This September, the Department of Education (DfE) made an exclusive visit to the Busy Bees Nursery located within the Riverside Children’s Centre in Canterbury. Deputy Directors, Sally Burlington and David Fitzgerald, from the DfE spent the afternoon talking to staff, parents and children, observing the excellent partnership between the nursery and children’s centre, as well as the quality childcare provided to children and parents.

Busy Bees Childcare work closely with the DfE, and extended an invitation to the department, allowing them to witness the sustainability of our nursery within the Children’s Centre, and to develop further ideas on how Busy Bees Childcare and the local authority can work together to continue the exceptional service.

After taking a tour of the nursery, Sally Burlington and David Fitzgerald spent the remainder of the afternoon talking to parents from the Parent Liaison Group and children attending the nursery. The DfE were impressed with what they observed, commenting on the newly designed outdoor play area, as well as the close relationship Busy Bees keep with Canterbury County Council and the support shown by the local community.

Sally Burlington, Deputy Director of Children’s Centres, commented “It was a wonderful visit, we spoke to a great group of people....We all took a great deal away from the visit.”

Busy Bees Group have childcare settings within Sure Start Children’s Centres in Sneinton and Nottingham, as well as Canterbury, which provide full daycare for children aged between 3 months and 5 years.

Nursery Manager at Busy Bees in Canterbury, Jenny Shaw, commented on the benefits of working within the Sure Start Centre, “Working within a children's centre means we have immediate access to a range of support services, which provides support to our families and staff when needed by giving advice and signposting.”

The main benefit is that we have access to a qualified teacher, who supports us with delivery of the EYFS and helps raise the standards of childcare that we can offer. Staff also benefit from quality training, which is often highlighted by the Centre Manager, who recognises that it may be beneficial to us as a childcare provider. As well as this the Centre Manager can advised with regard to accessing extra funding and equipment.”

Sure Start was set up after The Childcare Act was passed in 2006, and the programme aims to give every child the best start in life by offering free early education for all three and four year olds, as well as affordable, quality childcare and after-school activities in every area. The centres also employ qualified healthcare professionals, who are on hand to provide health and family support when needed.