The Mulberry Bush Locks Heath

A growing patch that supplies the kitchen, sensory rooms for each age group and two baby gardens give The Mulberry Bush Locks Heath a recognisable character. Children can plant and harvest food, explore changing sounds and textures, and play outside in spaces designed for their stage of development. These are practical resources with a clear place in the nursery day.

At its August 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that staff listened carefully to children and supported their communication. One improvement concerned lengthy waits during changes between activities, including mealtimes. That dated judgement gives families both a positive assessment and a specific point to explore.

The nursery has 100 places in total, with rooms spanning babies from three months through to children aged five. Morning, afternoon and all-day sessions serve different attendance needs.

Rooms and Ages

Blueberries, for approximately three months to one year, supports early movement and exploration with a mirror for pulling up to stand, soft spaces for stories, a sensory room and access to the baby garden. Furniture includes low tables with adjustable legs, making the room's equipment relevant to children learning to move and stand. Blueberries specifies a minimum ratio of one adult to three babies, the statutory minimum for this age group.

Strawberries, for one to two years, divides its connected space between active, creative play and quieter reading and pretend play, with a miniature kitchen, dressing-up clothes and direct access to its sensory room. That arrangement gives children places for both energetic exploration and a quieter story.

Raspberries, for two to three years, combines construction, early mathematics, mark making and pretend play with its own sensory room and direct garden access. Balance bikes, the mud kitchen and the forest area extend its play outdoors. Its stated maximum of one adult to four children is better than the legal minimum of one to five for two-year-olds, allowing more adult support within that age group.

Elderberries, for three to five years, follows children's interests across its preschool spaces, with a sensory room containing a projector and illuminated wall, garden access through French windows and an indoor/outdoor classroom with folding doors. Children can move between different spaces as their play develops.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes learning here through activities such as building, exploring numbers, making marks and imaginative play, with adults observing children's interests and extending what they do. In Raspberries, resources include small-world play, painting, playdough and water; children can choose an activity and move on as their interests change.

In August 2022, babies and toddlers joined songs and used signs, while older children invented stories from books containing pictures but no words. These examples show how language practice took place through interaction: children could respond to an adult, contribute an idea or tell a story themselves.

Children also influenced what happened next in August 2022. A pre-school committee gathered their ideas, and an interest in builders led to the creation of a building area. This gave their preferences a concrete consequence within the learning space.

Outdoor and Community Life

The growing patch connects gardening with food preparation. Children help with planting, watering and harvesting, then assist the chef with snacks. Families seeking hands-on experiences can see a clear sequence here: something children care for outdoors becomes something they prepare to eat.

Two baby gardens include a sheltered sand-play space at the rear and a shaded garden at the front. The wider garden adds a sandpit, construction resources and a sit-on digger. Its Nike Grind surface is made using recycled trainers, providing a tangible example of reusing materials.

The forest area supports den building, looking for small creatures and pretend campfires beneath the trees. In August 2022, climbing practice included ramps and soft play for younger children and obstacle courses for older children, showing how physical challenges were adjusted across ages.

Relationships and Communication

A key person takes responsibility for understanding each child's interests and care needs, and talks with parents about achievements, enjoyment and difficulties. This gives families a consistent person with whom to share changes at home and discuss how their child is managing nursery life.

Settling begins with an All About Me meeting involving the child, parents and key person. Contact is planned approximately two months before the start, with an advised minimum of a 30-minute session and a one-hour session, both free of charge. Additional half-day settling sessions carry a charge; a home visit may be offered in some circumstances for a child who is very anxious.

Room changes have their own preparation. Approximately a month beforehand, families receive details of the next key person and meet to update the child's information. The existing key person passes on a detailed handover, and visits to the new room are adapted to the child. A familiar practitioner may accompany a child who needs that support.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The branch has a SENCO role, with additional group-wide support from an Area SENCO. Parents provide information about medical conditions, disabilities, additional needs and dietary requirements when registering. Those mechanisms create a route for discussing individual care; they should form part of planning a child's start.

Blueberries and Strawberries share a sleep room with air conditioning and a viewing window, alongside regular checks. Fresh bedding is supplied daily, and families can send familiar comfort items. Raspberries has a designated sleeping area where children use mats, blankets and their comforters.

Toileting in Raspberries is approached with parents according to the child's readiness. Child-sized toilets and low sinks make the facilities accessible, linking the room's layout to a practical step towards independence.

School preparation includes inviting Reception teachers to visit, using photographs or booklets of the next setting and bringing uniform and book bags into pretend play. Children are encouraged to discuss worries and practise skills such as handling scissors and managing their own hygiene. This supports the experience of moving on to school.

Meals and snacks are cooked on site by the nursery's chef, with weaning food adapted for babies. The dietary policy provides for working with families over diagnosed allergies or dietary needs, with professional support where needed.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 51 Locks Road, Locks Heath, Southampton, SO31 6NS. Opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year; closures cover bank holidays and a week at Christmas.

AM sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm, PM sessions from 1pm to 6pm, and All Day from 7.30am to 6pm. A full-week pattern is also offered. Additional paid hours must form one of the nursery's sessions, so the booking structure matters when fitting childcare around work or other commitments.

Registration involves an online form and a non-refundable administration fee, followed by written confirmation once the start date and attendance days are agreed. Changes to those arrangements after confirmation may be declined. Ending the contract or reducing sessions requires at least one calendar month's written notice, and fees remain payable during the notice period.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible two-year-olds can access funding from the term after their second birthday. For preschool children, from the term following their third birthday and subject to eligibility, the offer of up to 30 funded hours across 38 weeks is stretched over 51 weeks, giving up to 22 hours a week. The nursery offers a basic funded contract and a guaranteed-session funded contract, with guarantee charges where applicable and separate charges for hours beyond the entitlement.

Food is included in privately paid sessions and charged separately during funded hours. The terms provide for requesting sessions without food charges, subject to the nursery agreeing the sessions; an existing attendance pattern is not guaranteed under that arrangement.

Nappies and wipes are supplied by the nursery, although parents may send their own; families supply sealed formula for bottle-fed babies. Meals are included in privately paid sessions, while food is charged separately during funded hours.

The fees and hours page sets out the session and funding structure. For current prices, ask the nursery for a quotation.

• Waiting between activities. In August 2022, some children waited too long during routine changes, including mealtimes. On a tour, ask how staff now organise these periods around individual children's needs.
• Funding contract choice. The basic and guaranteed-session offers have different charging structures, with food costs alongside funded hours. Compare the contracts against the actual mornings, afternoons or days your family needs.
• Preparing a baby's start. Blueberries and Strawberries combine key-person settling with a shared sleep room and familiar comfort items. Use the visit to discuss how your baby's sleep, feeding and settling routines would be handled, including any allergy requirements.
• Changing attendance later. A confirmed start date or attendance pattern may be difficult to change, and reducing sessions requires a calendar month's written notice. Consider how predictable your childcare needs are before completing registration.

The Mulberry Bush Locks Heath suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon sessions or all-day attendance, with substantial emphasis on outdoor exploration and practical learning. Its growing patch, age-specific sensory rooms and baby gardens give that offer substance. The key-person and room-transition arrangements also provide a clear structure for starting and moving through nursery.

The August 2022 Good judgement is a useful dated assessment. Families should weigh the improvement point about routine waits alongside the attendance contract and funded-food charges when deciding whether the nursery fits their child and working pattern.