Busy Bees Day Nursery at Watford
Good★ 4.2 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Watford for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 19:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2024. Open since 2010, with 46 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 Hertfordshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hertfordshire 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
WD18 0HBWhat 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.
- 17 December 2025 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
- 2 October 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 16 May 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff create an environment where children feel happy, safe and content. Children are welcomed into the setting by familiar adults. They greet them with a smile and find out how their day has been so far. Each child has their own peg, which gives them a real sense of belonging to the setting.
Staff know all children well, especially their key children. Staff create a wide range of activities which keep children engaged for long periods of time. For example, in the toddler room, children make and create dough. They enjoy adding flour and water, mixing it to see if it makes the correct mixture, then adding more as needed.
In the baby room, the youngest children enjoy exploring a safe environment. Staff create activities which provide children with an invitation to play. Staff set out the room with activities at a variety of levels to encourage children to pull and stand to play. This develops their leg muscles, ready for walking.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to fully challenge children during activities, to help expand children's knowledge and help them build on what they already know and can do n strengthen arrangements to identify and support children with SEND, in line with the SEND code of practice, to ensure that children achieve the best possible outcomes n focus curriculum plans more precisely within the garden area, particularly for those children who prefer to learn outdoors.
- 16 May 2024Good
- 14 June 2018Outstanding
- 23 July 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Day Nursery at Watford
- 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.