Busy Bees buys Worcestershire nursery

Droitwich Spa Nursery and Kindergarten, known locally as ‘The Hollies’, is a private childcare setting established in November 1993.

It offers 120 places for children and holds an Outstanding Ofsted rating.

The acquisition brings the number of nurseries owned by Busy Bees in the UK to 361, providing places for more than 35,000 children across the country.

Philippa Fell, former owner of Droitwich Spa Nursery, said, ‘I believe we have found an ideal partner with Busy Bees. After 25 years of watching our nursery grow, I have no doubt that it will continue our hard work, and the setting will thrive under their guidance. I have every faith that the quality of care and support will remain the nursery’s biggest asset.’

Busy Bees also operates two children’s centres and an independent primary school.

In May 2018, Busy Bees entered into a contract for the acquisition of Foundation Early Learning, a leading Australian provider of childcare for 3,500 children across 31 settings.

Busy Bees also launched a 200-place nursery in the city of Harbin, China in 2017 and plans to set up a total of 33 nurseries in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xiamen by 2023. 

The nursery group now provides cares for more than 50,000 children in over 500 nurseries worldwide, including settings in Singapore, Malaysia and Canada.

Marg Randles, chief academic officer and co-founder of Busy Bees said, ‘We are pleased to welcome Droitwich Spa Nursery and Kindergarten to the Busy Bees family. After seeing the brilliant staff and their abilities, we are confident that this nursery is as passionate about childcare as we are.

‘Our main priority is to allow children the opportunities that will give them the best start in life and these values lie at the heart of The Hollies. We pride ourselves on the strong communication links we have with parents and staff to enable the transition to be as smooth as possible.’