Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Stanway
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Colchester for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 November 2022. Open since 2005, with 103 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 Essex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Essex 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
CO3 8LTWhat 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.
- 30 January 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 2 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The manager and staff have a clear vision for the nursery. They follow children's interests to support and extend children's learning and experiences. Activities are well planned, and children's learning is appropriately challenged. Children's views and opinions are respected and valued by staff; for example, older children are able to cast a vote about which story they read. Children are invited to be part of the nursery council, where children discuss with staff what activities they like to play with and what they would like to learn about next. For example, when a child wanted to learn about trees and how they grow, the staff completed an activity about the life cycle of a tree with the children.
Children's independence skills are promoted throughout the nursery. Children from a young age independently wipe their own noses and feed themselves. Children then learn to use open-top cups to drink water from, and then learn to pour their own drinks. Older children dress themselves and put their own coats on. They are praised for tidying up after themselves, showing how they are taught to respect their environment. Children are encouraged to 'keep trying', which promotes their resilience.
Children are very settled and have strong bonds with their key person. Staff are very nurturing, and children are often seen laughing with staff and enjoying cuddles. Younger children enjoy playing 'peek a boo' with their key person. Staff read stories with the children and make the sounds of animals in the book. They pause to encourage the children to copy the sounds, promoting their communication and language development. Older children discuss the character's feelings, which helps them to learn about different emotions.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to engage with all children consistently, particularly those who are less confident, to extend all children's learning and development.
- 2 November 2022Good
- 9 March 2017Good
- 30 April 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Stanway
- 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.