Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bristol, Portishead
Good★ 4.4 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Portishead 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 March 2025. Open since 2003, with 91 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 North Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Somerset 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
BS20 7GFWhat 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.
- 9 April 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 12 March 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Leaders welcome children and parents on arrival, so children arrive happy and are confident in the setting. Staff provide an exciting environment, which provokes children's curiosity and engages them in activities straight away. For example, children are eager to plant seeds in pots they have previously made. They understand what the seeds need to grow and discuss what the different seeds will look like. Children use mathematical language and share the resources with their friends.
The provider has devised an ambitious curriculum, focusing on embedding children's prime areas of development and promoting their positive attitudes to learning. Overall, staff implement this successfully, providing consistently goodquality teaching. Children have good opportunities for outdoor learning, where they extend their physical development and awareness of the importance of exercise.
Children behave well and understand the adults' expectations. From babies, children develop strong bonds with their key person, ensuring they feel emotionally secure. This underpins their ability to learn and develop successfully. Staff get to know the children well, making effective use of children's interests to motivate their learning. They build on what children can already do, enabling them to gain the knowledge and skills they need, ready for school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve the organisation of group-time activities, to enable all children to listen and concentrate fully n extend staff's awareness of recognising young children's non-verbal communications, to meet their needs even more successfully.
- 12 March 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 5 June 2019Good
- 16 June 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Bristol, Portishead
- 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.