Mulberry Bush Nursery Walmersley

A stone former public house, a pirate ship and a vegetable patch give Mulberry Bush Nursery Walmersley a recognisable character. The building has been adapted for childcare, with walls removed to create more open, light-filled rooms. Outdoors, different age groups have their own play spaces. These are practical features: children can explore environments designed for their stage of development rather than share one undifferentiated space.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding across all assessed areas. Walmersley cares for children from birth to five and has 80 places in total. Its combination of a ground-floor toddler room, upstairs preschool spaces and outdoor areas gives families several environments to consider as their child grows.

Rooms and Ages

The Kindergarten Unit includes a baby room intended to offer a quieter setting for the youngest children, with familiar carers emphasised as an important part of settling. At about 12 months, children move into the Kindergarten Room, where exploration and indoor activities shape the environment.

Downstairs, the Toddler Unit combines an open-plan room with its own toileting facilities and sliding doors leading directly to the toddler play space, making outdoor access and toilet training part of the room's practical design.

The first-floor Pre-school Unit has a large open-plan room, a smaller space for more concentrated activities and access to both a balcony used by smaller groups and the main outdoor area, giving children different spaces for shared and quieter activity.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play supports communication, physical development and growing independence, alongside early experiences of stories, numbers and the world around them. It is the common foundation for nursery education.

In July 2022, staff used children's existing experiences as starting points for further activity. After caring for caterpillars as they became butterflies, children returned to that experience through a familiar story, photographs and props. Fruit tasting then gave them something concrete to describe: its appearance, flavour and smell. The interest was carried into conversation rather than left as an isolated activity.

Books were accessible throughout the rooms in July 2022, and children brought favourites to staff for shared reading. Practitioners responded to babies' early sounds and modelled words where children could watch their mouths; older children had opportunities to practise conversation. For parents, these examples show what language work looked like across different developmental stages at that time.

Yoga, French, dance and football were also part of children's experiences in July 2022, alongside outdoor exploration. These added movement and language experiences to the nursery day. They belong to that dated account of practice.

Outdoor and Community Life

Walmersley's outdoor spaces include all-weather surfaces, shelters, slides, climbing frames and mounds. The Mulberry Bush pirate ship adds a setting for imaginative play, while activity panels give children further things to investigate. Separate spaces for Kindergarten, Toddlers and Pre-school allow the outdoor environment to respond to different ages.

Children take turns using the vegetable patch, planting seeds or digging for mini-beasts. This gives outdoor time a quieter, investigative strand alongside climbing and energetic play. Areas for relaxing are also part of the layout, so being outside need not mean constant movement.

Familiar relationships are central to the youngest children's room arrangements. The Kindergarten Unit emphasises carers who know each child individually, an important consideration when a baby is adjusting to time away from home. In July 2022, children sought staff for comfort and help with disagreements, and practitioners encouraged them to attempt tasks for themselves. Care and independence were connected in the daily routines.

Within the Toddler Unit, staff work with parents on toilet training, supported by the room's own toileting facilities. That gives a specific point of cooperation between nursery and home at a stage when consistent routines matter. It is also a useful example of how the building's layout supports care rather than simply providing space for activities.

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and successful support for children with SEND, including early identification, help with referrals and cooperation with other professionals. These findings give families a dated assessment of how additional support and protective procedures worked in practice.

In July 2022, staff received training tailored to the children they supported and observed colleagues to exchange ideas about practice. The nursery also employed a cook at that time. For children approaching a room move or school, the July 2022 account described learning experiences organised to build on what they already knew and could do, linking preparation to development rather than a named destination school.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at 741 Walmersley Road, Walmersley, Bury, BL9 5JW. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Parents can also choose an early session beginning at 7.30am or a late session running until 6pm as needed. The extensions provide options at either end of the ordinary opening day, rather than requiring every family to use both.

The nursery operates across the year. Families can make an enquiry by email to walmersley@mulberrybush-nursery.co.uk, and nursery visits can be booked. These routes provide a direct way to begin the joining process.

Getting There

Parents can use the nursery car park, and the setting is close to the Ramsbottom junction of the M66. That combination may be useful for families whose childcare journey forms part of a motorway commute.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The youngest children's room move. Children move into the Kindergarten Room at about 12 months. During a visit, discuss how that move is planned around your baby's development and relationships with carers.
• Upstairs preschool spaces. The Pre-school Unit is on the first floor, with a balcony and access to the main outdoor area. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how your child will use those spaces, especially if they need support with mobility.
• Funding and the complete childcare cost. Funded early education formed part of the offer in July 2022. Ask for a current written breakdown covering entitlement delivery, meals and non-food consumables before choosing your attendance pattern.

Mulberry Bush Nursery Walmersley suits families who value separate environments as children grow, direct outdoor access for toddlers and both imaginative and investigative outdoor play. It also accommodates families using the ordinary opening day, those needing an early start and those needing a later finish, with the additional sessions chosen as needed.

The July 2022 Outstanding judgement provides a strong dated assessment. The current physical offer is equally easy to picture: a converted stone building, a toddler room opening onto its play space, upstairs preschool rooms and a vegetable patch. For a family choosing here, the youngest children's room transition and the practical use of the upstairs spaces deserve attention alongside those attractions.