Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

Mulberry Corner Nursery and Preschool

Unique reference number (URN): 2873586 Address: Mulberry Corner, Castle Lane, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, SO53 4PW Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/11/2025 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Happy Days Day Nurseries Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop the necessary foundations across all areas of learning required to prepare them for the next stage. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those facing additional barriers to learning or wellbeing, make clear progress towards targets for their next steps in their learning. They develop good personal, social and emotional skills. Children are starting to recognise their emotions and learn to co-regulate and self-regulate in line with their age and stage of development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children express their needs clearly, both through body language and verbally. They enjoy opportunities to communicate with their peers in social group times. Children develop well physically. They practise big movements every day as they move their bodies to music, as well as fine motor movements as they draw and mark make. Children develop independence skills. Babies choose the play opportunities they want to enjoy. Older children self-serve lunch, dress independently and manage their personal hygiene well.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour, which staff model well. Partnerships with parents help support children's safety and wellbeing. For instance, robust systems are in place to ensure the safety of those children who are due to attend but do not arrive. Leaders and staff work with parents when children join the setting to ensure they have the best start. For instance, they offer flexible settling-in sessions to fully support children's wellbeing. This enables children to settle.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well and build positive relationships. They are respectful to one another and show enjoyment in playing together and initiating games. Staff provide children with praise, which supports their positive self-esteem, for example when children have achieved what they have set out to do in their play and creative designs. Children are keen and eager to take on responsibilities, which staff encourage and praise. For example, children eagerly help to hand out equipment to their peers before activities and when setting the tables for lunch.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children typically build warm and trusting relationships with familiar staff and their key persons, which helps provide them with a sense of belonging. Leaders prioritise consistency for children during staffing challenges, and this helps children to feel safe and confident to engage in learning. Transitions between the setting's rooms are carefully considered. Staff identify that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, may require further support to adjust to changes. Appropriate measures are taken to minimise disruption to children's learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

During mealtimes and throughout the day, children demonstrate good manners. These are modelled well by staff, which helps embed these behaviours. Children begin to understand how to take care of their health and wellbeing. They enjoy healthy snacks and meals that are on offer and are keen to try different foods. Older children know they must have sun cream and a sun hat on prior to going outside to play. Children are proactive in keeping themselves hydrated after playing running games outside. Staff also encourage this well.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders support staff to implement an effective curriculum that is typically taught well for all children. Staff support children to feel safe, secure, stimulated and happy. Babies seek out their key person when they require comfort, while older children choose to play alongside staff members and are proud to show them their achievements. Staff support children's mathematical knowledge well. For instance, they encourage children to compare sizes when building with construction materials and support children to count and sequence numbers when matching objects and pictures.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They help children develop an interest in books. Babies select books to share with staff, while older children confidently explore books independently. Staff model language for all children. Those working with babies provide ongoing dialogue alongside their play and exploration. At times, staff do not keep conversation going back and forth to enable sustained communication. This limits children from expanding their vocabulary and developing their social and communication skills further.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff use assessments to capture children's knowledge when they join the setting. This helps them provide appropriate support from the start. Children are keen and eager to be physically active. Younger children smile and communicate together as they crawl and climb steps and enjoy sliding down slides. Older children play running games outside and take part in dancing and moving their bodies in different ways.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work in partnership with children's key persons to support early identification of children's needs. They have high expectations for all children, and together they identify when children require additional support to enable them to thrive. They put measures in place to bridge gaps in children's learning. For example, they support children's communication and language skills well through a structured 12-week programme. Staff assess children's communication skills prior to intervention and re-assess after, where they notice considerable progress. This helps support children to communicate their needs and interests well. Leaders work proactively with other professionals to ensure that children receive expertise from others when required. This intervention has a positive impact on children's overall wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

At times, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, do not receive the same planned and purposeful school readiness experiences. For example, staff do not consistently support all children's engagement in music sessions that are planned to develop skills such as a sense of rhythm and listening and attention skills. This, at times, prevents some children from accessing the full curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders identify the strengths and areas for improvement within the setting. They provide staff with training to upskill their knowledge and confidence in areas of practice. For example, they have focused on play and engagement in the outdoor area to improve children's experiences. Staff now typically engage better with children outdoors as they explore activities, including sensory and group games.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place a high priority on staff wellbeing and understand that current staffing challenges can lead to staff feeling stretched in their roles. They have proactively worked with staff to review how they can support their workload so that the staff's focus remains on their engagement with children. For example, they have reduced unnecessary paperwork, provided staff with consistent colleagues to work with and been transparent with the progress on recruitment. This has helped staff feel well supported and valued and enabled them to provide consistency for children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are continuing to develop consistency in their communication and engagement with staff throughout the day. At times, where communication is less clear, this can affect the organisation of the curriculum and staff roles, which impacts on children's access to high- quality experiences. Leaders and staff work with parents to involve them in children's learning. They hold events throughout the year to celebrate children's achievements and build partnerships with families.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are happy, settled and confident throughout this nursery. They arrive eager to play and are welcomed by warm and attentive staff who know them well. Overall, key staff support children's individual needs well. Children benefit from a broad curriculum that supports their development. They enjoy the variety of learning opportunities. For instance, pre-school children actively engage in sessions that support rhythm, coordination and following instructions. Children feel a sense of belonging, as they actively participate in conversations, building positive relationships with their peers at mealtimes. They develop secure independence skills as they self-serve their nutritious meals and pour drinks independently. These skills help children be prepared for the next stage of their learning, such as school.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Babies benefit from a nurturing environment, with attentive adults to meet their individual needs. They seek out their key person for comfort or when they need assistance, for example when using the slide. Children benefit from a wide range of indoor and outdoor learning opportunities, with the setting providing flexibility for them to move freely between both environments. Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to learning, at an early stage and provide targeted support that helps them thrive. Children benefit from carefully planned transitions to help them become familiar with their key person and the environment. Staff interactions are consistently warm and responsive. This helps children to feel safe, secure and have a sense of belonging.

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Next steps

Leaders should further develop strategies for communication with and between staff to ensure children continually receive high-quality experiences. Leaders should support staff to engage all children more consistently to ensure they benefit from planned and purposeful learning experiences across the curriculum. Leaders should strengthen staff practice in supporting sustained communication so children can continue to build their vocabulary and develop their communication skills further.

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About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with the leaders, the designated safeguarding lead, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, children and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The

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Address:

Mulberry Corner Castle Lane Chandler's Ford Eastleigh SO53 4PW

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Happy Days Day Nurseries Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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0 to 4

registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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