Busy Bees at Colton Mill

Reviews

• SW

  Simon Warren

  Jun 18, 2026
  1.0
  Terrible nursery with safeguarding issues. Closed down by ofsted. I took my very upset child out but wish I would have done it sooner. Do not send your child here
• AA

  A.P

  Jun 15, 2026
  1.0
  I would not recommend sending your child here. Week after week, our child came home in dirty nappies that appeared to have been left unchanged for hours. He regularly suffered from nappy rash and even sores, which the nursery attributed to sensitive skin. However, this never happened at home. We even provided our own nappies and wipes, so there was no excuse. The issue continued until we raised our concerns repeatedly and more firmly, at which point it suddenly stopped. Staff turnover is extremely high, with different staff members constantly looking after the children. There is very little consistency, which left our child unsettled, as there was rarely a familiar face to welcome him. Even when you finally get a key worker your child bonds with, they are often changed within a few weeks and you’re back to square one. We regularly received calls about falls, bumps, and other incidents, but these were often brushed off without proper explanation or reassurance. The nursery always seemed understaffed, and on many occasions we were left waiting at the front door for over 15 minutes before being buzzed into the building to collect our son. This happened frequently and affected many parents. Morning drop-offs were equally difficult. When you reached the room, parents were often not allowed inside due to staffing shortages. This left you standing at the door waiting for another staff member to arrive, giving your child time to become upset and reluctant to go in. When someone did eventually arrive, it was often not their key worker but a staff member filling a gap, effectively a stranger to the child, which only made the situation worse. One of our biggest concerns was that staff were hesitant when handing our child over because they could not confirm that we were his parents, simply because they had never met us before. That alone demonstrates how frequently staff members changed. The fact that Ofsted has now shut the nursery down for two weeks only reinforces the concerns we had. Looking back, we should have trusted our instincts sooner. We will not be sending our child back.
• SG

  Sarah Grace

  Oct 24, 2020
  5.0
  Our 8 year old attended Busy Bee's at Colton Mill between 9 months and 4 years old, and now our 3 year old is also currently at this nursery, having been there since he was also 9 months old. Both of our boys absolutely loved, and do love Busy Bee's. I have never once been worried or concerned when dropping the boys off and have absolute peace of mind that they are safe, well-cared for and are probably having a better time there, than they would with me! What more can a parent ask for?! The staff are great, and a lot of the team who were there when our eldest was, are still there today so surely that speaks volumes. The outdoor space is great, and I love that the food is made on-site as opposed to other nurseries where it's re-heated frozen meals. The nursery are always investing in the premises and equipment to ensure it's the best it can be. Our youngest could have started at the local Primary School pre-school nursery a few months ago but we took the conscious decision to keep him at Busy Bee's for his pre-school year as he loves it so much. Honestly, if you're considering this place, I couldn't be more glowing about the facilities, the staff etc.

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