Busy Bees Fitzsimmons

32 Portsmouth Road, Guildford GU2 4DJ
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9.5 54 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Fitzsimmons, Guildford
Busy Bees Fitzsimmons is located in Guildford, a short 10-minute walk from Guildford High Street and the mainline station. Your child will flourish during their stay at nursery with the endless opportunities available. There are several rooms that are tailored to suit different age categories and developmental stages, all are equipped with age-appropriate toys, activities so that every child enjoys their stay at nursery.

To help with your child’s development, the devoted team carefully select and plan activities in line with the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum guidelines so that your child is prepared for the next steps in their educational journey. There is also a fantastic foundation class which further supports your child's preparation for the next key stage.

No matter the age of your child or where they are with their development, the qualified nursery team are there to offer support and guidance so that you can be rest assured that your child is receiving the highest quality care possible while at Busy Bees Fitzsimmons.

In addition to in-person updates at drop off and collection, your child's key worker will provide updates of what your child gets up to throughout the day via the Parent Zone App. This is a fantastic way to stay connected during your child’s stay at nursery so that you never miss any of those important milestones.

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Care Provided by Busy Bees Fitzsimmons

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

Good to Know

  • Person in charge
  • Bernie Thatcher (Manager)
  • Number of Childcare Staff
  • 32
  • Total Places for Children
  • 128
  • 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
  • Parking

  • They have lots of car park spaces as well as a buggy park.


Busy Bees Fitzsimmons Reviews (54)

Total of 54, showing 21-40
9.5

Busy Bees Fitzsimmons has a Review Score of 9.5 (9.475) out of 10, based on 14 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Busy Bees Fitzsimmons has 54 reviews.

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Review from Ewa V (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Great facilities, delicious food, fantastic activities each day and most importantly excellent staff - best I ever experienced across 3 different nurseries that my kids attended. Carers truly care and create strong bonds with kids. Management is fantastic with great relationship to patents and kids!

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Review from Felicity T (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter has been at Fitzsimmons since the baby room and absolutely loves the activities and the staff. There is good communication from the nursery management and a clear plan in place for the development of the children.

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Review from Kelly M (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My Son has been at Fitzsimmons for nearly two years. He thoroughly enjoys it and is thriving under the care of the nursery. The staff are extremely nurturing and understanding as well as professional and intuitive.
I would highly recommend Fitzsimmons to anyone looking for a nursery based in the area.

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Review from Audrey (Mother of Child) published on 25 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The pictures do not do the nursery justice!
Upon stepping into Fitzsimmons my son was instantly made to feel welcome and comfortable. From the welcoming atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff, the tasty food to the brilliant forest school this was the place for our little man. We love the fact that
he is treated as an individual child, not a commodity and that his needs are put first.
Also, love that I get sent observations and updates via the parents app and that I have access to so many resources via the app. Especially in light of current times.
He literally can not wait to return to nursery, in his words 'I'm soo excited'

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Review from Emma (Mother of Child) published on 21 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My son started at Fitzsimmons when he was 18 months. Staff took the time to get to know him, and were really reassuring to me and made every effort to help him settle in. He really enjoys going in, he loves all the activities and staff and other children there. A lovely nursery.

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Review from E R (Mother of Child) published on 20 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fitzsimmons is a fun, stable and stimulating nursery. The staff are excellent, and the turnover is low. The outdoor space is amazing and is used every day whatever the weather. My daughter often comes home filthy, which I think is a good thing! The nursery has some progressive thinking on learning for
pre-schoolers, which helps to keep those who are old in the school year stimulated. My daughter (3) often comes homes full of new words and loads to say. Although it is part of a chain, I think that it does retain a bit of a feel of a dependant nursery. It is not cheap, but I never feel guilty at drop-off.

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Review from Funmi A (Mother of Child) published on 20 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fantastic nursery with good leadership. I am really glad my daughter attends the nursery. The attention to detail by the staff and the care provided is truly exceptional. The learning activities for the kids and the communication with parents has been really great.

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Review from Theo B (Mother of Child) published on 19 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My daughter absolutely loves going to nursery. I know she’s in the safest possible environment, very well cared for, fed much better food than I cook at home, and loved by the staff. Couldn’t ask for better care for my daughter

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Review from Sarah M (Mother of Child) published on 19 May 2020
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has been going to Fitzsimmons since he was one in December - he settled in really well here, and all the staff have been fantastic. They do varied activities each day and have a fantastic outdoor play area which was one of the things that attracted us to the nursery. They also sometimes go on
trips to the river to see the ducks, and over Easter hatched ducklings, which were amazing for the little ones to see each day. I would thoroughly recommend Fitzsimmons to anyone looking for a nursery in the area.

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Review from Sophie D (Mother of Child) published on 12 November 2019
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Fitzsimmons is a fantastic nursery and I am delighted that our daughter goes here. She receives excellent levels of care and attention from all members of staff, who are always friendly, welcoming, loving and nurturing to all the children in their care. The children experience a variety of activities
each day both in and outside with things planned specifically for the age-appropriate development of the children in their care. The nursery is very clean and hygienic and has a wonderful and vast selection of toys for the children to play with. The food is plentiful and of a very high standard too. I would have no hesitations in recommending Fitzsimmons Nursery to anyone living in the local area: it has exceeded our expectations.

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Review from Laura (Mother of Child) published on 4 March 2019
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

A lovely setting, caring environment with great outside space for all ages. My son has been at Fitzsimmons since he was 11 months and is now nearly 4.
The atmosphere at the nursery now is very caring, calm and happy. The staff are clearly happy working there and are great with the children. My son
has always loved it. Plenty of outdoor play and learning relevant to their ages.
Good interaction with parents via a new online system making it easier to access information about his day, we get good feedback at pick up too.
Forest school for pre-schoolers is excellent.

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Review from Aisha B (Mother of Child) published on 2 August 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son has enjoyed being at Fitzsimmons Place Nursery. The staff are amazing - they are attentive, loving and patient. My son has grown during his time at Fitzsimmons Place Nursery because he is constantly experiencing new things and learning. I would highly recommend Fitzsimmons Place Nursery for any
parent in search of a warm, caring and dedicated group of individuals who love children!

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Review from Catherine H (Mother of Child) published on 11 May 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Such a great nursery and my little boy loves it. Everyone is so positive and fun and feel like the full team love playing with and developing children.

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Review from K T (Mother of Child) published on 9 March 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

Although we were very happy with the nursery when my son joined three years ago, we have been disappointed with the changes made since the nursery was taken over by one nursery provider and then another in 2017; and communications with parents about the changes have been very poor. The fact that Forest
School was stopped for over a year was very disappointing. The use of the interactive learning portal is extremely sporadic, with less than one update per month. Although the flood was over 6 months ago, the preschoolers are still not back in the main nursery building with all the other children. There has been a high turnover of key workers looking after my son in particular, with no communication from management about the changes, and my son is regularly in floods of tears about attending nursery. Many parents are actively looking at alternative nurseries for their children, although the nursery benefits from being the only nursery offering 8-6 childcare near Onslow Village.

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Review from Stuart D (Grandfather of Child) published on 8 March 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Friendly staff always seem pleased to see my grandson and often give him a cuddle on the occasions when he gets upset.

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Review from Sam W (Mother of Child) published on 26 February 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My son started in Giraffes and from day one settled really well. The nursery hs a very warm and happy environment and I couldn't be prouder of how my son has developed learning so many new skills.
The staff are dedicated and listen to any concerns or worries I may have for example if my son is having
an off day.
My son surprises me every day with new things he's learnt from the amazing staff.

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Review from Anna D (Mother of Child) published on 26 February 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Both my children have attended the nursery since they were one. My son is currently in the preschool and my daughter is now at school. We have always been very happy with the care they have received. The staff are always dedicated and kind. The other big bonus for us is the lovely outside gardens, playground
and hall. Recently they have restarted they Forest School programme which my son loves attending. The food supplied is healthy and interesting. My son is always happy going to nursery and has lots of fun which is the most important thing to me as a parent.

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Review from Niki K (Mother of Child) published on 20 February 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little boy has been attending the babies' room and he is very happy there. Thanks to the great attention of the carers he settled in quickly. This room has a very nice atmosphere and has been recently redecorated so it is very enjoyable to all. During the day the staff records the amount they eat
and sleep (as well as the nappies) in the diary and this is very useful feedback.


My only recommendation is around the learning activities - I am sure that the activities are well planned but I would like to hear more about these although the staff are always approachable. The nursery have a lovely outdoor space and the children enjoy taking advantage of it. Overall, it is a lovely place!


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Review from Jenny D (Mother of Child) published on 20 February 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Our daughter is very happy at the nursery and always comes home happy. She has made some lovely friends and the staff are always happy to help, especially when needing last-minute childcare.

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Review from Natascha S (Mother of Child) published on 19 February 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My little girl has been at Fitzsimmonds Place Nursery for about a year now and is absolutely loving it. She settled in super quickly with the help of the staff who are all absolutely lovely and make her feel super welcome. They have a great variety of activities (learning games, outside play, storytime,
creative play, artwork, and singing as well as a forest school which she'll love when she's older) so my little girl always comes home very happy and is always excited to return! She's made lots of little friends which is just lovely to see and she's also super comfortable with the staff which makes a mummy feel much better about leaving her little one! They have a great varied menu which is mainly pretty healthy, so another bonus. The diaries are a lovely addition to see what your little one has been up to all day, what eaten and slept which I find really useful. I would, and have thoroughly recommended.

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Current Review Score: 9.5 (9.475)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.5 (9.475) out of 10 for Busy Bees Fitzsimmons 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 14 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.5 out of 5 from 14 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 4.928 for Busy Bees Fitzsimmons is calculated as follows: ( (156 Excellents x 5) + (10 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 167 Ratings = 4.928

  • 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 4.547 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Fitzsimmons is based on 14 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 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4

    • 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 128 number of registered child places is 25.6. 14 Positive Reviews ÷ 25.6 = 0.547

  • 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)

Bernie

Bernie Thatcher

Job Title: Centre Director

Hello, my name is Bernie and I am the Centre Director here at Guildford Fitzsimmons. I am very keen to provide a safe and stimulating environment for all the children, so parents can feel happy and confident whilst they are in our care. Being a mother, I realise how important it is that children have the best possible start in life.


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