Busy Bees Reading Woodley

Lodden Vale Centre, Hurricane Way, Woodley, Reading RG5 4UL
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8.2 18 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Reading Woodley, Reading
Busy Bees Reading Woodley offers a wide range of multiple learning opportunities within a secure and friendly environment. The facility suits the development of individual interests and abilities, making the most out of each child's high potential for learning at this age.

Committed to quality care in a home-from-home environment, an experienced team get to know each parent and child, making the most of excellent resources and homely surroundings.

Little explorers will enjoy the Imagination Station and there is a 'Grow Your Own' technique alongside the healthy eating policy. This purpose-built nursery also take pride in strong community links.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care
  • Sessional Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Melissa Edgington (Centre Director)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 22

Total Places for Children

  • 112

Age Range

  • from 0 years 3 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays

Busy Bees Reading Woodley Reviews (18)

8.2

Busy Bees Reading Woodley has a Review Score of 8.2 (8.172) out of 10, based on 2 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Busy Bees Reading Woodley has 18 reviews.

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Total of 18, showing 1-18
Review from Abhi P (Father of Child) published on 9 June 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees Woodley is definitely the best choice for Day Care Nursery in the area. I received excellent care for my son for last more than 2 years. I was always kept informed about his progress in milestones. The Busy Bee app is an excellent tool which keeps posting your child's pics and dietary details
for the day. This gives you peace of mind.
The facility is well maintained, hygienic and secured for the kids. The staff is always welcoming and professional. They will help you with any queries about your child's progress. Overall I would highly recommend this nursery for all the new parents.
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Review from A C (Mother of Child) published on 23 May 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has been attending this nursery for 6 months and I'm so pleased with how settled she is. The staff have worked very hard to help her become happy at nursery and I know she is safe there. The staff do excellent enrichment activities, crafts and teach my child to have skills and I'm so impressed
with the things she picks up.
Allergy awareness is spot on and I am confident with their protocols.
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Review from K M (Mother of Child) published on 15 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Having had a poor experience at a Reading based nursery I was nervous when we previously sent our son to Busy Bees in Woodley back in 2017 -2018, but the team back then reassured us and he had a great time and went off to school with a good experience of being in a “class” environment and ready to learn.
We were sure it would be another great experience for our daughter.
the various room teams whom have looked after her have all been fantastic and she has had a clear connection with her key person in the various rooms. She is always happy to go into nursery, but on the off days when she has a little wobble or doesn’t want to say goodbye, I am always reassured that the team help her settle.
The updates on the app give us a good idea of the structure of their day and what activities they’ve been doing so we can ask questions about her day. A notoriously picky eater at home, I always like to read what she eats at Busy Bees!
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, Wow! Thank you for this glowing review! We are delighted your little one's had a good experience at our Reading Woodley nursery.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. Join us as…read more
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Review from A B (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our little girl has been at nursery for about eight months now, and we couldn't be happier with our choice of nursery. In the last few months, she has been able to explore her interests and learn and develop so quickly through sensory activities, art and messy play, books and storytelling, and toys
and play equipment.
The app has been great to continue this development at home (and vice versa) to further support her development. Also, the other app has been great for activity ideas that we can do at home. These apps are really reassuring for parents!
Most importantly, everybody who works at Busy Bees Woodley has a great relationship with the children and works hard to deliver the best for each individual child. Everybody knows all the children, and they are treated as individuals, making leaving our little one at nursery a lot easier. I trust that the nursery staff will always do their best for each child and their individual needs.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you’re giving your little one the best start in life with us.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Sarah N (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We absolutely love Busy Bees nursery in Woodley. Our son joined in 2020 and some covid restrictions were still in place. We were so impressed with the precautions and measures the nursery took to keep children safe. Our son has flourished since joining, his confidence has grown immeasurably alongside
his speaking, fine motor skills, gross motor skills and his ability to recognise numbers, shapes, colours, emotions and many more!
We are really impressed with the wide range of activities that are set up daily with our child’s interests, which he not only enjoys immensely but also encourages learning. We especially love seeing the daily updates and observations of our son on the app and how happy he is. One of the things we are really impressed with is how important dates and events are celebrated in the nursery that encourages diversity and inclusion, as same-sex parents this is so reassuring to see and it’s fantastic that our son understands that families come in many varieties.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you’re giving your little one the best start in life with us.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Patricia C (Mother of Child) published on 10 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have nothing but good things to say about Busy Bees and all the staff. We appreciate how well you communicate with us parents and our favourite part of the day is receiving updates on the app about what our little one is up to. We also feel very informed about her day and every little bump is recorded
and communicated to parents. We feel that she is extremely safe. Even during periods of sickness, extreme heat waves, Covid outbreaks, etc, Busy Bees always worked with us to find alternatives and we never felt like we had just no childcare options. Her development has exploded since starting nursery and we feel like key workers do a great job in tracking her development (in observations) and also coming up with cool sensory activities. There is a big focus on sensory activities, spending time outdoors. Motor, problem solving and language and literacy skills are also a key focus. Highly recommend Busy Bees Woodley and the lovely staff!
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, We love reading feedback like this! Thank you for sharing it with us; we will pass on your lovely comments to the team at Reading Woodley. 40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings.…read more
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Review from K J (Mother of Child) published on 10 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has thoroughly enjoyed attending Busy Bees Woodley since his start date last year. We've been really impressed with the level of communication and friendly manner of the staff there, and are confident that this is a safe and happy environment for him. His key workers, along with the other staff,
have supported his development across the different nursery rooms with fun activities and great resources, and we love being kept up to date with information and photos of his day via the app which is easy to use and efficiently updated.
Overall we find Busy Bees Woodley to be a great setting for our son.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you’re giving your little one the best start in life with us.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Louise E (Mother of Child) published on 10 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been coming to Busy Bees in Woodley for a year now and I am thrilled at his progress.
He talks about the ladies at his nursery all the time and even the colleagues I'm not familiar with, all seem to know who he is which comforts me, knowing there is a lot of familiarity within the business.
Every
night he will go to bed and say 'Go see friends tomorrow', as he is so excited to go to nursery full time and interact with others.
He eats very well and is already learning how to use the toilet and be more independent in himself.
I won't take full credit for the kind, clever and chatty boy he has become - 100% have the team at Busy Bees to thank.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you’re giving your little one the best start in life with us.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Hannah M (Mother of Child) published on 13 October 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending Busy Bees in Woodley for just over a year now (started at around 18months, delay due to lockdown). He initially started off for 1 day a week which we quickly increased to two days as he settled in well and developed so quickly. He’s only recently moved to full time. I can only
put this down to the amazing staff and how caring, attentive, and nurturing they are. Everyone from his key workers to the managers and literally all staff we come across are just amazing at what they do. They always take the time out to reassure, and during Covid and all the concerns most parents have, they dealt with it amazingly and we were never left worried or nervous about our son attending. The Parentzone app is absolutely brilliant. It gives a detailed breakdown of his day including what he eats, activities he takes part in, updates on his development and photos which really helps us continue with this at home.
We're so happy we chose Busy Bees and would highly recommend it!
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Review from Shirley R (Mother of Child) published on 20 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The whole team in the hedgehog room, as well as the ladies at the front office, have been great with our son and have helped him get used to his new surroundings. I can see that he is happy and cheerful as he gets to learn and explore new things. He is also enjoying a wide variety of food and drink.
The regular assessments that I have received help me to gauge his progress and his developmental and emotional wellbeing. The ParentZone app is amazing as I can see what he does during the day and the pictures are a bonus.
Thank you, I feel much more at ease leaving him in your care and it has helped me concentrate and be productive at my work.
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Review from Amelia H (Mother of Child) published on 26 May 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The team at Busy Bees are nothing short of incredible. From the moment you enter the nursery, you are greeted by the wonderful administrator and manager whose memories of every child's name are exceptional. Every member of staff from every room are wonderfully friendly and welcoming.
Our little boy
has thrived since he has started and absolutely loves going to nursery. The team are attentive to all of his needs and have really taken the time to get to know him. They are all-round superstars.
Reply from Lindsey Doughty, Marketing Manager at Busy Bees Reading Woodley
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback and for taking the time to leave us a review of your experience. We are thrilled to hear your comments and we are really pleased to hear about your positive…read more
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Review from Ian B (Father of Child) published on 5 March 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Staff are extremely friendly and most importantly, they genuinely take an interest in my child as an individual.
Throughout the day staff upload images and key information such as meals and activities to their app, from the photos we can see that he’s having a great time, this gives us reassurance
when we are working that he’s being looked after.
Child’s development- We are noticing that our child is developing really quickly. Rather than getting frustrated with problems, he is spending more time working out why something isn’t working. His speech/communication and social skills are all improving after each visit, I genuinely believe that this down to activities he takes part in at busy bees.
Location- Very convenient to get to, plenty of parking and other shops nearby.
Overall- We are overwhelmed with the kindness and professionalism of the staff, our child is developing and having a great time. We highly recommend Busy Bees.
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Review from K D (Mother of Child) published on 10 May 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has been at Busy Bees Woodley since December 2015 and loves it! Even when we are at home he will talk about the staff and his little friends to us. All the staff engage with him in such a caring manner and show a genuine interest in him. If we see staff out and about at weekends they will always
stop and say hello which is lovely. He continues to flourish every day, the variety and number of different activities that the staff do with them is fantastic. They always find new, engaging and imaginative ideas for the children to do and well thought out hand/footprint pictures and cards for different events. We love the use of ParentZone to allow us an insight into his day, especially the pictures and videos that are put up throughout the day which we can then share with our family. It is also great that the progress review is now electronic as this means we can save a copy and take with us to development meetings or to share with family.
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Review from Perminder B (Mother of Child) published on 13 October 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
All staff make my daughter feel welcome in the nursery and any problems/concerns have been resolved in a professional manner.


My daughter is now in the 3-5 class and I am particularly impressed with the work and activities which have been on offer for the children to encourage their development

(familiarity with clocks and fun science experiments - building volcanoes and drawing pictures, building lava lamps and talking about them). My daughter often has so much to say when I collect her from nursery.


When my son (now aged six) used to attend Busy Bees they identified that he was shy as an area of development and boosted his confidence by introducing him to a talk time bag. This encouraged other children to talk to him when he was too shy to.


The manager is proactively involved in all the rooms by holding regular reviews to improve each room. The manager also takes parents suggestions on board (where possible) when holding reviews which provides great reassurance.

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Review from Gareth C (Father of Child) published on 12 July 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent environment for my daughter to grow and learn. The team are amazing, understanding every child's different needs and encouraging the children to play and work together.
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Review from Annico K (Mother of Child) published on 16 March 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son started at Busy Bees Reading at the age of 9 months and has recently moved from the first room to the second. We are very happy with the nursery, it has a very friendly, family-feel environment: every member of staff knows my son by name, including those working with older kids and even the cooks;
the head of finance went to check on him when once - quite out of character - he was crying at drop off, just to let me know he was happy eating his breakfast 2 min later.
They provide a wide selection of activities from very early on and they take the kids outside whenever the weather allows. When we went through two phases where my son didn't get enough sleep, I could discuss this with his key person and they were very helpful and made extra effort to make sure he sleeps enough. The food menus are varied and wholesome, and as a result, my son eats everything - at least in nursery :)
This a good nursery with a lovely atmosphere and I would highly recommend it for others.
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Review from Caroline J (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I always find staff to be honest and caring about my child. He is very happy there and eats better at the nursery than at home. When I have had behaviour problems with my child they have helped and we have worked together to help resolve things. My eldest son also attended this nursery and has fond
memories of his time here.
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Review from Jade B (Mother of Child) published on 30 November 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery has made me feel very at ease in leaving my daughter in their care.
The nursery is clean, vibrant, happy and lovely place for children of all young ages.


I would highly recommend Busy Bees Woodley to friends and family.
My daughter seems to have settled in well and the nursery has made

me feel I call at any time to check in.
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Current Review Score: 8.2 (8.172)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.2 (8.172) out of 10 for Busy Bees Reading Woodley is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 5.0 out of 5 from 2 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.2 out of 5 from 2 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.958 for Busy Bees Reading Woodley is calculated as follows: ( (23 Excellents x 5) + (1 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 24 Ratings = 4.958
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 3.214 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Reading Woodley is based on 2 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 = 3.125
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 112 number of registered child places is 22.4. 2 Positive Reviews ÷ 22.4 = 0.089
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (1)

Meet the Team (1)

Melissa

Melissa Edgington

Job Title: Centre Director

Hello, my name is Melissa and I am the Centre Director here at Busy Bees Reading Woodley.

Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Reading Woodley

What is the Age Range of Children that Busy Bees Reading Woodley accepts?

Busy Bees Reading Woodley accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Reading Woodley Open?

Busy Bees Reading Woodley is open: Monday 07:30-18:00, Tuesday 07:30-18:00, Wednesday 07:30-18:00, Thursday 07:30-18:00, Friday 07:30-18:00.

How many Children does Busy Bees Reading Woodley have capacity for?

Busy Bees Reading Woodley has capacity for a total of 112 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Reading Woodley to the centre of Reading?

3.5 mile(s) as the crow flies, distance by road may be significantly further.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact Busy Bees Reading Woodley to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Reading Woodley has an Enhanced Service - more info.