Busy Bees Day Nursery at Sunderland Doxford
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Sunderland for children from birth to 5, 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 May 2022. Open since 2006, with 90 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 Sunderland
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Sunderland 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
SR3 3UYWhat 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, 30 May 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at nursery happy, confident and ready to learn. They are welcomed warmly by friendly staff, who greet children with a cheery 'Hello'. Children have an abundance of exciting opportunities throughout their day. They freely access the indoor and outdoor areas, and explore the sand, water and painting activities available. Children are well behaved and polite. They show respect towards each other. For example, they listen intently as their friends tell stories about things that interest them, such as holidays and dinosaurs. Children join in, ask questions and engage in exciting conversations with each other. Staff help children to understand rules and boundaries. Younger children are encouraged to use their 'walking feet indoors'. Older children wait until everyone has finished their lunch before leaving the table. Children learn new words as staff introduce and model vocabulary throughout the day. For example, younger children learn about 'scratchy sponges'
and 'shiny spoons'. Older children talk about volcanoes and how they 'erupt with lava'.
Staff encourage children to explore and use their imagination. For example, older children talk about holidays and pretend to work in a travel agents, where they choose countries to visit. Staff provide them with maps, passports and paper to
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- maximise opportunities to extend children's mathematics skills during everyday activities n build on the current arrangements for sharing information about children's learning between staff to ensure continuity in children's care and learning.
- 30 May 2022Good
- 26 January 2017Good
- 18 February 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Sunderland Doxford
- 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.