According to Busy Bees, its curriculum, which promotes ‘playful teaching that is flexible to meet the uniqueness of each child’, is the first to be independently evaluated in the UK.
The Open University found that ‘Bee Curious’ ‘improved the knowledge and confidence of educators, which helped develop children’s creativity’, and had a ‘positive impact on the development and learning of babies and children’.
Following the evaluation and a successful pilot within 27 Busy Bees’ settings, it is now being taught across the group’s 300 nurseries to over 34,500 children and babies.
‘Bee Curious’ was developed based on over 40 years of industry experience and the latest child behavioural science research from experts, universities and Government bodies.
Gill Jones, chief quality officer at Busy Bees, said, ‘There is a statutory early years framework for pre-school learning, but this framework does not bridge the gap between theory and application. The Bee Curious Curriculum has been developed to do just that, providing our educators with a clear programme and enhanced training that stimulates creativity and learning in babies and children to give them the best start in school and life in general.
‘We pride ourselves as being at the forefront of the early years industry in terms of training and development, and it is great to have the efforts and expertise of everyone at Busy Bees formally recognised by an organisation such as The Open University.’
Dr Jackie Musgrave, associate head of school learning and teaching at The Open University, commented, ‘Bee Curious sets a new standard for providers of early childhood education and care, equipping children right from the start of life with learning opportunities that will help them to flourish and develop during childhood and beyond.’
