Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harlow
Good★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Harlow for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 August 2022. Open since 2005, with 105 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
CM19 5QEWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 24 August 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
All children are well cared for by staff who are kind and supportive to them. Babies enjoy blowing bubbles and exploring different materials, such as sand and water.
They pat and swirl sand, draw with chalk and feel different interesting resources, such as sponges in treasure baskets. Staff take steps to promote children's language development. For example they introduce words such as 'tickly' and
'scratchy' when babies investigate the sponges. Toddlers develop confident speaking and listening skills as they explore different songs and stories. For example, they learn about parts of the body and then sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' to consolidate their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to more consistently understand the curriculum aims across the nursery to help them to deliver learning experiences that support all children to make their best possible progress n continue to develop the ways in which staff support children to regulate their own behaviour, to help children receive consistent messages about what is expected of them.
- 24 August 2022Good
- 26 October 2016Good
- 11 April 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harlow
- 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.