Busy Bees Day Nursery at Woking

Busy Bees Day Nursery at Woking
Unique reference number (URN): 160645
Address: 50 Cavell Way, Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, GU21 2TJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 29/05/2001
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Busy Bees Day Nurseries (Trading) Limited
Inspection report: 16 February 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.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children develop positive attitudes to learning. They are curious explorers and sustain
concentration in activities that interest them. Babies make strong progress in their physical
development. They build core strength as they move confidently from sitting to crawling and
standing. Staff provide a secure and nurturing base, enabling babies to explore with
confidence and feel safe in their surroundings.
Children benefit from a language-rich environment that supports their communication skills
effectively. Babies respond with delight to action rhymes, for example by clapping their
hands, listening and responding to favourite action rhymes. Pre-schoolers enjoy shared
story time as staff read favourite stories to them, bringing these to life. Children develop their
thinking skills to confidently share their ideas, as staff bring books to life through expressive
reading and thoughtful questioning. For example, during group activities, children learn the
names of the colours on a butterfly's wings and share ideas about the foods eaten by the
caterpillar and what might happen when it emerges from its cocoon.
All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in
receipt of additional funding, make age-appropriate progress throughout all areas of the
curriculum. Children typically develop the skills and knowledge they need for their onward
transition to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders and staff work together to create a positive and welcoming environment. Children
learn from their positive examples of behaviours that promote care, kindness and respect.
Children build resilience and confidence and develop a 'can-do' attitude when trying new
activities.
Staff recognise and respond to the differing ages and stages of children's development to
help them understand their feelings and emotions and how to regulate these. Staff use
routines throughout the day, including whole-group activities to teach and reinforce
expectations. For instance, children help to tidy away toys and resources in readiness for
mealtimes. They wait their turn to sit to eat as staff talk about what is going to happen and
praise children's patience. Children enjoy each other's company and develop friendships
with their peers.
Leaders communicate expectations clearly with parents about good attendance and
punctuality. When leaders identify patterns of late arrival or irregular attendance, they work
closely with families to offer support and address any barriers. However, on occasion, these
efforts are not fully successful in improving attendance. As a result, some children do not
benefit consistently from the full range of learning experiences available to them.

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children develop nurturing relationships with staff. The consistent key-person approach that
staff use with children, including the youngest, helps them to settle into the nursery well.
Staff offer warm reassurance when children need it, providing cuddles and comfort to help
them feel settled, safe and secure. For instance, when children wake from rest times, staff
gently support them, speaking softly and giving them unhurried time before rejoining
activities.
Children manage their emotions in ways that help them express themselves positively.
Where children need extra help to cope with age-appropriate frustrations, staff provide
targeted support to guide them. Staff work with parents to share consistent strategies that
successfully help children regulate their feelings and behaviour. This shared approach
enables children to understand what is expected and to develop the skills they need to
manage their emotions with increasing confidence.
Staff teach children how to develop an understanding of their physical health. For example,
toddlers learn how to care for their teeth as they practise brushing using toothbrushes and
model teeth, while staff explain how to keep their mouths healthy. Children learn important
hygiene routines to support their individual needs. However, at times, staff do not fully
consider how they can teach children to carry out self-care routines independently before
completing these tasks for them. This means some opportunities to build children's
confidence and independence are inconsistent.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have created a curriculum that builds progressively on children's learning across all
areas. They share their plans for the curriculum with staff, reviewing the needs of children
and their ages and abilities, to ensure that the curriculum is designed and delivered in age-
appropriate ways. Leaders check the implementation of the curriculum and provide focused
training, such as how staff can promote children's curiosity.
Children take part in a range of activities that link with the curriculum. For instance, staff use
books with songs and rhymes for babies and move on to more detailed stories to support
children's communication and language skills. Staff teach older children about the names of
shapes, as they experiment with building, to introduce early mathematical knowledge and
understanding. Children enjoy a range of indoor and outdoor play activities that develop
their physical coordination skills. For example, staff help toddlers learn where to place their
feet on the steps as they make their way up to the slide. Staff place a strong focus on
embedding children's personal, social and emotional development. They use opportunities
in children's play to help them learn kindness and courtesy with their friends. For example,
staff talk about taking turns with bats and balls, helping children learn to respect and value
the differing needs of their friends.
Staff make regular, purposeful observations to understand what children know and can do.
They use this information to identify appropriate next steps in learning. A balanced mix of
adult-led and child-initiated experiences enables staff to follow children's interests and spark
their curiosity. However, the learning intentions for some planned activities are not always

clearly defined or tailored to individual children. As a result, staff are not consistently able to
maximise opportunities to support each child's specific next steps in learning.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders and staff place a strong emphasis on creating an inclusive environment where all
children are valued and supported. Staff working with children who receive additional
funding, or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have a clear
understanding of their role in reducing barriers to children's care and learning. They work
closely with a range of professionals to ensure that any additional support, guidance or
specialist advice is identified promptly and implemented effectively.
Where other agencies are supporting families, leaders and staff work closely in partnership
to understand the needs of the children and their families. This helps to ensure that a shared
approach to supporting children's welfare, care and learning needs is promoted well.
Leaders and staff regularly review children's progress and evaluate how well support is
tailored to individual needs. Staff training is used to help staff to identify children's needs
early and provide targeted support. This reflective practice ensures that any adaptations are
carefully planned and tailored, enabling children to receive help where it will have the
greatest impact. As a result, children are supported to develop the knowledge, confidence
and skills they need to move to the next stage of their learning, including their transition to
school.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery. There have been recent changes to the staff
team, and leaders are committed to ensuring that staff wellbeing and workload are a focus
for open discussions. Staff feel valued in their roles and enjoy being an active voice in
decisions made about the nursery that have a positive impact for children.
Leaders regularly review the priorities they have for future development. Newer staff,
including apprentices, are embedding their practice knowledge within daily routines. Leaders
provide mentoring, coaching and opportunities for reflection through regular supervision
sessions. Staff benefit from training to help them understand how children learn. They use
new knowledge to benefit children, including those who have special educational needs
and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding. For instance, staff have
considered how repetition of stories, rhymes and songs helps support children's listening,
attention and language skills.
Staff work well with parents. Opportunities to share children's overall development and offer
advice and support when needed are valued by parents, who speak highly of the nursery.
However, there is scope to extend this further, helping parents understand the importance of
children's regular and prompt attendance and how this supports children's learning, routines
and emotional security.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Families are welcomed into this inclusive nursery, where staff get to know children well.
Carefully planned settling-in routines are used to help children, including the youngest,
develop positive relationships. Leaders share important information with parents, including
the importance of regular and prompt attendance and how this benefits children's early
education. Before children start, staff gather detailed information from parents about
children's routines, interests and unique abilities. This helps build nurturing bonds from the
outset, which supports children to be happy and confident. Children learn to play kindly, take
turns and respect others. Staff guide fair choices, building positive relationships and
courteous behaviour.
Children benefit from a stimulating curriculum tailored to the differing ages across the
nursery. A thoughtful balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities sparks curiosity,
supporting children's growing independence, and nurtures their enjoyment of learning. For
example, babies explore the sounds they make with shakers during song time, while older
children practise football skills, learning to aim and kick the ball to their friends, with support
from staff. Leaders prioritise the development of communication and language. From the
outset, staff model language, share favourite stories, and teach rhymes and action songs.
These experiences strengthen children's listening, curiosity and early communication skills,
laying strong foundations for future learning.
Leaders and staff build strong relationships with parents and carers. They use pertinent
conversations to share children's daily activities, achievements and advice for where
learning can be continued at home. This has a positive impact for all children, including
those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of
additional funding. Staff work closely with other agencies to promote children's welfare and
continuity of care and learning. This has a positive impact for children and contributes to the
progress children make across all areas of learning.
Next steps
Leaders should support staff to consistently promote children's independence and extend
opportunities for developing their self-care skills.
Leaders should support staff to ensure the learning intentions for planned activities are
clearly defined and tailored to individual children so that they can more effectively support
each child's next steps in learning.
Leaders should continue to work in partnership with parents to develop awareness of the
importance of the early years in a child's overall development, including the benefits of

Inspectors:
Tara Naylor
Tracy Bartholomew
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 160645
Address:
50 Cavell Way
Knaphill
Woking
Surrey
GU21 2TJ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 29/05/2001
Registered person: Busy Bees Day Nurseries (Trading) Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Surrey
Facts and figures used on inspection
regular and timely attendance.
About this inspection
The inspectors spoke with the senior leaders, the staff, the children and the parents 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.

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 16 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
110
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. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy
Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk.
Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information
and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn.
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
T: 0300 123 1231
Textphone: 0161 618 8524
E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
© Crown copyright 2026
© Crown copyright