Busy Bees Aspsley
Good★ 3.5 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Hemel Hempstead for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:15, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2008, with 88 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 Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
HP3 9RGWhat 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.
- 22 December 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 5 May 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 5 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate that they feel safe and happy. They enjoy their time at the nursery and independently select from the good range of resources and interesting, well-presented activities. Younger children and babies develop their physical strength and hand-to-eye coordination as they place wooden shapes onto rods, and stack bricks on top of one another. They smile, clap their hands, and are praised by the staff for their achievements. Younger children and babies are encouraged to explore a range of sensory experiences. For example, babies use their feet and hands to feel the texture of the sand.
Younger children enjoy using spray containers filled with water. They pretend to put out a pictorial image of a house fire displayed on a large chalk board. Staff successfully use this opportunity to talk to the children about the dangers of fire and the role of the fire service. They introduce new vocabulary, such as 'smoke'
and 'fire brigade' as they play. Children are introduced to mathematical concepts, such as 'over' and 'under', as they manoeuvre cars under the roadway. They learn to differentiate between their small and large towers. Additionally, staff spontaneously weave counting into the children's play. Older children learn to recognise numerals. They throw the beanbag onto the correct number when staff call out a number.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to continue to develop their knowledge and implementation of the curriculum, including their teaching skills n monitor staff performance, including professional development opportunities, to ensure all staff support children to make the best possible progress.
- 5 January 2023Good
- 12 January 2022Needs improvement
- 18 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Aspsley
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.