URN 508972 · Inspected 2026-08-21 · Published 2026-09-22 · Inspector: Liz Caluori
Busy Bees Day Nursery at Eastbourne Unique reference number (URN): 508972 Address: Larkspur Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 8BS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 16/06/2000 Registers: EYR Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Inspection report: 21 August 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Safeguarding standards met The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Strong standard Achievement Strong standard All children progress extremely well in their learning and development. The achievements of those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning, are particularly noteworthy. The youngest children very confidently explore their environment, honing their physical coordination as they become increasingly mobile. They understand and practise clear and simple vocabulary and love to look at familiar books with staff. Older children speak confidently and expressively. They use their broad language skills to engage in animated conversations and to share their opinions. The oldest children demonstrate mature social skills and are enthusiastic, independent learners. They use knowledge and skills that they have gained over time to engage in elaborate games with their friends and to join in with adult-led activities. By the time children are preparing to move on in their education, they have the confidence, emotional resilience, practical skills and knowledge they need. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard The day flows seamlessly for all children as staff sensitively organise routines to minimise disruption and to promote their wellbeing. Babies' individual care needs, such as sleep and mealtimes, are fully understood and respected. Leaders and staff also ensure that routines are appropriate and inclusive for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff provide clear and consistent guidance that successfully supports children to understand how to behave. The atmosphere within the nursery is extremely friendly and harmonious. Staff are consistently warm and caring in their interactions. Children form positive bonds with staff and develop meaningful friendships. Throughout the nursery, children of all ages develop very positive attitudes to learning. In addition to a broad range of interesting adult-led activities, children learn through exploration and discovery. For example, children become excited as they mix paints together and create different colours. Leaders have effective arrangements to monitor children's attendance and follow up promptly if children do not arrive for scheduled sessions. They go to great lengths to support families and provide consistency, helping to ensure that children benefit from the full curriculum. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders use their comprehensive knowledge of each child to prioritise their emotional and physical wellbeing. This is particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning. Staff monitor the nursery to ensure that the learning environment is safe, making adaptations when necessary. For example, changes to the layout of the outdoor space have given children greater freedom to play independently while constantly within sight and hearing of staff. Staff follow safe sleep practices, ensuring that children have cots or mattress appropriate for their ages. Children are supervised closely and staff ensure that they are able to sleep for as long as they want or need. Leaders and staff promote children's health extremely well. Children spend a great deal of time outdoors, where they benefit from fresh air and plenty of opportunities to relax. Staff also ensure that children regularly engage in active play each day, indoors and outside. Snacks and meals are prepared on site, and these are healthy and appetising. The menu reflects the varied dietary needs of children. There are robust systems to ensure that children do not eat anything that is not suitable for them. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders have created a clear and ambitious curriculum that is understood and implemented well in all rooms. Leaders provide staff with a structure that supports them to plan and adapt activities to precisely reflect the interests and learning needs of all children taking part. Leaders and staff fully recognise the importance of providing children with time and opportunities to consolidate their learning and embed new skills. Staff are confident, effective teachers. They consistently recognise when to stand back and allow children to learn through discovery, and when to step in to build on children's interests to extend their learning. At any one time, children are engrossed in a vast variety of activities and games, indoors and out. While some engage in games with rules with staff, others look at books, build with construction bricks or use their imaginations as they enjoy role-play games. Adult-led activities throughout the nursery very successfully capture children's interests. For example, older children listen intently to activities aimed at teaching them about famous artists, including painters and musicians. Staff ignite children's fascination as they encourage them to consider the colour palettes and individual styles of different artists such as Lowry. Children confidently use the resources, including models of buildings and pictures of stick men, as inspiration as they create their own unique artwork. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders are very attuned to the needs of the local community and the issues that may place some children at a disadvantage. There is a clear and highly successful focus on identifying precisely how to support individual children and their families. This is achieved through extremely effective communication and ongoing observation and assessment. Leaders and staff provide very practical help for families, as well as emotional support, which ultimately promotes children's achievement and wellbeing. For example, leaders have created a well- used 'drop and swap' scheme for parents to donate and take items such as clothing and toys. The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is very skilfully coordinated. Staff work in partnership with parents and other relevant professionals to provide children with the individualised support they need. The carefully sequenced support that staff provide results in children with SEND achieving beyond the expectations of parents and other professionals. Staff in each room sensitively adapt activities so that all children can take part. They understand the subtle indicators that individual children may benefit from intervention and are alert to these as children play and join in group activities. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders in the nursery work closely with key staff from the wider organisation to constantly evaluate and improve the quality of the provision. For example, they are implementing plans to place a greater focus on outdoor learning to broaden the experiences available to children. Leaders appreciate and nurture staff, recognising their expertise and providing mentoring and training to continually enhance their skills and knowledge. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings where they share their ideas, raise any concerns and identify training they would like to attend. Staff are highly motivated and positive. The excellent teamwork and communication results in efficient and highly effective working practices. Partnership working with the local community and the families of children that attend is a key strength. Initiatives, such as collecting for food banks, support local residents while also encouraging children to develop positive attitudes to helping others. Space is set aside in the nursery to act as a 'community hub'. Parents have space to sit and talk, or to benefit from the vast array of useful written information and displays. Parents praise the kindness of leaders and staff and appreciate the effective communication. They feel well informed about the day-to-day life of the nursery as well as their child's progress and future learning goals. Feedback from parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face other barriers to learning is incredibly positive. What it's like to be a child at this setting All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing other barriers to their learning, have a wonderful time as they play and learn. They progress extremely well as they very enthusiastically take part in the broad and exciting range of activities on offer. Throughout the nursery, children eagerly explore the thoughtfully organised resources, play happily with their friends and engage in lively conversations. Inspector: Liz Caluori About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 508972 There is a significant focus on promoting the emotional wellbeing of all children. The time and care taken to settle babies reaps significant rewards as they form strong and trusting bonds with the familiar staff. This successfully lays the foundation for their future learning. These youngest children benefit from a skilled mixture of targeted teaching and heartfelt encouragement as they develop their physical coordination and early language skills. As children progress through the nursery, they develop increasing levels of independence and positive attitudes to learning. They gather excitedly for adult-led activities, confident that staff will have planned something enjoyable. For example, children have fun as they follow instructions to dip their index fingers in water and carefully make marks and shapes on different coloured paper. They proudly describe the shapes they have drawn and describe their 'long' and 'short' lines. By the time children move on from the nursery, they are confident, articulate and emotionally ready. The skills and knowledge they have gained over time prepare them extremely well for moving on in their education, including going to school. Next steps Leaders should ensure continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children who need extra help to realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders and staff, including the special educational needs coordinator, during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Address: Larkspur Drive Eastbourne East Sussex BN23 8BS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 16/06/2000 Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30 Local authority: East Sussex Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 21 August 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 5 Total number of places 100 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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