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The Mulberry Bush Waterlooville

Ofsted: Good
(Aug 2022)
·
3.8(19 Google reviews) ·Waterberry Drive, Waterlooville, PO7 7UN · Hampshire
Number of places
100 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Aug 2022
Local authority
Hampshire

About this day nursery

The Mulberry Bush in Waterlooville is a highly-rated nursery, boasting an Ofsted "Good" rating. Since its expansion in 2020, the day nursery has continued to develop stimulating environments designed to engage and inspire young children.

The outdoor play areas foster exploration, a connection with nature, and imaginative play, featuring a shaded infant garden and a "Gruffalo"-themed forest for running, climbing, and digging. Indoors, children benefit from calm, welcoming spaces for infants and vibrant, engaging rooms for toddlers and preschoolers.

The day nursery also provides dedicated sensory rooms for all age groups, aiming to ignite imagination and facilitate both playful and tranquil experiences. Furthermore, children can engage in gardening activities in the herb and vegetable patches, learning about food cultivation and assisting chefs with snack preparation.

The nursery prides itself on fostering a strong sense of community, where children and families build lasting bonds with dedicated staff and the local area, ensuring every child feels secure, valued, and empowered to flourish throughout their developmental journey. They encourage prospective families to visit and experience the nursery firsthand.

Our ethos

The Mulberry Bush in Waterlooville aims to inspire young children through stimulating environments that foster exploration, a connection with nature, and imaginative play. They provide calming and engaging spaces, sensory rooms to ignite imagination, and gardening activities to teach food cultivation. The nursery also prides itself on fostering a strong sense of community, ensuring children feel secure, valued, and empowered.

What it's like

Children settle quickly and securely with good attachments to staff, eager to attend, and make good progress in their learning. They have many opportunities to express themselves through arts and crafts and develop good pre-writing skills. Children behave well, showing mutual respect and beginning to understand how to keep themselves healthy.

Ofsted Good ratingSensory roomsOutdoor adventure zonesGardening activitiesCommunity focus

Pricing & funding

Fees are flat across all age groups from three months to four years. The nursery offers full-day and half-day sessions, and government-funded hours are stretched over fifty-one weeks. Fully or partially funded sessions incur additional charges to cover consumables and food.

Funding accepted

30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Fees are uniform across all rooms for children aged 3 months to 4 years.
  • Government funding is stretched to 22 hours per week for 51 weeks.
  • Full day sessions run 07:30-18:00; half days are 07:30-13:00 or 13:00-18:00.
  • An additional 30-minute charge may apply to funded sessions due to funding caps.
  • Funding is available for eligible children aged 9 months to 4 years.
  • All major childcare vouchers are accepted.

Key facts

Opening hours

07:30 to 18:00, 51 weeks of the year, closed on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas.

Age range

3 months – 4 years

Registered with Ofsted

2016

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for The Mulberry Bush Waterlooville

Last inspected 24 August 2022

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children settle quickly and securely with good attachments to staff, eager to attend, and make good progress in their learning. They have many opportunities to express themselves through arts and crafts and develop good pre-writing skills. Children behave well, showing mutual respect and beginning to understand how to keep themselves healthy.

Inspector highlights

  • The management team have created a curriculum that is ambitious for all children, ensuring successful transitions and good progress.
  • Assessments are used well by staff to monitor children's progress and seek support from other professionals when required.
  • Staff support children to understand their emotions and how to manage them, providing soothing play areas particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
  • Children develop well physically, participating in yoga sessions and having access to a range of engaging activities where they show good strength and coordination.
  • Staff promote opportunities for children to learn good independence skills, from the youngest children helping with nappy changes to older children scraping their own plates.

Areas to develop

  • 1enhance the support systems in place for staff, particularly apprentices, to enable them to grow and develop and fully support children's learning
  • 2enhance staff understanding of children's cultures and review how their uniqueness is shared and celebrated with others.
Inspection #10243049 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents share that their children have built nurturing attachments to their key person.

They comment that their children like to have their own responsibilities at home and show their independence skills.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) show good attention and listening, maintaining high levels of concentration, participation and enjoyment during activities like ‘bucket time’. Staff introduce familiar objects and their sounds, and with support, children with SEND approach new activities confidently. Soothing and relaxing play areas are particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Google Reviews of The Mulberry Bush Waterlooville

3.8
(19 Google reviews)
Shannen Sue
a year ago

My daughter attended TMB Waterlooville for 2 years and we loved it there! The team works so hard to provide engaging, joyful activities for the children and I could tell that my daughter felt valued and nurtured while she was there. They have a big space for the children to thrive in all areas of development. We loved how the children always seemed to be in the big garden a lot! As parents, we always felt included by being invited in to see what was going on at various times of the year. Thank you for helping our daughter’s confidence grow tremendously. She must have felt so comfortable and at home with you.

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Sophie Jade
3 years ago

My daughter has been coming since she was 6 months old, the staff are friendly and welcoming and they know what they are doing. I have no issues leaving my daughter here and I’m so happy to she her progression; she particularly loves her key person which is always amazing to see and I think that’s a very good aspect to see in a nursery, the key person bonds. They are supportive of any concerns I may have about my daughter and they support me with ideas for her. I couldn’t recommend this nursery more!

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Caroline Shawl
5 years ago

Our three children all love this nursery. It is quite intensely managed, but this means that our kids development is clearly tracked, the staff keep us updated on progress with additional activities for us to do at home. The menu is wonderful (if a bit fancy!) the staff are caring and highly trained and the facilities are excellent. Some of the processes around accidents are comprehensive (!) but better that then failing to safeguard vulnerable kids.

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Chlo Damen
9 years ago

My little one started there 6 weeks ago, he's 18 months and really needed interaction with other children that age. He does 2 half day sessions per week and it only took him 2 visits to settle in. I know all children are different but I think the staff made it much easier for him by bring attentive and keeping him busy and distracted. He's come on lots too and loves going. Happy baby...happy mummy.

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Sophie Merrett
11 years ago

My son who is now 3 we moved to waterlooville and he needed a new nursery I explained that he can't talk properly and he isn't potty trained and I have behaviour problems which are still in progress of being sorted out. I started him here literally 2 weeks ago very disappointed my son dislikes coming he will cling onto my leg not wanting me to leave him which is unlike him. Also the staff there some a really lovely but a couple I have had a few issues with. Left me feeling like I'm a bad mum for my son being behind and going back on what they said when they said they would be happy to help me with his speech and toilet training. Iv now arranged a new nursery which he starts Monday. I would advise on any parent bring your child here to be careful specially if your child requires extra support to build him/her to the level of the other children. Lovely building a resources but couple of staff are rude and disrespectful.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for The Mulberry Bush Waterlooville. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: November 2017

  • August 2022Good
  • February 2019Good
  • May 2018Good
  • November 2017Inadequate

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