URN 221622 · Inspected 2026-03-19 · Published 2026-05-19 · Inspector: Carly Mooney
Busy Bees Day Nursery at Huntingdon Unique reference number (URN): 221622 Address: Kingfisher Way, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6FN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/07/1999 Registers: EYR Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Inspection report: 19 March 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 Children, including those who face barriers to their learning, quickly make considerable progress from their starting points. Transitions and sequenced learning as children move through the nursery are thoughtfully planned. For example, babies are carefully supported to develop their climbing and stepping-up and stepping-down skills in preparation for using stairs. Children getting ready to start their next stage of education develop a breadth of knowledge and skills. They are highly confident, articulate and resilient learners. Children engage in regular stories and singing throughout the day to help support their language development. Older children gain confidence in holding meaningful conversations. They talk confidently about their home life and are excited to be starting school. Children show excitement when they find a ladybird in the garden and are eager to show their friends. Babies interact very well with staff and demonstrate their emerging language skills. Across the whole nursery, all children develop the confidence to express their wants, needs and ideas. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Relationships between staff and children are exceptionally warm and nurturing. This is consistently evident throughout the nursery. Staff listen attentively to children and respond with genuine care and interest. Staff encourage children to express how they are feeling through discussions, stories and the use of props. This helps children to recognise and understand their feelings with increasing confidence. Staff teach children the importance of kindness and considering others in their play. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff's calm, sensitive and nurturing approach helps give children positive role models to aspire to. Children closely follow routines and understand the rules in place. This helps to provide them with a sense of belonging and a feeling of security. Children demonstrate growing resilience and independence skills, such as learning to wait and be patient. For example, older children sensibly wait for their name to be called at lunchtime for them to independently collect their meal from the trolley. Parents are informed about the importance of regular attendance, and any unexplained absences are explored. This supports all children, including those who face barriers to their learning, to attend consistently and experience a full curriculum. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders ensure that children's welfare is consistently prioritised. Key persons nurture and support children's needs. They work closely with parents to ensure that they are aware of any changing needs and behaviours at home, especially for children who may face barriers to their learning. Babies gesture for cuddles from their trusted adult and continually smile at face-to-face contact. Children settle well and are eager to join in activities. They spend most of the day accessing the outdoor environment, with great opportunities to develop their physical skills that enable them to climb, run and balance. Leaders and staff encourage children to develop good hygiene routines. They skilfully teach younger children how to manage their self-care. Children demonstrate that these routines are embedded as older children use the toilet independently and know that they must wash their hands before eating food. Older children learn how to manage risks in their environment. They know how to walk with scissors safely and how to be careful with hot food during mealtimes. Staff support children in developing an understanding of effective oral health routines through fun activities and stories they read. Routines, such as those for sleeping and mealtimes, are managed very well and consistently respectful of each child's individual needs. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive for all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, and helps to prepare them very well for moving on to school. Leaders have high expectations of staff and consistently review practice to ensure that the curriculum is being taught to a high standard. Teaching is highly effective across all rooms of the nursery. Staff are experienced and skilled at making the most of incidental learning. They ensure that every interaction is purposeful. For example, staff discuss the weather and rain clouds in the sky when children comment that the ground is wet. Staff use assessments effectively to plan next steps that support all children to achieve well from their starting points and thrive. Leaders place a great emphasis on supporting and developing children's communication and language skills across the whole nursery. Staff encourage children to listen and follow instructions. They excitedly praise children for their efforts and gently encourage and support those children who may be more reluctant to join in activities, such as story time. Leaders encourage children to develop a love of reading and stories through story sessions, acting out stories and making up their own stories with friends. Staff support children to count with confidence and use mathematical language accurately in their play. They help babies engage in activities that develop the muscles needed for standing and walking. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders have high ambitions for all children. Staff are quick to identify when children may be facing additional barriers to their learning. They know children very well and use this knowledge to help set well-considered targets that help them achieve and thrive. Staff are proactive in making referrals to other professionals so that children gain specialist support and expertise as quickly as possible. The progress children are making and the strategies used to support their development are regularly reviewed and assessed to ensure that they are having a positive impact on children's overall learning and wellbeing. Leaders prioritise and target their training to keep their knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities up to date. Staff skilfully and consistently adapt the environment and their teaching to meet children's individual needs. They use a range of techniques, such as counting and breathing exercises, to help children who struggle to regulate their emotions. Leaders work with parents to access additional funding for children who are eligible. Funds are spent with individual children's learning needs in mind, such as story bags for those children who need further support with their communication and language. Leaders regularly monitor the impact the use of additional funding is having on children's progress. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders have high expectations of staff and ensure that they consistently and professionally deliver high-quality care and education for all children. Leaders know the context of the setting and demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of all the families and children that attend. There is high engagement with parents to ensure that children's needs are consistently met. Parents speak extremely positively about the nursery, leaders and staff. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to learning, are supported to make excellent progress from their starting points. Leaders support staff to carry out their roles with pride and value what they have to say. Staff's wellbeing is given high priority by leaders. They ensure that they 'check in' with all staff twice a day and that workloads are manageable. Staff feel extremely well supported. Leaders regularly monitor staff practice and identify professional development opportunities. They monitor the impact any training has on practice. For example, recent training on managing the behaviour of 2-year-olds has helped staff to have deeper insight into why young children may behave in certain ways and how they can better support them. Staff are committed to continually developing their practice and improving outcomes for all children. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children truly thrive at this warm, welcoming and highly inclusive nursery. Staff are passionate about the care they provide for children. The key-person system is highly effective, and children form loving and trusting relationships with staff. Staff consistently place children's wellbeing at the centre of everything they do. This helps children to feel safe and secure and underpins their confidence to explore, play and learn. Staff demonstrate high-quality teaching. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, are very well supported to achieve and make excellent progress. Staff's thorough understanding of children's different learning styles and their enthusiasm for ensuring that children have the best possible time shines throughout the whole nursery. Children benefit from rich learning experiences, and staff make learning fun and exciting. For example, children can be heard laughing and giggling as they chase and pop bubbles or act out familiar stories in the garden. This helps children to actively engage and develop extremely positive attitudes to learning. Inspector: Carly Mooney About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 221622 Address: Kingfisher Way Hinchingbrooke Business Park Staff value the importance of attendance and work in partnership with parents to ensure that children can benefit from accessing the whole curriculum. Parents are encouraged to be part of their children's nursery life. They attend regular stay-and-play sessions and take books home to read with their children. Children are very well prepared for starting their next stage of education. They are encouraged to be fully independent and confident to manage their own self-care. Older children are taught how to identify potential risks in their environment and learn how they can keep themselves safe. Staff help children build resilience and to keep trying when faced with challenges, such as when attempting to throw a ball through a hoop. Children relish the excited praise from staff when they succeed. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. Next steps Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents, children and 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. Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE29 6FN Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 12/07/1999 Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30 Local authority: Cambridgeshire Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 19 March 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 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. 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