Busy Bees Day Nursery

Please do not send your children here. I foolishly was sucked in by a great ofsted reports and a jazzed up welcome day. The fees are higher than the average nursery in the area and I naively believed this would be reflected in the level of care my child would receive. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I wish I had taken the time to research reviews before hand as the internet is littered with bad reviews for this nursery. I’m not surprised the previous reviewer mentioned the admin department. The ‘department’ is a lady called Mandy. Months into my son attending and still relevant paper work was not given to me or lost. Direct debit forms were ‘lost’ on two occasions and invoices were left in my sons drawer with the wrong child’s name on it meaning they were picked up late. A shambles really. On top of that I don’t believe she has a polite bone in her body. Admin aside the nursery itself is well equipped although I do question the safety of the nursery given that the preschool room is sectioned off only with a gate (no door) that is easily opened by the children. This leads them right to the main entrance where other parents frequently opened the door to other people who may or may not have been collecting children. There is supposed to be a fob entrance system in place. I didn’t get one as this was yet another thing admin did not get around to so I was frequently let in by strangers. I can’t comment a whole deal on the level of care my son received whilst there as I was not present to see. However it was a little alarming to pick up my son several times in late November/​early December to find him and the other children playing in the garden in very cold temperature’s and he was wearing a very thin rain coat with no hat or gloves because the girls didn’t know which coat belonged to him despite it hanging with the others with his name on. Common sense in this case tells me that the children shouldn’t be aloud outside if they are not in suitable attire. I also unfortunately witnessed a favourable amount of time spent with the children of the staff vs the other children as the last reviewer mentioned. So all in all not a great experience for me. Higher prices and great ofsted is not a reflection on what to expect at this nursery and as a result my son no longer attends.

This nursery is an absolute joke! On first impression they look like they’re all singing all dancing and have great ofsted reports etc etc but beleive me this just a façade infront of the ofsted surveyors. They’re accounts department are just ridiculous sending wrong invoices every month, month after month the wrong information being given time after time which leads to more and more complaints and then by doing so the care of your child is put into question as the staff really take it personally. Also the staff members who work there have their own children in the centre and the emphasis is put on to their childrens care rather than yours. Please please think twice, thrice even four times before putting your child into Busy Bees Nursery in Chatham/​Kent and please take it from me that researching their background and speaking to parents who’s children attend this centre is essential before making a final decision. Beleive me there are a lot of parents who have taken their children out of this nursery due to price, care levels and overall satisfaction. To sum them up: Over rated, over priced, customer service non existent & level of care for your child disgraceful. Brompton Nursery in Gillingham is a better bet in my book.