Busy Bees Bedford Elstow

I'm really disappointed with our experience at this nursery. Unfortunately, the level of care and consistency just hasn't been good enough.

There has been a serious issue with staff turnover - so many members of staff have left, which made it difficult for anyone to properly understand or support my son's needs. He had an ISP in place, but with new or unfamiliar staff coming in, it often felt like this wasn't being followed or even known about. He didn't receive the help and attention he should have.

Another major problem has been reliability. My son's room was closed multiple times due to staff shortages, sometimes with very little notice. On some occasions, we were told last minute that he couldn't attend at all. There were even times when he was only able to go in one day a week because there simply weren't enough staff. This is incredibly difficult for working parents who depend on consistent childcare.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this nursery

The nursery itself has always been managed well. I find communication to parents excellent.

Thanks busy bees !

I had a few teething problems in the beginning settling our daughter in but the team and management were great at addressing them quickly. Communication has been clear and consistent especially since the new app has been introduced, the resources provided for the children are good and always being refreshed. But what really stands out for me, is her key workers throughout her journey and the team in general are kind, caring, and genuinely committed to the her wellbeing and development. It's clear they really love what they do, and that makes all the difference. I always feel happy when dropping her off that they will provide her with the support and love that she needs!

My daughter absolutely loves her time at this nursery! From the very beginning, we've been so impressed with the caring and friendly staff who make every child feel welcome and safe. The meals provided are nutritious and well-balanced, and my daughter always talks about how yummy the food is! It's clear the children are well looked after and truly enjoy being there - the happy atmosphere is felt as soon as you walk in. We feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful place where our child can learn, grow, and have fun every day. Thank you to the amazing team!

Our experience of the nursery so far has been exceptional. My child has blossomed so much since being here. Communication is amazing, and no question is too much for anyone. The staff are so friendly and easily approachable. I would recommend the nursery to anyone.

Good environment and happy. Good with outside play, good education play.

Poor management, poor supervision of some rooms and poor safeguarding. Baby room experience was fantastic. Ladies were polite and welcoming. Both my children settled quickly and were happy. When moved to 2-3 room accidents and incidents happening daily. Sometimes staff did not know what happened but significant marks or injuries. Poor supervision of children and massive concerns. Would not recommend if looking for long term nursery.

Very happy with this nursery. My daughter absolutely loves the environment and the staff. The staff are very friendly, professional and caring. My daughter always comes out smiling. Would recommend 100%.

Busy Bees have been instrumental in the progress our son has made in his overall development. I cannot thank the staff enough for their patience and their efforts with him. They went above and beyond and seeing how far he has come makes us so emotional. He is about to graduate and we couldn't be prouder. A huge thank you to everyone who has ever looked after him!!

The app is a welcome addition as it gives you an insight into their day, I enjoy seeing photos of what they’ve been up to.

From day one it has been the best decision to move my daughter here. The centre manager and staff genuinely care about the child and want the best for them, it didn’t feel at all like they were just there to do a job. Very friendly and warming and couldn’t fault it at all.

My first child was at Busy Bees Elstow from 5 months in February 2016 to preschool 2020 graduation and my second child from 9 months 2018 until 3 year old room 2021. The first year in 2016 was unsettled with management and staff consistency, but it has grown into having an experienced, solid, friendly team of staff. I would like to say that we call the staff friends - who have been there for the children and myself like family, especially since my second child started with the baby room manager and one of the early years educators, these two girls are adored by my child and they were there for unconditional support in their own time when the children's father died in March 2019 and thereafter. The centre manager has been kind and flexible, approachable to parents and making many in house/sports/music opportunities, daily events and out of hours activities interactive for participation. One member of staff, in particular, has been a lovely influence with my second child in the past year and other staff members are well thought of with how they have worked with my first child in his time. Thank you all so much!

Fast forward to after lockdown and he is now in the 2-3's room. Every day we are welcomed by a friendly face inviting him into the nursery. I receive fantastic feedback from the day he has had from the girls in the room. With the app being accessible from my workplace I get daily updates of how he is getting on. The room is full of toys representing my child's current interests, which I see he gets involved in the fun and exciting activities during observations on the app. The girls are very involved in my child's wellbeing by always putting him first and being supportive when needing reassurance as a parent.

A brilliant nursery ran by the manager and her team. I actually wanted my daughter to attend based on my son's experience years ago at Busy Bees. Some of the staff are still working here and they are always working tirelessly to promote children's happiness and wellbeing. The safety levels regard COVID-19 have been exemplary and communication has been consistent throughout. Keep up the fantastic work! I will keep recommending this site to other parental friends. Many thanks.

Since my son started at your nursery over the summer period, his general development regarding communication, understanding, information retention, key skills and character development have really come to the fore. Not only is it a pleasure to engage and interact with him on a daily basis, but he never ceases to amaze and amuse my partner and I with his newly acquired skills, language and personality. Furthermore, the care/learning/development team has been terrific - they are always tremendously helpful, they’re empathetic of our child’s needs, they genuinely enjoy nurturing and developing the children and, above all, my little one loves going each day. Well done Busy Bees Elstow.

I had to move to this nursery during Covid lockdown due to my own nursery shutting. Despite it reopening soon after, I ended up staying at Busy Bees Elstow as me and my toddler loved it so much. The staff all did such an amazing job looking after my toddler throughout lockdown and beyond. He is visibly happy here and learned all his favourite staff members' names within a couple of weeks and gets excited when he sees them each day. He’s not even 2 and comes home with new words daily and even has his own special handshake with a member of staff. I feel he has come on leaps and bounds in his development here as staff take a personal interest. They strive to teach him new things and subsequently, get excited to tell you about the things he’s learnt or done that day (which is so lovely to hear as a parent!) The manager is a credit to the nursery and comes to greet each child, every morning. Despite the nursery size, it has a family vibe and the large garden is great. I highly recommend Busy Bees Elstow.

The nursery manager greets the children every morning and we always feel as though her caring attitude cascades to the rest of the team. They seem to genuinely care about the children and enjoy being with them. The greatest testament to this is that our son will often try to walk back in when we pick him up at the end of the day.

I would highly recommend.

We sent our little boy to nursery to support his development and have new experiences from a young age. He only goes 2 mornings a week and we have seen such a positive change in him in a short space of time. The staff are lovely and always give us a little round-up of his morning when we collect him.