Busy Bees Day Nursery at Ilford
Outstanding★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Ilford for children from birth to 5, open 07:00 to 19:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in January 2024. Open since 1998, with 124 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 Redbridge
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Redbridge 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
IG3 8XJWhat 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 January 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The management team is experienced, extremely knowledgeable and provides the highest quality of care for all the children. Children arrive happy, eager and keen to start their day. The nursery has a friendly, welcoming feel, and staff work closely with the on-site hospital to accommodate parents' working patterns. The nursery is an integral part of the hospital community and supports the hospital charity. This helps children to learn about helping others.
Staff forge strong relationships with children and their families. They have in-depth knowledge and understanding of children's interests and specific needs, which they use to shape the programme for learning. Staff focus on children gaining independent skills and confidence, which helps to ensure they are well prepared for starting school. Staff include children in every aspect of nursery life. For example, children help to do a daily safety check, and they have their own register that they use alongside the staff. A free-flow system is fully embedded, and children freely move from room to room and engage in a range of activities inside and out.
Children behave exceptionally well. Staff are superb role models for the children.
- 24 January 2024Outstanding
- 14 February 2018Outstanding
- 21 February 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Ilford
- 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.