Busy Bees Day Nursery at Gillingham
Good★ 4.7 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Gillingham for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 February 2025. Open since 2002, with 112 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 Medway
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Medway 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
ME8 6ADWhat 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
Ofsted inspector, 18 February 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and secure in this nurturing nursery. They have built close relationships with their key person. Younger children seek out their key person when they need support. Behaviour is good. Children learn the golden rules of the nursery. They talk about 'kind hands' and know what is expected from them. For example, they know to put aprons on before messy play and remind their friends when they forget.
Leaders have recently implemented a new curriculum. They use a 'small steps'
approach to plan appropriate targets as they move through the nursery. For example, younger children are supported to develop their independence by feeding themselves with a spoon, before moving to knives and forks in the pre-school rooms. These small steps help children build on what they know and can do.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff interactions to support a consistent approach in helping the youngest children develop their communication and language skills n strengthen the curriculum planning in the outdoor environment for younger children so they are engaged in purposeful play.
- 18 February 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 13 May 2019Good
- 27 June 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Gillingham
- 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.