Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Mama Bear's Day Nursery in Plymouth (PL2)
Ofsted: Expected standard·
4.8(6 parent reviews)
·Springhill Green, Pennycross, Plymouth, PL2 3RW · Plymouth
Number of places
115 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Plymouth
About this day nursery
Mama Bear's Day Nursery, established in 2012, is a childcare setting in Plymouth, registered with Ofsted to care for children aged 0-4 years. Operating Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM all year round, the nursery prides itself on its inclusive environment where children's individual needs are quickly identified and supported, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Leaders and staff at Mama Bear's are dedicated to ensuring that all children make consistent progress, with highly effective adaptations in place to narrow learning gaps and promote positive attitudes towards learning. The nursery offers daily fresh air activities for all age groups, encouraging physical development and exploration, such as toddlers searching for bugs in the mud and preschool-aged children practising yoga.
This focus on individual support and outdoor play helps children develop curiosity and prepares them for their next stage in education.
What it's like
The setting is highly inclusive and celebrates all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), highlighting what they can do as part of its core values. Children feel valued and secure, making expected progress in overall learning and development with positive attitudes and curiosity about the world, which prepares them for their next stage in education.
Inclusive environmentIndividualised supportOutdoor learningStrong SEND provisionPositive attitudes
Pricing & funding
This nursery offers fee-paying sessions for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers with rates depending on the session length. Funded places are available up to 24 hours a week over 47.5 weeks, with an option to pay an hourly charge for extra flexibility. Term-time only bookings incur an additional surcharge.
Funding accepted
15 hours — working parents (9 months–2 yrs)15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)Tax-Free Childcare
Good to know
- Term-time only bookings incur an additional 10% charge.
- A monthly fee of £5 applies if not paying by Direct Debit or Tax-Free Childcare.
- An additional £5 is charged for paper/postal invoices.
- Late collection after 15 minutes is charged at £10 per 15 minutes.
- Funded afternoon sessions (4 or 5 hours starting at 1pm) include all meals, snacks and drinks.
Key facts
Term time / All Year
All_year
Established
2012
Ofsted Inspection — new report card
Expected standard
Last inspected Feb 2026
Grade summary
Exceptional
—
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
—
Urgent improvement
—
Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.
Category grades
AchievementExpected standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesExpected standard
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
InclusionStrong standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Mama Bear's Day Nursery
Last inspected 6 February 2026
What it's like to attend
The setting is highly inclusive and celebrates all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), highlighting what they can do as part of its core values. Children feel valued and secure, making expected progress in overall learning and development with positive attitudes and curiosity about the world, which prepares them for their next stage in education.
Inspector highlights
- Children's individual needs are swiftly and consistently identified and assessed.
- Highly effective adaptations are in place for children with SEND.
- Leaders create a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear.
- All children have daily fresh air and an opportunity to improve their core strength and overall physical development.
- Leaders have high expectations for all children and work continually to raise standards and improve outcomes.
Areas to develop
- 1Leaders should ensure that staff strengthen the communication and language curriculum for toddlers and pre-school-age children so they can develop their listening and speaking skills further.
- 2Leaders should review children's daily routines so that staff can support toddlers and pre-school-age children to remain engaged and follow the expectations of the setting.
Inspection #10235936 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Children's individual needs are swiftly and consistently identified and assessed. Leaders and staff make a positive difference to the lives of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those previously known to children's social care, with highly effective adaptations ensuring consistent progress and narrowed learning gaps. Leaders monitor children's progress regularly and work in close partnership with families and external professionals to ensure the best possible progress for children with SEND.
Outdoor space
All children have daily fresh air and an opportunity to improve their core strength and overall physical development. Staff support babies to gain more stability and control when walking, toddlers practise hand-eye coordination with balls, and pre-school-age children increase mobility through yoga. Toddlers confidently use magnifying glasses and look for bugs in the mud outside, and pre-school-age children dig in planters to find potatoes.
Parent Reviews of Mama Bear's Day Nursery
4.8
(6)
Ellie Robinson-Carter
5 months ago
Mama Bear’s is simply wonderful. They are so caring, nurturing and go above and beyond. Our little girl loves going to nursery here - highly recommend!
Read on Google
Ria Killman
4 years ago
The girls have made my little girls personality shine through after being in lockdown for the start of her life. They show her so much care, and provide fun activities to help her learn. The reception team are so lovely, and the manager is always accommodating to our little girls needs. Thank you to the whole team for everything you do, I’d recommend you to anyone.
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Lisa Rogers
3 years ago
Absolutely Fantastic Nursery & Pre School, 💯 Excellent Nursery, Loads of interaction with the children. The Staff are So Friendly, Helpful and Kind. Two of our Beautiful Granddaughters have been here, one Started Pennycross Primary School in September and our other Granddaughter is now in the Pre School. I 💯 would recommend Mama Bear's Day Nursery to anyone who wants their little one to be educated and taken Good Care Of. Well Done Mama Bear's
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Amber Thomas
4 years ago
Brilliant nursery lovely staff my daughter loves it there they do her breakfast and dinner plus tea on a full day they let me know what she ate how much when she poo how many nappy changes they keep a stock of nappy and cream so I don't need to bring it all everyday I just stock up once a month and there keep it in her little locker they let me know her mood if she's been happy or a little upset they give me her drawings and little bits she made every few weeks plus they have a web site parents can access to see pictures of your child at nursery xxxx
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Paula Turner
9 years ago
My little boy loves it and never want to travel to come home . All very helpful.
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Mama Bear's Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Improved from Good → Outstanding in 2022
Date: December 2012
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Outstanding). We're re-checking it against the original report.
- September 2022Outstanding
- November 2016Good
- December 2013Good
- December 2012Good
Frequently asked about Mama Bear's Day Nursery
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