Mulberry Preschool
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Southampton for babies from 9 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £7.00 an hour for 3-4 years, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2023. Open since 1991, with 26 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
41 weeks a year.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 years3y to 4y | £7.00 | |
| All ages | £8.00 |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £5.00 Late Collection Of Children - £5 for the first fifteencharge will commence fifteen minutes after the agreed collection time
- £5.00 per 15 minutes Late Collection Of Children - £5 per five minutes thereafterthereafter until the actual pick up time
- £10.00 late payment penalty of £10.00If payments are not made within 7 days from the issue of the invoice
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £0.50 a session Snack provision – 50p (morning or afternoon session)funded children; optional
- £1.00 a day Snack provision – £1.00 all dayfunded children; optional
What a funded hour still costs
Funded hours cover the childcare. These are charged alongside them.
- £2.50 a half day Total optional charge: £2.50 per half dayfunded children; optional, parents/carers may opt out, includes Snack provision, Sundries such as wipes and
- £5.00 a day Total optional charge: £5.00 per full dayfunded children; optional, parents/carers may opt out, includes Snack provision, Sundries such as wipes and
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
3 and 4 Year old funding (15 hours); Funding (working parents) of children aged 9 months - 4 years (30 hours).
Worth knowing. Each child is eligible to a maximum of 15 hours funding per week, up to a maximum of 570 hours per educational year. Additional Services Charge for each half-day session is optional; parents/carers may opt out.
What childcare usually costs in Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire 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
SO40 4WBWhat 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.
Ofsted inspector, 4 December 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Many children run into pre-school in the morning, excited for their day. Children are incredibly safe and happy. Staff know the children exceptionally well and are very caring and nurturing. Staff go above and beyond to support children, their families and the community. Those children who need additional support to settle, when they first arrive, enjoy cuddles and familiar activities to help them feel assured.
Staff plan a rich and ambitious curriculum around the skills children need to learn.
They have high expectations for children's behaviour and learning. Children from a young age develop independence skills exceptionally well, and their behaviour is exemplary. This is because staff securely embed routines and consistently apply the pre-school's boundaries.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: ensure the required procedures are followed and Ofsted is provided with the necessary information to carry out suitability checks on all members of the registered body. (by 05/01/2024)
- 4 December 2023Good
- 22 February 2018Good
- 20 March 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mulberry Preschool
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £7.00 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.