Busy Bees Thorley Park

16 The Thorley Centre, Thorley Park, Bishop's Stortford CM23 4EG
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8.1 20 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Thorley Park, Bishop's Stortford
Busy Bees Thorley Park offers a safe and secure environment, where four group rooms within which professionals provide a balance of care and education. The provider is committed to making sure each individual develops in a positive fashion, making the most of their surroundings in a happy and contented manner.

A key worker system is in place to safeguard each child's progress, looking to make the most of their developing interests and offering parents regular feedback.

There are several extra-curricular initiatives, as well as a focus on preparing delicious food within a hygienic setting.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Stacy Kersey (Centre Director)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 22

Total Places for Children

  • 55

Age Range

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

Opening Times

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

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & Christmas

Busy Bees Thorley Park Reviews (20)

8.1

Busy Bees Thorley Park has a Review Score of 8.1 (8.091) out of 10, based on 1 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Busy Bees Thorley Park has 20 reviews.

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Total of 20, showing 1-20
Review from Natasha C (Mother of Child) published on 27 August 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees has provided both of my children with the best introduction to education. They have supported their development, made learning fun, encouraged positive friendships and supported in all areas I could hope for. I couldn't have asked for more.
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Review from A B (Father of Child) published on 30 May 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees Thorley Park is fantastic! Our daughter runs in happy every morning; the staff know her so well, and her needs are always met. She eats so well when there, and it makes going to work much easier to know she is in the best hands, receiving outstanding care.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Thorley Park
Hello, Wow! Thank you for this glowing review! We are delighted your little one is having a good experience at our Thorley Park nursery.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. We’re…read more
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Review from Stephanie B (Mother of Child) published on 1 March 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has attended this nursery since he was 9 months old. He really loves coming here. All the staff are so nurturing, enthusiastic, kind and the nursery has a real family feel. My wishes as a parent are always listened to and respected and I feel totally comfortable leaving him in their loving
care. He runs in each morning, and always comes home smiling and happy. I love the ParentZone app which allows me to see what he gets up to during his day, the activities he participated in and so on. The food is wonderful, well balanced and he always eats so well there. He has really flourished and it's clear to see the positive impact being in such a lovely setting has had on all areas of his development. Communication with his Key Worker is fab, and the observations and assessments are always very detailed and a testament to just how well they know my son. I cannot recommend this nursery highly enough. The management team are amazing too.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Thorley Park
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 Thorley Park.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings.…read more
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Review from Cara (Mother of Child) published on 15 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our eldest has been attending this setting since 2015 and our youngest since 2018, both are extremely happy.
The food is diverse and healthy, the staff are kind and friendly and the extra curriculum classes offered are varied. Our boys have learnt so much during their time at Busy Bees. From an educational
perspective, they come home knowing more and more each week but they also cover topics that are social and relevant. The carers in each room are dedicated to the children and show a vested interest in their well being. Each day we receive a well-informed synopsis of how they've been and what they've been up to.
The internet platform offers regular child updates and photographs of them during the day (which we love). Parent evenings also demonstrate the continued review of each child's development.
This setting offers a friendly and safe environment for children and you'll feel like family before you know it.
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Review from Kelly G (Mother of Child) published on 4 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has been at the nursery since he was 9 months. I can not fault the care the staff give, the range of activities, the communication with the parents and the overall enthusiasm from the whole team. He has thoroughly enjoyed his time there and has thrived making new friends and meeting his
milestones. Busy Bees Thorley is genuinely an extension of our own family.
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Review from Kate (Mother of Child) published on 4 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has been at Busy Bees Thorley for eighteen months and has thrived during this time. The team are caring, welcoming and provide a home from home environment. The activities my daughter participates in are well planned and she has formed great bonds with her key workers and other members of the
team.
The management are very accommodating and are good with parent communication. We’re really happy with all aspects of the nursery and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
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Review from Imogen (Mother of Child) published on 4 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees Thorley Park is one of the best (if not the best!) childcare facilities in the area.
The children are greeted at the front door with big smiles each morning, by enthusiastic staff who clearly love their jobs. The range of activities provided each day is outstanding, all of which are age-appropriate,
right from the baby room up to the Pre-schoolers. There is a great mix of outdoor/indoor time. Staff frequently take pictures and complete mini-assessments on the children which are then uploaded to the app for us to see.
The communication with parents is excellent, with regular emails home, and text messages, if something needs to be communicated quickly. Parents' evenings take place regularly, and it is clear that the staff really know the children in their care.
My toddler tells me that the food is "soooo yummy" and I am always amazed at the new things that he has tried.
Overall I cannot fault this nursery. The staff are amazing and truly committed to their jobs.
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Review from Kate M (Mother of Child) published on 4 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery provides a really warm, caring and nurturing environment. All the staff know every child and the manager is extremely hands-on in each room. My daughter has attended for over 3 years and loves it! We couldn't have asked for a more home from home environment with amazing staff and manager
who truly know and understand our daughter. Would highly recommend it!
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Review from Kelly B (Mother of Child) published on 28 February 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending this nursery since June 2018 and has progressed so much since being there.
He has grown so much in confidence and loves being there; participating in all the daily activities.
The nursery has a real home from home feel, and the staff are fantastic. My son loves the extracurricular
classes that preschool hold.
Overall, this is a great nursery!
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Review from Nicola M (Mother of Child) published on 28 October 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I have been so happy with the level of care that both my children have had at this nursery. The staff in all the rooms have been lovely, caring and thoughtful and have made both my children's nursery experience a pleasant and happy experience. I can't thank them enough for all that they have done for
us as a family.
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Review from Tara E (Mother of Child) published on 27 September 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Fantastic nursery setting with friendly and enthusiastic staff. My son has been attending the setting for over a year and is extremely happy.
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Review from Hanna E (Mother of Child) published on 27 September 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic nursery and both my children loved their time here. The staff were always happy and very patient with the children.
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Review from Kate W (Mother of Child) published on 27 September 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Caring, compassionate, committed. It took two other nurseries before we found the right one - this is it. Very grateful for all they do, knowing my little one is safe and secure there, having fun and making friends
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Review from J D (Mother of Child) published on 12 October 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love the nursery.


My little boy settled very quickly, has a great bond with his key worker and the rest of the team. The nursery staff are all friendly and very welcoming and the activities they do are fab. We would 100% recommend the nursery.

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Review from Michael J (Father of Child) published on 27 September 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Dropped my son into Busy Bees after he had been a bit grumpy in the night. He was full of tears on arrival but soon calmed down when the staff picked him up and showed him the places in the back garden.
I left feeling sure that he was in great hands and that he was going to have a great day.
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Review from S L (Mother of Child) published on 27 September 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter is fourteen months and has been attending Busy Bees Thorley for three months. She loves going to nursery and always has a smile for the staff and reaches for them when she gets there. Every day we get an update of her day, what and how much she's eaten, how long she's napped for and what
she has done during the day. Since she started nursery she has also slept a lot better during the night which we are very grateful for. I have no problems leaving my child with them during the day and feel she is well looked after and cared for. Our daughter has recently grown out of a cows milk protein allergy, and while we were introducing it back into her diet the nursery was able to accommodate her diet accordingly.
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Review from K H (Mother of Child) published on 2 May 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I have a 13-month-old son who really enjoys nursery. He started at the age of 11 months and settled very quickly. He took part in their baby group activities which he absolutely loved (especially rice krispies play). Nursery offers on-site cooked food which he really enjoys. My now 6 years old attended
this nursery and is still asking me if he can go and play at Busy Bees as a treat.
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Review from Leah B (Mother of Child) published on 16 November 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I can't rate the nursery highly enough. The staff are wonderful, warm and informative. The daily and actual time updates on their website are a great way to feel connected to your little one throughout the day. The staff are always on hand at drop off and pick up to discuss any concerns, activities
of the day, updates etc. I love the activities that they do each day and I know my son is getting the right education, stimulation and care.


The actual nursery is one of the best I have seen, with great outdoor space, always clean and great facilities. I love the fact that my son is outside for a large part of the day. My little boy has loved his time there, to be honest, it is always hard to get him to leave!

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Review from S M (Mother of Child) published on 3 November 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My younger son is currently at Busy Bees at Thorley Park and my older son also attended this nursery, both sons started at approx. 8 months old. The staff are friendly and professional,my children both settled, quickly, into nursery life,learning how to socialise in a fun environment. This helped to
prepare my older son for school, having the ability and confidence to mix and make new friends. When I drop off and pick up the children all look happy and busy,there are nice displays of children's artwork. My children have always been well cared for,if, they have become unwell or had a minor accident and positively encouraged when developing milestones,such as toilet training.
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Review from Natalie K (Mother of Child) published on 3 November 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter attended the free baby groups before signing up to the nursery and has enjoyed every single day since. It makes me feel so much better going to work seeing the excitement on her face when she realises she is going to nursery. The team are fantastic and everyone builds a great relationship
with all the children. It is lovely to see my daughters smile seeing her carers when she arrives and holding her arms out to them when arriving, she can't wait to get stuck in. Both encouraging and educating my daughter she learns something new every day and brings new skills home as well as lovely little paintings and keepsakes from her fun daily activities. I love the online system which I can log onto whilst at work and read notes about her activities and the little diary book that is filled in. I feel more involved in her daily fun and a part of it.
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Current Review Score: 8.1 (8.091)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.1 (8.091) out of 10 for Busy Bees Thorley Park 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 1 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.1 out of 5 from 1 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 5.000 for Busy Bees Thorley Park is calculated as follows: ( (12 Excellents x 5) ) ÷ 12 Ratings = 5
  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 3.091 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Thorley Park is based on 1 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 = 3
    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 55 number of registered child places is 11. 1 Positive Reviews ÷ 11 = 0.091
  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)

Stacy

Stacy Kersey

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 2007

Hi,
My name is Stacy and I'm the nursery manager here at Thorley Park Busy Bees, I have a CACHE level 3 qualification and Level 3 in leadership and management. I joined Busy Bees in 2007 and started as a qualified early years educator and over the years worked my way to managers position.
During this time I have enjoyed working with every age group of children as nursery nurses and deputy managers, enjoying working alongside the most amazing, caring and educated staff we can find.
Our specialist skills include child protection training, mentoring our team and our Busy bees initiatives, Wake & Shake, Grow your Own, Babble to Chatter, Imagination Station, shake and write.
So why not come and meet us and see how much fun your child could have here at Thorley Park Busy Bees.

Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Thorley Park

What is the Age Range of Children that Busy Bees Thorley Park accepts?

Busy Bees Thorley Park accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Thorley Park Open?

Busy Bees Thorley Park is open: Monday 07:30-18:30, Tuesday 07:30-18:30, Wednesday 07:30-18:30, Thursday 07:30-18:30, Friday 07:30-18:30.

How many Children does Busy Bees Thorley Park have capacity for?

Busy Bees Thorley Park has capacity for a total of 55 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Thorley Park to the centre of Bishop's Stortford?

1.0 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 Thorley Park to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Thorley Park has an Enhanced Service - more info.