Mama Bear's Day Nursery
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Taunton for children from birth to 5, open 07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022. Open since 2010, with 53 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Somerset
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Somerset from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
TA1 5AXWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 1 November 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 21 April 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and secure, which underpins their ability to learn and develop, so they all make good progress. Overall, staff plan an exciting environment where children are eager to explore. For example, babies find out how they feel about handling ice. Older children enthusiastically gather natural resources outside, using their imaginations well to make a pretend meal or bake a cake. Staff use children's interests very effectively to engage them in their play and motivate their learning.
For example, toddlers impressively identify whether they have more horses than pigs, as they play with the small-world farm. They count the animals and know the total when they find one more. Children are confident communicators. They develop good speaking and listening skills. Staff use effective questioning techniques to help children to extend their vocabulary, such as explaining what an author and illustrator do. They inspire children's enthusiasm for stories, so they listen intently and predict what might happen next. Staff make deliberate mistakes so that children excitedly show their understanding, such as the correct way to hold a book. Parents are very positive about the nursery and their children's experiences. Key workers are grateful to staff for continuing to run the nursery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who did not attend, staff kept in touch and provided ideas and resources for parents to support their children at home. Partnerships became stronger and these have continued to benefit the children even more.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- focus staff awareness of improving planning of the outdoor area to help older children to extend and challenge their next steps of learning, particularly in literacy development.
- 21 April 2022Good
- 21 August 2015Outstanding
- 2 February 2011Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mama Bear's Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.