A nursery has earned praise from Ofsted for its caring approach and focus on children’s emotional wellbeing.
Busy Bees at Lewes, located on St James Street, was recognised for its child-centred curriculum and encouraging learning environment during a formal assessment.
Inspectors described the setting as a place where children feel joy, safety, and security, noting that staff build strong relationships with each youngster while meeting the needs of all children as they grow.
Jack Peacock, Centre Director at Busy Bees at Lewes, expressed pride in the Ofsted outcome, crediting the dedicated team for creating safe, engaging environments where children build confidence and flourish.
He said they looked forward to building on this success and continuing to support children’s learning and development, ensuring every child gets the best possible start.
Inspectors also highlighted the nursery’s key-worker system, which helps children develop and feel a sense of belonging while supporting their psychological and emotional welfare.
The assessment noted that children form positive relationships with their classmates and show consideration for one another.
The nursery operates under Mr Peacock’s leadership, who has accumulated over fifteen years of experience in the sector.
He works alongside staff members who collectively bring more than one hundred years of expertise to the setting.
Ofsted commended the nursery’s educational programme, describing it as child-focused and designed to support both emotional wellbeing and learning.
The curriculum was found to adapt effectively to help disadvantaged children alongside those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Partnership with families was also praised, with parents reporting satisfaction with their children’s progress and the efforts of staff to make families feel involved.
Busy Bees at Lewes provides early years education to more than fifty children aged from three months to five years old.
The setting also offers NHS-approved menus, with nutritious meals cooked fresh each day by an on-site cook.
Ofsted observed that children clearly enjoy a healthy selection of home-cooked meals and snacks. Young children develop considerable independence during meals and are praised for using cutlery and trying new foods.