Mulberry Bush Nursery Walshaw

A castle, a tunnel slide and a vegetable patch give Mulberry Bush Nursery Walshaw a recognisable outdoor character. Its open plan rooms sit at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, with playing fields around the nursery and large trees shaping the outdoor space. There is room for energetic play and quieter exploration. For children who enjoy digging, growing and moving, the setting has plenty of concrete attractions.

At its 9 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and found that children made exceptional progress through an ambitious curriculum and skilled staff interaction. The strongest examples were practical: conversations around books, children caring for small creatures, and outdoor activities that encouraged them to judge speed and risk for themselves.

The nursery has 104 places in total and accepts children from birth to five years. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of an individual room. Standard opening hours run from 8am to 5.30pm on weekdays, with optional early and late sessions extending the day.

Rooms and Ages

The Kindergarten Unit includes a calm baby space; children move into the Younger Kindergarten Room at around 12 months, with direct access to the Kindergarten outdoor area, then into the Older Kindergarten Room at about 18 months, again with outdoor access. These stages give the youngest children different spaces as their confidence and mobility develop.

Toddler Unit provision uses two open plan rooms, each with its own outdoor space used daily and its own toileting facilities, so play and toilet training can sit within familiar surroundings. The Pre-school Unit occupies two large open plan rooms where children practise making decisions, discussing ideas and experimenting, with a castle, tunnel slide and vegetable patch outside. Its emphasis is on participation and growing independence.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the required framework for learning, development and care: here, its breadth can be seen in play that combines conversation, movement, exploration and everyday independence. It is the common foundation for early years provision. The useful question is how those experiences take shape for the children.

In May 2025, stories were used to stretch children's vocabulary and encourage them to think ahead about what might happen next. Songs and books featured across the rooms. Adults also introduced precise words in ordinary conversations, including talking about drinking water in hot weather. Language learning was woven into the day rather than confined to an isolated activity.

Exploration had tangible subjects. During that same month, children helped care for a snail and stick insects and investigated the feel of shells. These experiences connected new language with things children could observe and handle. They also gave adults material for conversations about living things and the world around them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Walshaw's outdoor provision includes all-weather surfaces, shelters and mounds, as well as the tunnel slide. Children use the vegetable patch to grow potatoes, carrots and strawberries; the mud kitchen and digging for mini-beasts offer other ways to investigate the ground beneath them. Growing food gives exploration a continuing purpose, while the shelters and quieter spaces provide alternatives to energetic play.

In May 2025, the garden supported running on a steep hill, hoop play and games with bubbles. Children made decisions about their pace and direction. That detail matters: outdoor activity included opportunities to assess what their bodies could do, alongside opportunities to move with friends.

In May 2025, nursery practice included helping children learn about Holi and Pride week, alongside an annual charity event. These activities introduced celebrations and helping others through experiences young children could take part in.

Relationships and Communication

Settling was responsive in May 2025. Children who needed more emotional support could have additional sessions to help them become comfortable, rather than relying on a single settling pattern for everyone. Family photo albums in the baby room kept familiar faces present during nursery time. For a child adjusting to separation, that is a concrete connection between home and care.

Consistency is also part of the youngest children's room arrangements: familiar adults and knowledge of each child are emphasised in the Kindergarten Unit. In the toddler rooms, staff work with parents on toilet training, supported by each room's own toileting facilities. That links a major developmental change with both the child's home routine and the space they already know.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and a clear process for recognising SEND, with funding used effectively to support children's progress. This is the dated quality judgement; the practical mechanisms included identifying additional needs and directing support towards the children who needed it.

Health and independence were visible in small routines in May 2025. Children took part regularly in yoga and mindfulness, while the brush bus scheme taught them about caring for their teeth. These were opportunities to practise managing feelings and looking after themselves, alongside adult support.

Mealtimes also served a developmental purpose that month: babies practised eating with their hands, while older children used cutlery, helped prepare tables and served food and drinks themselves. Everyday tasks became chances to build coordination and confidence. The nursery employed 46 childcare staff at that visit, a whole-setting staffing figure rather than a statement about deployment in any room today.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Stewart Street, Walshaw, Bury, BL8 1SU. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday; an early session starts at 7.30am and a late session runs until 6pm, with parents able to choose these extensions as needed. The distinction is useful for families whose working day sometimes requires an earlier start or later finish.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Enquiries can be made by email to walshaw@mulberrybush-nursery.co.uk, and nursery visits can be booked. These are straightforward routes for discussing a proposed attendance pattern.

Getting There

A large car park serves the nursery, which sits at the end of the cul-de-sac. This gives families collecting by car an on-site parking option.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2025, the nursery offered government-funded early education for nine-month-olds and children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to consider the charges alongside the attendance pattern they want.

• Early and late extensions. The standard day is 8am to 5.30pm, with sessions extending it from 7.30am or until 6pm as needed. Families should judge those choices against their actual working hours.
• Settling for younger children. Additional settling sessions and baby-room family albums were part of practice in May 2025. During a visit, discuss how that approach would be adapted to your child's experience of separation.
• Outdoor independence. The mounds, tunnel slide and mud kitchen create opportunities for active exploration. A visit is a useful time to discuss how staff support children with different levels of physical confidence.
• The complete quotation. Funded early education was offered in May 2025. What would your proposed pattern cost now, including private hours, meals and non-food consumables, and how would funded hours fit into it?

Mulberry Bush Nursery Walshaw suits families seeking an outdoor-rich nursery day, with age-stage spaces and everyday opportunities for children to do things for themselves. It also serves families using the standard weekday opening window and those needing optional early or late sessions. The May 2025 judgement gives the recommendation substance, while the practical fit depends on the chosen attendance pattern and complete quotation. The strongest reason to consider Walshaw is the connection between its physical spaces and the purposeful learning seen in them.