Busy Bees Day Nursery at Crawley
Good★ 4.5 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Crawley 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 April 2023. Open since 2002, with 132 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 West Sussex
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in West Sussex 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
RH10 1SSWhat 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.
- 20 December 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 28 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy their time at this nursery. They are eager to arrive and engage in a range of stimulating activities. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the presence of adults. They approach the inspector and invite her to play. They are proud to show a picture that they have made 'for mummy' and share a 'cake'
that they have made with dough. Babies are settled and content. They cuddle the staff and giggle when they are tickled. Babies enjoy playing with musical instruments and attempt to copy the actions to rhymes and songs that staff sing to them.
Children enjoy playing alongside staff and develop warm bonds with their key person. They are aware of the expectations and boundaries, and from a young age they demonstrate a confidence in the routines. For example, older children enjoy sharing tasks, such as setting up the table for lunch. Younger children pass cutlery and jugs to one another. They are polite and say 'please' and 'thank you' without being prompted by an adult. Children are kind and they behave well. They share toys and know that they must wait their turn to join in some activities. For example, they sit and wait patiently for their turn on a bicycle. They beam and say,
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide more opportunities for children who speak EAL to use their home language in play and learning to further support their communication and language skills n improve teaching to the highest level to ensure that all staff consistently plan activities which challenge children appropriately and support them to make the best possible progress.
- 28 April 2023Good
- 25 August 2017Good
- 30 April 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Crawley
- 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.