Busy Bees Ashton House

Ashton House, Ashton Park, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston PR2 1HL
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8.2 55 Reviews
  • Busy Bees Ashton House, Preston
Busy Bees Ashton House is a converted manor house, tailored to early years play and exploration and staffed by a team with a varied range of qualifications and experience.

An extensive range of interests and activities are stimulated within the setting, such as creative art, singing and sensory play. Staff look to support children develop confidence and independent thinking to help them with future challenges.

A parent partnership meets throughout the year to provide regular feedback and during school holidays there are visits organised to various parks and attractions.
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Type of Service

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

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • David Fisher-Sinclair (Centre Director)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 50

Total Places for Children

  • 161

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 Ashton House Reviews (55)

8.2

Busy Bees Ashton House has a Review Score of 8.2 (8.188) out of 10, based on 5 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Busy Bees Ashton House has 55 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
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Total of 55, showing 1-20
Review from Z C (Mother of Child) published on 17 February 2025 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Since taking our daughter to Busy Bees Ashton House at age 11 months, its a worrying, daunting experience to put them in someone else's care and supervision. I must admit the team at Ashton House have been nothing short of amazing! They are trustworthy, approachable and completely child centred, which
is everything we could ask for. Their communication is great, I can tell our daughter is thriving in their care and we are very grateful for all their amazing effort, hard work and dedication to the job. Your're all fantastic!
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Review from P H (Mother of Child) published on 14 February 2025 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Overall, it has been a very smooth and happy transition. I was a little worried about going back to work and leaving my baby, but from my first visit I felt very at ease. He has settled very well, happy to go to all staff with big smiles. Very clean and tidy, friendly environment. Kept up to date with
progress on development. Staff happy to work with you on skills to work on at home.
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Review from Jack L (Father of Child) published on 14 February 2025 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
This nursery has by far been the best decision we have ever made for our son. Each evening we are greeted by a warm and welcoming face and by staff who truly know our son inside out. He has met so many milestones with the care and patience of all the team. He talks fondly of nursery and names all the
teachers who are in his class. The staff have supported our family as we navigated problems with our son's eczema and do everything they can to provide the best for him. We are updated regularly about his day-to-day and have attended parents' evenings that have given us a chance to sit with his key person and talk about his development which is more than what we expected from a nursery, can not recommend this nursery enough, thank you.
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Review from Megan P (Mother of Child) published on 12 September 2024 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My daughter always comes home happy. She walks in, in the morning excited to see her friends and the staff. The staff are welcoming and always give a good review at the end of the day to say how she's been and raise any issues if there has been any.
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Review from Maria R (Mother of Child) published on 6 September 2024 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Busy Bees has been a lovely experience for my baby girl. Things that need improving, better control of nappies and wipes, less staff turnover and moving classes - stability is important for kids this age - and a bit more meat on the menu would be good. Everything else is great.
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Review from Sarah A (Mother of Child) published on 10 August 2023 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has attended Ashton House since 2019, and in this time, I have seen her develop into a confident, kind and clever young girl. All aspects of her care have been excellent; they have also been accommodating of her medical needs and have worked with us to ensure she could continue to have a
good experience. On 16/07/23, the nursery did a graduation ceremony and party; this was excellent - lots of thought went into this and celebrated their time at the nursery. The staff clearly care a lot for the children. My daughter will miss the staff and the setting very much.
Reply from Emily Graves, Digital Content Assistant at Busy Bees Ashton House
Hello, Wow! Thank you for this glowing review! We are delighted your little one has had a good experience at our Ashton House nursery.
40 years of Busy Bees – 40 years of best beginnings. Celebrate…read more
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Review from Sarah W (Mother of Child) published on 5 October 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Comforting, reassuring, competent. My daughter started Busy Bees Ashton House in April 2020, all the staff made the settling in process smooth and easy for me and my daughter. She has developed in all areas, on her 10 month check the health visitor was happy with her physical development, social skills
and communication. She is happy, bubbly and confident and huge thanks need to be given to all the staff at Busy Bees Ashton House for helping me and my partner during our daughters first year.
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Review from Lydia S (Mother of Child) published on 5 October 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I’ve returned from maternity leave earlier than expected, leading me to put my 5-month-old son into nursery a lot earlier than I had planned. This caused me to understandably feel anxious for my child, but it’s honestly been the best thing for him and I have no regrets, he is always so happy and the
amount of fun he has at nursery and it's so amazing to see through the app. He’s come on so much, I’ve had a lot of help and support through the staff in the room and the kitchen staff with guidance on weaning which has now led to my boy being happy to try all types of foods. Management is great at reassuring you with settling in sessions for your child and I can’t thank the staff enough for the care and love they provide my son every single day. It’s the best feeling to be able to leave your child knowing he’s confident and happy enough to go off and enjoy his day.
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Review from Rachel H (Mother of Child) published on 20 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son goes to this nursery with a smile on his face every day. He loves his friends from nursery. The outdoor space is amazing. The nursery staff are very friendly and wonderful. Love that all meals are prepared fresh. Would recommend it to everyone. Best nursery.
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Review from Fiona F (Mother of Child) published on 20 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has only been with the nursery for a matter of weeks but I am already extremely impressed. My daughter also attended and left 5 years ago and the staff are as helpful and friendly as they were back then and there were a lot of familiar faces which was nice.
It's never easy leaving a baby in
nursery to go back to work but the staff made it so easy and made sure I was comfortable with everything and that they knew as much as they possibly could about my son to make it as stress-free for him as possible.
The app is great and the team are really good at posting updates so throughout the day I get to see photos, what he has eaten, played with etc. and it's really comforting. We have already had a mini observation/progress update on where he is with certain tasks and he's only been there 2 weeks.


Thank you!

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Review from Gemma H (Mother of Child) published on 20 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I am so happy with my experience here. My daughter loves it and the staff are amazing, they make you feel really welcomed and are amazing with the children. Had a bad experience with a different nursery so I was really worried but I definitely made the right choice to move my child to this nursery.
They serve fresh food from their on-site chef and it is very clean and well kept inside. She has settled in really well and loves going to nursery now, she has only been there a couple of weeks and her social skills and confidence has come on so much already. Also, there is an app that is updated all throughout the day with detailed information about food, nappy changes, nap time info and photos of what activities they have been doing. It's really reassuring to know they're having fun and are in great hands! My daughter already has an amazing bond with the staff and has made lots of new friends. This nursery is the BEST!
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Review from Laurie B (Mother of Child) published on 20 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Busy Bees at Ashton House is an excellent setting. The staff are so caring and nurturing and our 3-year old son has loved going since he first started at 14 months old. The building is a beautiful old house and is set in the middle of a large park making for a lovely stroll at either end of each day
and lots of outside space to learn and play.
The last 18 months have been hard for everyone but during lockdown mandated closures, Busy Bees kept in touch and even provided activities through a dedicated app to keep our son entertained and to support his development.
The key workers really care, know their stuff and the management team really prioritise the needs of the children and their health and safety above everything else.
Having just gone into preschool - my son is already being prepared for transitioning to school next year and I’m confident he’s in good and nurturing hands.
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Review from J B (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little girl started Busy Bees at just 3.5-months-old just doing one day. The staff made me feel at ease when leaving her, always welcomed with a smile, now at 20-months-old, she is in full time. She has come on so much, she knows so many animals and their sounds, body parts, and joins in the actions
to nursery rhymes. My little girl is always happy to go into the nursery and gets excited when we talk about it. I highly recommend this nursery, it is always clean, and all the staff are very friendly!
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Review from Grazyna M (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My son goes to nursery with a big smile on his face every day. He loves the staff and friends from nursery. Outdoor space is amazing. Nursery staff are very friendly and helpful. Love that all meals are prepared fresh. Would recommend it to everyone. Best nursery.
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Review from Gillian E (Grandmother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I am a grandmother/guardian of a child at this nursery and I can’t thank them enough for how they helped my grandson when he first started nursery. He had recently been abandoned by his mother and was very afraid of me leaving him when I first took him he cried and clung to me but all the staff were
so kind and patient with him and now he runs in and doesn’t look back, he loves going and even asks to go on weekends.
I would highly recommend this nursery to anybody they helped turn a frightened, confused child into a happy confident little boy.
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Review from Nikki (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I can't fault Busy Bees at all. My daughter has been coming here for 3 years and learns so much each day. She has an amazing bond with her key worker and the other amazing staff. Most days it's hard to pull her away! Highly recommend.
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Review from Laura O (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Due to circumstances, we had to find a nursery very very quickly. My daughter started this nursery full time from 8 months old. She is now 2 and has come on leaps and bounds since being here.
She loves going to nursery which is the most important thing to me.
She has fun activities daily and I am
kept up to date with these via photos. She's also formed excellent relationships with staff and I have found all staff will go above and beyond to help my daughter or me and dad no matter the situation.
They are excellent with my daughter's allergy making sure that whatever she eats looks the same as the other children and is nutritious.
I really cannot recommend this nursery enough and I am so happy we chose them!
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Review from Charlotte P (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has been going to Busy Bees at Ashton House since he was 8 months old- he's now in their pre-school. The staff are truly wonderful and feel like friends and family rather than employees. Our son always comes home full of exciting stories, tales of activities and new skills. The grounds are lovely
and it's great that they get the children outside for as much as they can (not always possible in the miserable Lancashire winters) and I will be genuinely sad for our boy to leave the nursery when he goes to primary school in September.
The kids eat better than most paying customers at a restaurant and they are loved by the staff who you can tell really care about giving a great experience to children and their families.
Highly recommend to anyone who is considering this nursery.
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Review from Rachel J (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
After having a year off MAT leave with my little boy I was anxious and nervous about my little one starting Nursery. We have gone round and looked at a few but Ashton stood out to us. The staff team at Ashton House reassured myself and my family. They allowed us to have many settle session to support
the needs of myself and my little boy. The staff took the time to really get to know my son, learning all about his likes and interest. We have been coming to Ashton House now for over 6months and can't express how happy we have been (and still are!) My little boy has grown so much in confidence and learning new skills each day. The staff go above and beyond and take pride in what they do. They ensure that they are providing fun activities each and every day. The outdoor space is brilliant which my little boy loves and it's great to see they go out each and every day. The management team take pride in their nursery which is very clear to see and are very approachable and accommodating. 10/10
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Review from Gemma H (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The nursery setting is clean and bright. My son is safe with the staff and gets excited to see his friends at nursery. We moved him from an inadequate setting and Busy Bees was definitely the correct choice for us. The app is a great addition, I know when he has eaten and how much and I also get photos
of him having fun and learning. The staff are supportive of change e.g potty training, removing the dummy.
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Current Review Score: 8.2 (8.188)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 8.2 (8.188) out of 10 for Busy Bees Ashton House is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.5 out of 5 from 5 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 3.7 out of 5 from 5 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 4.533 for Busy Bees Ashton House is calculated as follows: ( (32 Excellents x 5) + (28 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 60 Ratings = 4.533
  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 3.655 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Busy Bees Ashton House is based on 5 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 = 3.5
    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 161 number of registered child places is 32.2. 5 Positive Reviews ÷ 32.2 = 0.155
  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)

David

David Fisher-Sinclair

Job Title: Centre Director Joined: 2011

My name is David Fisher-Sinclair I have been working for Busy Bees since 2011 based at Southport. I came across to Ashton House in November 2023.


I started off as a member of the relief team at Southport and have continued to develop my knowledge and skills ever since, becoming assistant Centre Director in 2019 at Southport and then transferring over to Ashton House. I have completed my level 5 management and leadership training and senco training. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Busy Bees Ashton House

What is the Age Range of Children that Busy Bees Ashton House accepts?

Busy Bees Ashton House accepts Children aged from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months.

What Days & Hours is Busy Bees Ashton House Open?

Busy Bees Ashton House 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 Ashton House have capacity for?

Busy Bees Ashton House has capacity for a total of 161 Children.

How far is Busy Bees Ashton House to the centre of Preston?

1.6 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 Ashton House to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. Busy Bees Ashton House has an Enhanced Service - more info.