Busy Bees Day Nursery at Basingstoke Chineham
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Basingstoke for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2023. Open since 2004, with 98 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 Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
RG24 8PTWhat 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.
- 3 August 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 9 May 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 8 August 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 26 July 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are kind and compassionate towards each other. For example, they check on their friends if they hurt themselves. Children form strong friendships with their peers, playing cooperatively and enjoying each other's company. This creates a positive learning environment. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and consistently reinforce the setting's boundaries. For instance, they remind preschool children of the values to follow, such as being respectful and polite. As a result, children understand the boundaries and behave well.
Staff plan activities to promote each child's individual learning. Staff support children to make the best possible progress across all areas of the curriculum.
Children demonstrate confidence in mathematics. They count with ease, recognise written numbers and match the correct quantity to numbers that they see. Staff set up each room in the nursery with a 'busy hands' station to provide opportunities for children to develop their fine motor skills. For example, babies use their hands to twist wooden cogs together. Older children competently use scissors to cut out pictures of school uniforms. Staff remind children how to use the scissors safely, by remaining seated and holding them carefully. This helps to teach them how to manage risks.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff working with the youngest children to implement the intended curriculum.
- 26 July 2023Good
- 24 January 2018Good
- 13 February 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Basingstoke Chineham
- 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.