Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby

Whitehorse Lane, Great Ashby, Stevenage SG1 6NH
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9.1 77 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby, Stevenage
Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby is in a great location, situated within the local community near local shops and Round Diamond School. The nursery's parent partnership group can offer help and support to new parents, as well as giving current parents the opportunity to share views and suggestions.

The nursery has a caring and professional staff team who are passionate about what they do and who offer unique play and learning opportunities such as wake and shake and Busy Babies.
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Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Lisa Stevens (Centre Director)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 30

Total Places for Children

  • 112

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

Parking

  • There is free parking available

Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby Reviews (77)

9.1

Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby has a Review Score of 9.1 (9.136) out of 10, based on 11 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby has 77 reviews.

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Review from H J (Mother of Child) published on 8 October 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I am really happy with how my child is settling in at the nursery. I find all the staff really caring and kind towards my child and family. I have complete trust leaving my child there knowing they will have a nice day and be very well looked after. The meals they provide are also very nutritious and
I am happy knowing he is fed well there.
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Review from Kirsty M (Mother of Child) published on 24 September 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been going to busy bees great Ashby for a month now, and already we can see improvements in her speech, social skills and walking! She always comes home happy from her days at nursery and LOVES her key worker Tracey!
The team are always happy, personable and happy to help if we have
any questions! The busy bee app is great, we love to see what she has eaten each day! You get a weekly update on what your child's room with be taking part in each week which is great, even better when they come home and show you those skills!
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Review from K M (Father of Child) published on 24 June 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Very friendly, protective and caring staff.
Helpful and open to discussion/feedback management.
Wide variety of activities offered and opportunities for children to learn, develop skills and obtain social skills.
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Review from S W (Father of Child) published on 20 March 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son had a truly great time at Busy Bees, Great Ashby. From the very beginning, we were met with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and I always felt confident leaving my son in their care.
The staff are exceptional. They are not only professional but also incredibly friendly and approachable. It was
evident that they genuinely cared for the children and worked hard to create a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment. The team made an effort to know each child individually, understanding their needs, interests, and personalities, which made a real difference in his development and confidence.
I would highly recommend Busy Bees, Great Ashby. A huge thank you to all the staff for their dedication and hard work-it truly made a difference in our child's life!
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Review from E O (Father of Child) published on 17 February 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our boys love Busy Bees Great Ashby. The older one who left to start Reception Class in September 2024 still keeps wanting to go to his old school. The younger one wants to go to school daily. They both started at a young age (~1 year) and so we have related with several amazing key workers along the
way who have given them great support. It has really been a joy to watch our boys grow from babies to bubbly toddlers at the centre.
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Review from K W (Mother of Child) published on 17 February 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My Son is currently in preschool having been with Busy Bees since he was 10 months old. He settled really well with the care and attention from room staff in each room he has moved through. The activities are engaging around how the children like to learn and their interests and the staff put lots of
time and energy into family events outside of nursery activities.
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Review from Rachael S (Mother of Child) published on 23 December 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Both of my children are very happy and so am I with how they are cared for. All of the key workers throughout the nursery are very passionate about their work with the children. Lovely environment and highly recommend.
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Review from I R (Mother of Child) published on 13 December 2024 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter started nursery at Busy Bees Great Ashby at 3 years old, we were nervous as it was her first time in a formal childcare setting but she has settled in so well over the last 3 months. Her Keyworker is absolutely amazing, you can really see the warmth and affection towards our daughter which
is all we could want. It's been great seeing the activities that she's been engaged in, and she always comes home to tell us about the new games or activities she has been trying!
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Review from Sophie N (Mother of Child) published on 27 December 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son has settled in so well at Busy Bees Great Ashby. His key worker has been fantastic and works with us really well so we can be consistent between nursery and home in terms of how we support him in his learning.
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Review from G A (Mother of Child) published on 25 December 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 2.0 out of 5
My child attended this nursery from May 2023 and it was a good experience in the setting with children aged 6 months - 1 year olds.
Unfortunately, it was not the same experience for the 2nd setting my child progressed to after turning 1 year in age. My child was not supervised well and encountered
multiple head injuries there. As a result of these frequent incidents, I pulled my child out with immediate effect.
There was no remorse from the 2 key workers that were looking after my child and neither was there any outcome from the investigations that took place.
I am deeply disappointed with the care provided here at Busy Bees, Great Ashby, Stevenage branch and hope they are able to put measures in place to mitigate the risks of injuries happening to other infants.
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Review from A C (Mother of Child) published on 7 December 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has been at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby for a few months now. She only attends one day a week, so we still have her getting upset about pick-up and drop-off, but I can see from the reviews throughout the day on the app she is very happy and settled. It’s evident they spend lots of time
with the children and do age-related activities. My daughter is always exceptionally happy when we sing nursery rhymes. The staff on drop off are quick and efficient. The nursery manager has always been happy to help and greet me at the door. 100% recommend.
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Review from Maerii Y (Mother of Child) published on 10 October 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby since he was a year old, and he is now 3. He has thrived considerably whilst being there. He was Special Educational Needs (SEN), where the staff all work hard to coordinate and support him and his learning. We feel we have been very much involved
with his development; the staff are extremely open and courteous, and we could not have asked for more. His key worker works extremely hard, taking up new training and supporting my son in every way possible. He has learnt so much from the staff and his peers, and only the fantastic support he has around him has made that possible. We are very pleased and would recommend this nursery to everyone!
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby
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. Best wishes, Busy Bees
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Review from N M (Mother of Child) published on 22 September 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees Great Ashby was a great start for my daughter. She loved her time over the last 3 years. The staff were always friendly, sometimes key workers would change and I wouldn’t be aware of this but not overly concerned as the staff were all great and it didn’t impact the welfare of my daughter.
We will miss coming here.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby
Hello, thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a wonderful review! We’re glad you have given your little one the best start in life with us. Best wishes, Busy Bees
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Review from Sarah W (Mother of Child) published on 13 July 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Great Ashby, Busy Bees have been the best nursery for my child.
They all go above and beyond what I would expect a nursery to do.
The handover I receive when picking up my child are always full of information. They tell me everything my child has done. One staff member in the bumble room has been
over-exceptional with my child, helping her with moving on to school. Teaching her letters, numbers, colours, but always in such a fun and new way of doing things. I have even stolen a couple of his ideas that I now do at home with my child.
The staff are all really friendly and welcoming.
The management are amazing, so supportive and friendly.
The food is so nutritional and tasty, I have cooked a few of the recipes.
As a whole nursery, I would recommend Great Ashby Nursery to anyone in a heartbeat. My child has made some great skills by being there.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby
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 L B (Mother of Child) published on 9 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending this nursery for the last 2 years, and I would highly recommend to anyone. All of the staff are amazing - so caring, attentive and knowledgeable. My son does so many different activities at nursery that are suited to his interests and development and I can see this reflected
in his personal, emotional and social development. A huge thank you to everyone at the nursery for making our experience a positive one!
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby
Hello, wow! Thank you for this glowing review! We are delighted your little one is having a good experience at our Stevenage, Great Ashby nursery.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Trudy L (Mother of Child) published on 2 June 2023 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended Busy Bees since November 2022 and has had a fantastic experience so far.
The staff are excellent and individualise activities and learning to her interests. The communication is consistent and thorough and gives me ‘live’ updates of her day including nappies, food and sleep.
My
daughter has formed fantastic relationships with the staff and I have seen her confidence grow as she learns new skills.
I am so pleased with the service and can confidently say that this is the best nursery in Stevenage.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby
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 Stevenage, Great Ashby.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best…read more
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Review from Manish S (Father of Child) published on 28 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are very happy we chose this nursery for our son, from when he started every part of the experience for him has been fantastic. The staff are the jewel in the crown of this nursery, they are so supportive and caring it makes them feel like family to my son. They regularly go above and beyond our
expectations to ensure our son is happy and engaged when attending.
The facilities and materials are regularly updated and refreshed, the nursery is always creating new and fun experiences for my son and they regularly ask parents for ideas and input on how they can make the experience better for all the children. The nursery has been very attentive to the recent changing guidance related to covid to ensure the safety of all the children and staff, the nursery is kept very very clean and I'm always impressed at how quickly they respond to any issues and resolve them quickly.
Overall I can't recommend them enough, this is an outstanding nursery.
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Review from E R (Mother of Child) published on 28 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been attending busy bees since January 2022, and enjoys his days at 'big school'. My son loves coming to busy bees, exploring, playing outside, and learning. His speech and vocabulary has expanded enormously while becoming confident in identifying his colours, animals, and bugs. He has built
up a great relationship with his key workers and made friends. He is happy to come every day and talks fondly of school. Regular photos and daily updates mean I still feel a part of his daily activities when working, knowing he is happy and safe. Activities are fun and interesting for the children and the key workers incorporate new experiences; such as a trip to the dentist, into fun learning before appointments. I highly recommend busy bees, my son is happy while attending and I feel at ease knowing this. He also loves the food, a varied and fun menu daily. Thank you busy bees.
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Review from A M (Mother of Child) published on 28 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has attended Busy Bees, Great Ashby, since December 2020. I cannot fault the care and expertise of the staff. They all go above and beyond to get to know your child and to help them grow.


My child has always been a fussy eater, but they have taken the time to explore different foods, not

just using taste, but other senses, to make food seem less “scary”.


The feedback we receive is fantastic, both in person and via the app. I can see how much my child is developing through the pictures and updates. I love that I can let them know about an activity we have done at home and they will expand on it within the nursery setting.


There really is nothing more reassuring that your child is excited to go into nursery, and coming out with a huge smile, desperate to tell you about their day.
I really cannot recommend this nursery enough!

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Review from Sarah K (Mother of Child) published on 28 April 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son loves Busy Bees and his development has really been evident by his attendance. He’s always chatting about his activities and we’re always surprised to hear how much he’s been up to! The staff are always respectful of our choices and always check on things such as potty training, etc too, which
really helps with consistency. They are really supportive and he loves them! Thank you so much to all of the staff who make his days such fun, in a safe and encouraging environment!
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Current Review Score: 9.1 (9.136)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.1 (9.136) out of 10 for Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.7 out of 5 from 11 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.4 out of 5 from 10 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 4.690 for Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby is calculated as follows: ( (110 Excellents x 5) + (7 Goods x 4) + (7 Satisfactorys x 3) + (1 Poors x 2) + (4 Very Poors x 1) ) ÷ 129 Ratings = 4.69
  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 4.446 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby is based on 10 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 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    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. 10 Positive Reviews ÷ 22.4 = 0.446
  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)

Lisa

Lisa Stevens

Job Title: Centre Director Joined: 2000

My name is Lisa Stevens and I am the Nursery Centre Director at Stevenage Great Ashby Nursery since January 2013, previously I was Manager at Busy Bees Welwyn Garden City for nine years and have in total 27 years of childcare experience.


I have a range of qualifications and experience from completing my NNEB in 1992, NVQ level 3 in 1998, Assessor and Internal verifier award to more recently Certificate in Leadership and Management.


Over the past few years I have attended many courses and training to ensure my knowledge is current within the childcare industry, including Level 3 cert in food management, safeguarding designated person, paediatric first aid and EYFS courses.


The current staff team have a long service history ranging from 2-10 years inclusive and are a stable experienced team, we take pride in our low staff turnover and consistent key person approach to caring for every child’s individual needs.


I find being part of children’s growth and development both rewarding and satisfying, I get the best of both worlds being office based my job entails working closely with parent’s but there is opportunity during the day to spend time in the rooms joining in the children’s activities.


I currently work Monday - Friday, both of my children have attended the nursery since 8 months of age until they both left for Reception.

Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby

What is the Age Range of Children that Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby accepts?

Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby Open?

Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby 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 Stevenage, Great Ashby have capacity for?

Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby has capacity for a total of 112 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby to the centre of Stevenage?

1.9 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 Stevenage, Great Ashby to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Stevenage, Great Ashby has an Enhanced Service - more info.