Busy Bees Day Nursery at Lancaster
Good★ 4.8 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Lancaster for children from birth to 8+, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 June 2025. Open since 2002, with 125 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 Lancashire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lancashire 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
LA1 5JRWhat 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.
- 7 June 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 5 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
The nursery provides a welcoming environment in which children make good progress in all aspects of their learning. Children arrive happy and are well supported by friendly staff to separate from their parents. They form close attachments with staff, who provide warm and nurturing care. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children of all ages are extremely friendly and sociable. They readily welcome new visitors, ask thoughtful questions and show genuine interest in finding out more about them.
Children make choices in their play and learning, which keeps them interested and involved. Children are keen to engage with staff. They respond with enthusiasm to staff's 'invitations to learn'. For example, babies are keen to join in with painting activities, while older children want to find out more about minibeasts. Planned activities are well matched to what children need to learn next. This helps children make good progress from their individual starting points.
Staff have high expectations, reminding children of positive nursery rules. Children behave well. They are kind to others and learn to take turns and share their resources. Children are keen to help each other. For example, they pour drinks for their friends at mealtimes.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure the correct language and pronunciation are modelled accurately, to fully support children's developing language skills n review the deployment of staff to provide purposeful interactions for children to build on their existing skills and knowledge.
- 5 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 6 August 2019Outstanding
- 11 April 2013Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Lancaster
- 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.