Busy Bees Pre-school Playgroup
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Ely for from 2 years up to school age, open 08:45 to 14:45, 5 days a week. £6.12 an hour for under 3 years old, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 1992, with 50 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years oldbirth to 3y | £6.12cost per hour | |
| Older than 3 years old3y to 4y | £4.60cost per hour |
Funded hours
2 years old funding for vulnerable children; 3 and 4 years old universal 15 hrs a week funding; as well as 30 hrs a week funding for working families.
Worth knowing. No additional charges apply.
What childcare usually costs in Cambridgeshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cambridgeshire 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
CB6 1HWWhat 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, 28 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enthusiastically enter the setting. They are warmly greeted by the manager and separate confidently from their parents. Children are encouraged to independently remove and hang their own belongings. They make their own choices about what they would like to play with, choosing from a variety of resources. Children make progress, as they take part in experiences they enjoy.
Younger children enjoy baking biscuits and mark making on the floor, mixing coloured paint. Older children have fun listening to stories and singing with staff.
They continue their learning outside as they role play parts of the story, squealing with delight as they are chased by an imaginary gingerbread man. Children enjoy being physically active and benefit from opportunities to be outside throughout the day. They enjoy time outside, using the range of large equipment.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- make sure that staff are confident in the teaching of the curriculum for mathematics, ensuring best progress for all children n support all staff to have a clear understanding of the curriculum intent so that their teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn n consider the length of time that children are expected to sit and listen during adult-led activities, to help them remain engaged and focused.
- 28 April 2023Good
- 26 September 2017Good
- 28 March 2017Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Bees Pre-school Playgroup
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £6.12 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.