerns and collaborated with health professionals to support his development. Our boys also had some special dietary requirements & the chef was only too happy to accommodate by creating delicious nutritious alternatives. The preschool set them up perfectly for primary school, where they are both thriving. This is a lovely nursery, we are so glad we chose it.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

An incredible nursery with kind and caring staff in abundance. We started using this nursery nearly 12 years ago, and we now have our youngest here.
It’s a well-oiled operation, from the baby room up to pre-school – each room provides a tender, clean and safe environment for your little ones. You can
be confident in the fact that your child will receive the best possible care available, in fact, see it as an investment. Your child is encouraged to develop their own personality and they will flourish with the support and input from the team. When the sad day comes and you must leave, your child will be well set for primary school.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My grandchild started at the nursery in the summer with the support and procedures being followed by the manager and staff has been second to none. I know he is always happy and extremely well looked after with this being evident of his clear excitement and independence when he goes into nursery each
day. The staff always have lots of information to share on his achievements and his time at nursery. I am always impressed by the knowledge being shared by not just his key worker but any member of staff who has worked with him that day. I like that children's learning is being encouraged but that personal touch is much more appreciated and valued knowing that someone cares for the most precious thing in your life as much as you do. That will equally support children's enthusiasm for investigating.
Well done to this team, excellent childcare driven by an excellent leader and team

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This nursery came recommend to me and I can now HIGHLY recommend it myself.


I can confirm the nursery has gone way beyond my expectations. The learning and development my children are receiving is excellent and they arrive home so happy. The staff are extremely professional helping and supporting

my children every step of the way from (Baby room to Pre-School) The nursery is a warm, caring, friendly environment that feels like a second home and extended family. The staff retention is very good so this helps to create a very stable, safe environment and secure ongoing relationships. The nursery has been extremely flexible whenever I have needed extra sessions which is something I hadn’t considered until the birth of my second child.


There are plenty of extra activities Drama Llamas, Tiny Mites, Pre-School trips etc which my children love. The Manager and staff work so hard to achieve so much more than just a nursery provider. This nursery is wonderful.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

All the staff are very helpful and professional and my son enjoys his time there.
We noticed that being at Busy Bees nursery has helped his development including his speech and boosted his confidence. Thank you.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fabulous crèche/nursery, both my children went here, and both of my children suffer health problems, at every step of the way I was reassured of the care and attention my children would receive.
We found the crèche very welcoming the children are kept entertained with lots of things to do within a
safe environment.
Nothing was too much for the staff, we found them all approachable, friendly and genuinely caring, if the staff had any doubt with my children's complex health needs they did not hesitate to contact us, they were all willing to learn, and understand our children's medical needs.
We felt reassured & confident that our little ones were in safe hands.
Most of all the children enjoyed the company of the staff team, and looked forward to going in each day, which speaks volumes for children.


We found our overall experience of this crèche amazing, we really cannot thank the staff enough for their fantastic approach, and caring ways including the chef and his amazing meals


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I cannot recommend this nursery highly enough. From day one they provided an environment that was warm, caring and nurturing. Both girls settled very quickly and loved their time at the nursery. The food provided was excellent, with fresh food cooked on site every day. The facilities were refurbished
during our time there and provided a lovely fresh and vibrant environment. The equipment was impressive and plenty of variety for the children. As well as a great variety of daily activities,they also have externally organised activities like Tiny Mites, Drama Llama's and football to name a few, which our girls loved.
The staff are wonderful. This nursery is a very happy and friendly place. Over the five years that our girls were there we felt part of the family! Without exception, the needs of the children were always put first and there is a great sense of close team across the whole nursery who take great pride in having rooms full of happy children and also in striving to achieve high standards of care.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

This is by far the best nursery in the area that I know of through personal experience as my child used to go there. The staff are very hands on and very professional about their jobs and what they do to keep the children entertained. When the staff are working together they are like a family and because
of those reasons, I can't praise them or the nursery highly enough and I would gladly encourage any parent to place their child there any day of the week.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has attended Busy Bees at St Albans Hospital for nearly 2 years. She has moved from the smallest baby room and is now in pre-school.


It is a fantastic nursery and all of the staff have been very professional, friendly and often going well above and beyond what is expected of them.


I

am very impressed at how the staff continue to think and implement ways of improving, despite the already high standards. It is very impressive that they continuously seek to do better and I am always impressed at their clever ideas of making learning fun. I am also impressed at the "extras" that are arranged as they give a really wide range of opportunities to the children.


The nursery has always been very accommodating with any extra requests for additional days, which I find incredibly valuable - it is definitely my most reliable form of childcare!


I have no hesitation in recommending the nursery to family and friends.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Since starting at Busy Bees St Albans hospital, I have seen a dramatic change in my son. He has become more confident and outgoing and he's always excited to go to nursery, which is down to mainly to his fantastic key worker and amazing staff. Overall I'm very happy at this nursery and would highly
recommend it!

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

We looked around 9 different nurseries when selecting a nursery for our daughter, and felt that St Albans Busy Bees Nursery would be the best fit for her. It is a friendly and welcoming nursery with bright, good sized rooms. The staff and management team are very experienced, committed, professional,
and genuinely care for the children. It is quite clear that they enjoy their jobs and working with children. Our daughter loves going to the nursery and all the activities on offer, particularly the Dinky Dancers/Tiny Mites singing and dancing sessions! Her confidence levels and social skills have developed enormously since attending the nursery, and she has formed very close bonds with her key worker and a number of other members of other staff. The nursery has also been very accommodating when we have asked to bring her into the nursery for extra days during the week. Our daughter is looking forward to moving up to the pre-school room where we have no doubt she will continue to excel.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Busy Bees is an amazing nursery. When my son started he lacked social skills but with a little help from the staff he slowly came out of his shell and blossomed into a happy and very sociable little boy. The staff were very approachable and always took the time to listen to any concerns or worries I
had. My son loved going to nursery and looked forward to it every day as everyday was filled with different activities

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Current Review Score: 9.6 (9.553)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.6 (9.553) out of 10 for Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital 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 8 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.6 out of 5 from 8 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 4.969 for Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital is calculated as follows: ( (93 Excellents x 5) + (3 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 96 Ratings = 4.969

  • 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 4.584 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees St Albans City Hospital is based on 8 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 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 3.8

    • 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 51 number of registered child places is 10.2. 8 Positive Reviews ÷ 10.2 = 0.784

  • 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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Meet the Team (1)

Claire

Claire Bye

Job Title: Centre Director

Hi, my name is Claire and I am the Centre Director here at Busy Bees at St Albans City Hospital.