Busy Bees Day Nursery at Lewisham
Good★ 4.5 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in London for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 September 2025. Open since 2013, with 66 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 Lewisham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Lewisham 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
SE13 7SXWhat 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.
- 14 March 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 8 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enter the setting happy to begin their day. They excitedly show staff their bags filled with leaves, conkers and sticks that they have collected over the weekend to fill their autumn interest tray. For children still settling, staff provide extra reassurance and cuddles as they collect them from parents and carers. This helps to build children's and families' relationships with their key person. The setting has a broad and ambitious curriculum in place. It provides children with a wide variety of learning opportunities across all areas of learning. Children show high levels of curiosity as they explore different experiences. They are focused and show sustained levels of concentration on tasks.
Children's behaviour is good. They understand the rules and boundaries of the setting. Children begin to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, as they line up to go to the bathroom, they know they must stop when they come to the traffic light sign. Staff at the setting have high expectations of children. They promote children's independence and provide them with opportunities to make their own choices. Pre-school children set their own tables before lunch and help to give out cups, cutlery and plates. All children learn to serve their own lunches and scrape their plates after.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's knowledge and understanding of how to adapt routines flexibly to support the individual needs and learning of all children n provide opportunities for children to independently problem-solve before stepping in to support, to further develop their thinking skills.
- 8 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 5 June 2023Good
- 8 June 2022Needs improvement
- 5 December 2017Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Lewisham
- 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.