Busy Bee Pre School
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Honiton for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 1969, with 30 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Devon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Devon from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
EX14 1QFWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 21 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive happy and very keen to attend this warm and welcoming preschool. Staff get to know the children well. They form warm and trusting relationships with the children and take care to ensure the youngest children feel secure. This helps every child to settle quickly and explore with confidence.
Children find their friends to play with and engage well in the activities.
Staff respect children and their choices. For example, they sensitively ask before taking them to the toilet or for a nappy change, and children choose when they play outside and have a snack. Children develop excellent social skills and attitudes.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide older children with more challenges and opportunities to solve practical problems to enhance their learning n develop staff interactions to encourage younger and quieter children's communication and language even further.
- 21 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 1 April 2019Good
- 7 February 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bee Pre School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.