Busy Bees Day Nursery at Cheam
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Sutton for children from birth to 5, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2025. Open since 2002, 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 Sutton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sutton 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
SM3 8ETWhat 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.
- 17 January 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 10 May 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 27 August 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The new management has a good grasp of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement. She is supported well by the organisation and the local authority to support staff to improve the quality of learning experiences for children. The staff team is dedicated to their role and has created an environment where children are settled, safe and happy. Parents and carers speak very highly of the care and learning their children receive. Staff use their knowledge of the children and what they have learned from training to implement a varied and ambitious curriculum.
They offer children a range of activities that widen their experiences and enrich their learning. For example, children learn about different arts and artists as they create their own masterpiece. Children enjoy listening to stories. This promotes children's appreciation of books, supports their language and older children's reading skills well.
Children are confident and sociable. They actively engage with their peers and staff. Staff incorporate singing nursery rhymes in the daily routine for younger children to participate in together. Toddlers learn to work as a team while older children develop their memory skills as they participate in games with staff. Staff encourage children to listen and take turns, which helps them to understand behavioural expectations. Children are independent. For example, babies learn to pull themselves up as they hold onto items in the room. Toddlers serve themselves at lunchtime with staff guidance and pre-school children attend to their own needs in the bathroom. Children have positive attitudes towards learning. Staff work with local schools to ensure that children have a smooth transition as they move to the next stage of their education.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review the organisation of activities to help enhance younger children's focus and older children's engagement to further promote their learning n provide further support for staff to help them minimise distractions and extend older children's attention skills, to prepare them for school and beyond.
- 27 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 11 December 2024Needs improvement Safeguarding: Yes
- 18 December 2023Good
- 17 April 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Cheam
- 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.