Busy Bees Day Nursery at Nottingham University
Good★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Nottingham for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 April 2023. Open since 2010, with 96 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 Nottingham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Nottingham 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
NG7 2RDWhat 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 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are supported by staff to have a sense of belonging in this welcoming nursery. For example, children who speak English as an additional language have opportunities to hear songs in the language they hear at home. Children show positive relationships with staff, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure in their care. Children in the baby room go to staff for comfort when they become slightly unsettled and sit on staff's knees to look at books. Pre-school children work cooperatively as a team to build a tower in sand. They show kindness when they thank other children for helping them. Children show a positive attitude to learning.
For example, children in the baby room happily clap their hands to praise their achievements when they join in songs and action rhymes.
Staff understand how children progress in their learning. They offer children in the baby room large wax crayons and paper to encourage them to use their large arm muscles to make marks. They show pre-school children how to cut paper using scissors. These skills encourage children to develop the muscles in their arms and fingers to help with writing when they move on to school. Children in the toddler room are able to follow their interests from home, showing good hand-eye coordination when they use bricks to build a tower.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff during planned group times to encourage children to take turns in conversations and to listen to the views of others n help staff to encourage children to take and manage risks during their play indoors and outdoors.
- 5 April 2023Good
- 18 July 2017Good
- 29 October 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Nottingham University
- 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.