Busy Bees Day Nursery at Hertford Hartham Park
Outstanding★ 4.0 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Port Hill for children from birth to 8+, open 07:30 to 18:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in October 2022. Open since 1993, with 44 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 Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
SG14 1QSWhat 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, 5 October 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are excited and eager to learn in this inspiring nursery. They become deeply engaged in activities and show high levels of concentration. Older children thoroughly enjoy discovering minibeasts in the garden. They turn over stones to discover worms, and mark them off on their work sheet. Young children explore a range of sensory activities. They giggle as they pop bubbles and splash water in a tray.
Children develop extremely strong bonds with practitioners in this caring and nurturing environment. Babies settle quickly, enabling them to feel safe and secure. They confidently crawl to the sandpit and squish sand in their hands. They receive warm cuddles when they become unsettled. Children form strong friendships as they play happily alongside each other. They respectfully take turns to play with superheroes in the garden, and involve their friends in tea parties.
Children have a strong voice in the nursery. Practitioners work hard to enable even the youngest of children to have choice in their play. Toddlers choose wooden discs to indicate what song they would like to hear. Pre-school children become council members where they have opportunities to discuss the activities they like and what they would like to do next. This empowers children and raises their self-esteem and confidence to exceptional levels.
- 5 October 2022Outstanding
- 16 November 2016Outstanding
- 8 October 2012Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Hertford Hartham Park
- 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.