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Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

Ofsted: Expected standard·
3.7(6 Google reviews) ·Mulberry Corner, Castle Lane, Eastleigh, SO53 4PW · Hampshire
Number of places
87 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
May 2026
Local authority
Hampshire

About this early years setting

Mulberry Corner Nursery, located in Chandlers Ford near Eastleigh, has established a strong reputation over three decades within the local community. The nursery caters to children from 3 months up to school age and operates 51 weeks a year.

They offer core opening hours from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday, with additional early and late sessions to support families. The nursery prides itself on its dedicated team, who are highly qualified and experienced in tailoring learning experiences to each child's individual interests, development, and needs.

Facilities include a baby room, a toddler room with free-flow access to a large garden, and a preschool spread across two interconnected rooms also with garden access. The environment is designed for smooth drop-offs and collections, featuring a buggy park and on-site parking.

Mulberry Corner focuses on fostering strong, independent learners within a nurturing and stimulating setting.

Our ethos

We follow a child-centred approach, drawing on a range of early years theories and best practice. This creates a nurturing, stimulating environment where children feel secure, valued and confident to grow into strong, independent learners.

What it's like

Children are happy, settled and confident throughout this nursery. They arrive eager to play and are welcomed by warm and attentive staff who know them well. Overall, key staff support children's individual needs well. Children benefit from a broad curriculum that supports their development. They enjoy the variety of learning opportunities. For instance, pre-school children actively engage in sessions that support rhythm, coordination and following instructions. Children feel a sense of belonging, as they actively participate in conversations, building positive relationships with their peers at mealtimes. They develop secure independence skills as they self-serve their nutritious meals and pour drinks independently. These skills help children be prepared for the next stage of their learning, such as school.

Child-centred approachLong-standing reputationIndividualised learningFree-flow garden access

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

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Key facts

Opening hours

Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm. Early and late sessions available. Closed on Bank Holidays and in between Christmas and New Year.

Age range

3 months – 5 years

Term time / All Year

All_year

Session types

full day, early session, late session

Registered with Ofsted

19/11/2025

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Expected standard

Last inspected May 2026

Headline: Expected standard

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
InclusionExpected standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted report for Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

Last inspected 27 May 2026

What it's like to attend

Children are happy, settled and confident throughout this nursery. They arrive eager to play and are welcomed by warm and attentive staff who know them well. Overall, key staff support children's individual needs well. Children benefit from a broad curriculum that supports their development. They enjoy the variety of learning opportunities. For instance, pre-school children actively engage in sessions that support rhythm, coordination and following instructions. Children feel a sense of belonging, as they actively participate in conversations, building positive relationships with their peers at mealtimes. They develop secure independence skills as they self-serve their nutritious meals and pour drinks independently. These skills help children be prepared for the next stage of their learning, such as school.

Inspector highlights

  • Children develop the necessary foundations across all areas of learning required to prepare them for the next stage, making clear progress towards targets.
  • Children express their needs clearly, both through body language and verbally, and enjoy opportunities to communicate with their peers.
  • Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, which staff model well, with robust systems to ensure child safety.
  • Children typically build warm and trusting relationships with familiar staff and their key persons, which helps provide them with a sense of belonging.
  • Leaders support staff to implement an effective curriculum that is typically taught well for all children, ensuring they feel safe, secure, stimulated, and happy.
  • Leaders work in partnership with children's key persons to support early identification of needs, with high expectations for all children.
  • Leaders identify the strengths and areas for improvement within the setting, providing staff with training to upskill their knowledge and confidence.
  • Leaders place a high priority on staff wellbeing, supporting them to focus on engagement with children.
  • Leaders and staff work with parents to involve them in children's learning, holding events to celebrate achievements and build partnerships with families.
  • The safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
  • The setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

Areas to develop

  • 1Leaders should further develop strategies for communication with and between staff to ensure children continually receive high-quality experiences.
  • 2Leaders should support staff to engage all children more consistently to ensure they benefit from planned and purposeful learning experiences across the curriculum.
  • 3Leaders should strengthen staff practice in supporting sustained communication so children can continue to build their vocabulary and develop their communication skills further.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities early and provide targeted support. Leaders work proactively with other professionals to ensure children receive expert intervention when needed, positively impacting overall wellbeing.

Outdoor space

Children enjoy a wide range of outdoor learning opportunities, with the setting providing flexibility for them to move freely between both environments. Staff now typically engage better with children outdoors as they explore activities, including sensory and group games.

Google Reviews of Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

3.7
(6 Google reviews)
Leila Najafi
6 months ago

This nursery provides a good environment for children, and my child was happy there. However, I found their approach to supporting parents quite unhelpful and inflexible. When I started working and needed to change my child’s sessions from four morning sessions to two full days, my request was refused — even though there was availability. They cited their terms and conditions, which require two months’ notice for any changes or cancellations. Unfortunately, this meant I had to find a childminder for the afternoons, which was very difficult and stressful. I also had to leave work every day at lunchtime to collect my child and drop them off elsewhere, which caused unnecessary stress and extra costs. I believe a bit more understanding and flexibility from the nursery would have made a big difference for working parents.

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Elizabeth Mole
5 months ago

Unfortunately had an awful experience with this nursery. My child came home often with wet socks and wet clothes which I don't know how long he's been in all day. Also some of the staff members decided to turn against me for some unbeknown reason and have really not been nice towards me so much so that I've had to pull my son out And still have to pay fees even though he was not attending due to how I was treated do not recommend this nursery at all .

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James Wheeler
a year ago

Fantastic nursery. The staff are amazing here and the kids are challenged everyday with many different activities. My daughter loved going to the nursery and there was lots of lovely touches from the team to make the child and parent experience very special.

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Victoria Woods
3 years ago

Our daughter attends this nursery and she loves it. She started at 11 months old and the staff planned her settling sessions really well so there haven't been any big meltdowns at drop off. She toddles in very happily and the updates on famly are always lovely as it's great to see her having a wonderful time whilst I'm at work. She has lots of varied foods and also the staff have been great at getting her to nap which is a relief. After looking at lots of nurseries we are very happy with our choice and would recommend to other parents.

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Lisa D
3 years ago

Our daughter started last week and she has settled in amazingly well and is so happy. Staff are fantastic and really responsive and have taken the time to really get to know her. So far Mulberry Corner is exceeding all our expectations.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

27 May 2026

Expected standard

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

Frequently asked about Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more