The New Mulberry Bush

Four play rooms, a dedicated sleep room and an enclosed outdoor play area give The New Mulberry Bush a clear practical character: space for play, rest and time outside. Based on High Street in Wrekenton, Gateshead, it accepts children aged 2 to 60 months and has 88 places in total. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of an individual group.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its inspection on 8 July 2021. The date matters: this is a historical judgement, rather than a fresh assessment of today's provision. For families choosing now, the physical arrangements and attendance options provide more immediate points of comparison.

Full-day, half-day and term-time attendance are offered, alongside extra hours. The strongest practical appeal is that combination of different booking patterns with meals included and a separate space for sleep.

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning here, with toys and materials supporting children's development through play. It is the common early-years foundation, rather than an additional branded programme. For parents, the useful detail is how the rooms and resources support that everyday learning.

Across the four play rooms, equipment is selected to match children's ages and development. Preschool children have computers and printers, adding technology to their play and learning resources. These are concrete facilities to consider alongside the more familiar toys and materials, rather than a reason to assume a particular teaching method or level of attainment.

A fully enclosed outdoor play area gives children an outdoor setting within the nursery's grounds. The separate sleep room is another important part of the layout: rest has its own space, alongside the rooms used for play. For a younger child who still naps, that physical separation may matter as much as the equipment used for activities.

There is also an out-of-school room. This distinguishes the space for older children's care from the nursery's play and sleep provision, a useful detail for families considering childcare for siblings at different stages.

A duty-manager role also carries responsibility as SENDCo, giving special educational needs and disabilities a place within the branch's management structure. That is a concrete support role, rather than a general promise about inclusion. Families whose child needs additional support can make the way that role works with practitioners part of their visit discussion.

The staff team includes a manager, deputy manager and senior practitioners. Qualifications represented within the team include a degree in Early Childhood Studies and a diploma in Nursery nursing. These describe the team's professional background; they do not, by themselves, establish how an individual child's care will be organised.

Food is straightforward in the charge structure: home-cooked meals are included, as are drinks and snacks. Meals, snacks and drinks are included in the charges; families bring baby formula when needed. Parents provide the non-food consumables: wipes, nappies and nappy cream.

Families may send their own food and snacks, taking allergies into account, but doing so does not reduce the daily charge. That condition matters when comparing arrangements for a child with dietary needs: providing food from home and paying less are separate questions.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It closes on bank holidays and for approximately a week around Christmas. Those closures matter for families arranging childcare throughout the working year, even when their usual attendance continues beyond school terms.

Bookings include full days, half days, extra hours and term-time attendance. Flexibility for shift workers is also part of the service. Opening hours describe the overall operating window; the different booking patterns let families consider whether they need a whole day, a shorter booking or attendance linked to school terms.

Getting There

The address is High Street, Wrekenton, Gateshead, NE9 7JQ. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0191 4878101 or by email at newmulberrybush@outlook.com. This is the Wrekenton branch, with its own play rooms, sleep space and outdoor area.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted for children aged 9 months to 5 years, alongside Tax-Free Childcare payments. The entitlements covered include 30 hours for eligible working parents, 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds, and 15 hours for some two-year-olds whose families receive additional support. Eligibility for that last entitlement needs confirmation by the team; it is not an entitlement for every two-year-old.

Working parents claiming 30 hours must apply before the deadline for the term in which their child reaches the eligible age and renew their code every three months. This is an ongoing administrative responsibility, rather than a single application at the start of attendance.

Meals, snacks, drinks, routine planned activities and their resources are included in the charges for all children. Formula and the nappy supplies remain parents' responsibility. Some trips carry an extra charge, with families able to choose whether their child takes part; those trips are separate from the activities already included.

A registration charge and a deposit equivalent to one week's fees accompany the signed contract. The registration charge is refundable within a reasonable period after attendance starts, while the deposit is refundable at the end of the contract. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees policy sets out the payment structure.

Fees are normally paid ahead of attendance, on the first day of each month, with the annual attendance charge spread across twelve months. Weekly payments and one-off emergency childcare payments are also accepted. Absence, illness and holidays do not attract deductions, which makes the contracted pattern important to the family budget.

• Sleep and support. A separate sleep room and a management-level SENDCo role are useful starting points. On a visit, how would practitioners organise naps and any additional support around your child's daily routine?
• Contracted attendance. Fees continue during absence, illness and holidays. Choose a pattern you can sustain, especially if working shifts change from month to month.
• Leaving arrangements. Ending the contract requires a month's written notice, given on the first day of the month. Charges remain payable throughout that period whether or not the child attends, so the timing affects the final bill.

The New Mulberry Bush suits families comparing full-day care with half-day or term-time attendance, including those balancing changing shifts. Its practical attractions are specific: four play rooms, a separate sleep room, enclosed outdoor space and food included in the charge structure. Parents still provide formula and nappy supplies, and the contract makes missed attendance chargeable. The decision turns on matching those arrangements to the child's routine and the family's working pattern.