The Mulberry Kindergarten
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in London for babies from 6 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £90.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2021, though that is 5 years ago now. Open since 1997, with 40 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Our daily rate from September 2026 is £90 ( A 10% discount is available for 4+ days attendance).
One published rate. What you pay depends on the days you need and the funded hours you can claim.
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Early Years Funding to children from the age of 9 months; 9 months to 2 years: up to 30 hours funding (if eligible) from September 2025; Age 2 (Disadvantaged): 15 hours funding; 3-5 years old: Universal funding (15 hours) for all children from the age of 3 years, Criteria based: Additional 15 hours funding.
Worth knowing. Fully Funded Places (term time only) : We offer a limited number of 15 hours and 30 hours fully funded places – subject to availability . Please also note that we charge £1 per day for meals.
What childcare usually costs in Croydon
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Croydon 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
SE25 5BUWhat 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, 17 September 2021 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children form warm relationships with the nursery staff. As a result, children are happy and confident. New routines have been put into place due to COVID-19
pandemic which mean that parents no longer go into the nursery. Despite this, children confidently leave their parents. Staff promote children's language and communication skills well. For example, children enthusiastically join in with songs and rhymes during a circle time in the garden. Staff encourage them to take turns to develop their vocabulary as they each choose a line from a song to sing.
Children shake with excitement when it is their turn to sing their chosen line. They take note of their environment and staff follow their curiosity, for example when a child finds a seed on the ground. The staff member encourages the child to explore the seed. They use enriching vocabulary, which the child then repeats, thereby extending their understanding of new words. Children benefit from opportunities for physical development. All children have access to a well-resourced outside area where they can develop their skills, such as mastering how to balance a plastic egg on a spoon. There is a calm and consistent approach to behaviour management.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop the curriculum for mathematical development to ensure there are high expectations for older children.
- 17 September 2021Good
- 23 March 2016Outstanding
- 18 October 2011Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Mulberry Kindergarten
- 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 £90.00 a day 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.