Mulberry Bush Day Nursery

What Mulberry Bush Day Nursery does

The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery operates a single-location early years childcare facility at 90-92 Belper Road, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, serving children aged 0-5 years. Founded in 1990 by Liz Sread and transferred to current proprietor Kate Mitchell in February 2015, the nursery runs four age-segregated rooms — Ladybirds (under 2), Ladybirds 2 / Caterpillars (around 2), Butterflies (2-3) and Little Learners (3-5 pre-school) — delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum under DBS-checked, level-3 qualified staff, several of whom have tenure exceeding 15 years. The business holds a GOOD Ofsted rating awarded in 2016, with the inspector noting satisfaction across all assessed areas. Operations run Monday to Friday 7:30am-6pm, excluding bank holidays and Christmas.

Service delivery is augmented by the Tapestry Online Learning Journal (deployed December 2016), which gives parents credentialed access to observations, photographs and videos mapped to the EYFS profile, and by an on-site kitchen preparing homemade meals daily using local suppliers including Marks Family Butchers and Fresh Choice Green Grocers. The technology footprint otherwise consists of standard SaaS: Primarysite (CMS), Matomo (analytics), reCaptcha (bot protection) and Google Translate (language widget), with no proprietary AI or platform. The nursery is operated as a standalone, privately-owned micro-business with no parent company, no subsidiaries and no disclosed external funding.

Revenue is generated from three streams: a one-time £50 registration fee per child, hourly private-pay nursery fees tiered at £10/hour for 6-hour days, £9.50/hour for 7-8 hour days and £9/hour for 9-10 hour days (with optional lunch at £4/day), and government-funded 15/30-hour childcare places supplemented by weekly consumables charges (£5-£10/week depending on funding band) plus itemised add-ons for breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea, trips, activities and consumables. Extended hours outside the funded 9am-4pm window are billed at £9.57-£10/hour. Distribution is purely direct-to-consumer through the single Ashbourne site, with customer acquisition driven by local word-of-mouth, the nursery's 35-year community reputation and a content-led website; newsletters, photograph days and community events (e.g., Children in Need) are the principal engagement channels.

Name

Mulberry Bush Day Nursery

Legal name

The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery

Website

https://mulberrybushdaynurseries.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Single-location UK day nursery in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, providing EYFS-aligned early years education and childcare for children aged 0-5 across four age-segregated rooms, funded by hourly private fees, government-funded places and a one-time registration fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Childcare Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Childcare Centers (EDACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursery School Programs (2–4 Years) (EDACACAB), Extended Day Programs at Preschools & Childcare Centers (EDACAHAB), Part-Day Childcare Centers (EDACAAAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Day nursery care
• Childcare services
• Preschool education
• EYFS curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Nursery Fees: Hourly rate nursery fees charged to parents without government funding. Rates vary based on session length: 6-hour day at £10/hour, 7/8-hour day at £9.50/hour, 9/10-hour day at £9/hour. Includes snacks and drinks. Lunch available at £4/day.
2. Funded Place with Consumables: Government-funded childcare places (22/30 hour or 11/15 hour funding) with weekly consumables charge. 22/30 hour funding charged at £10/week, 11/15 hour at £5/week. Additional hourly rates apply for extended hours before 9am and after 4pm at £9.57/hour.
3. Funded Place without Consumables: Funded places without consumables charge. Extended hours before 9am and after 3pm charged at £10/hour. Additional costs for breakfast (£1.50/day), snacks (£0.50 each), lunch (£4/day), tea (£2/day), trips (£10/trip), activities (£10/activity), nappies and wipes (£2/change), spare clothes (£0.50/item).
4. Registration Fee: One-time registration fee of £50.00 for new children enrolling at the nursery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery provides full-day and sessional childcare and early years education for children aged 0-5 years from a single location in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The nursery operates four age-segregated rooms (Ladybirds, Caterpillars, Butterflies, Little Learners) delivering the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, supplemented by homemade meals prepared daily on site, Tapestry online learning journals for parent communication, and government-funded childcare place options.

Product overview

The Mulberry Bush Day Nursery is a single-location children's nursery offering age-differentiated childcare and early education services for children aged 0-5 years. The nursery operates four age-specific rooms (Ladybirds, Ladybirds 2/Caterpillars, Butterflies, and Little Learners) delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. Supporting services include Tapestry online Learning Journal for parent engagement and Learning at Home resources. The nursery was established in 1990 and holds a GOOD Ofsted rating from 2016.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ladybirds (Under 2 Years)
• Caterpillars (2-2.5 Years)
• Butterflies (2-3 Years)
• Little Learners (Pre-School, 3-5 Years)
• Homemade Meals Service
• Tapestry Online Learning Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• GOOD Ofsted rating
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Marks Family ButchersminorOthersLocal family-run butcher located in Ashbourne town centre. Supplier of fresh meat for the nursery's homemade meals prepared daily on site.
• Fresh Choice Green GrocersminorOthersLocal family-run greengrocer located in Ashbourne town centre. Supplier of fresh produce for the nursery's homemade meals prepared daily on site.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Tops Day Nurseries: UK nursery chain operating multiple full-day nurseries delivering EYFS curriculum with funded-hour and private fee revenue streams. Comparable as a multi-site UK full-day childcare operator in the same regulatory and curriculum framework.
• Storal Learning: UK nursery group operating full-day nurseries delivering EYFS curriculum to children aged 0-5 with funded and private fee options. Comparable as a UK group operating small-format full-day nurseries serving similar parent demographics.
• Childbase Partnership: UK employee-owned nursery group operating full-day nurseries with strong parent engagement, EYFS delivery, and homemade meals. Comparable as a UK group delivering the same full-day, EYFS-aligned service to similar parent demographics.
• Banana Moon Day Nurseries: Franchise network of UK day nurseries offering full-day childcare for 0-5 year olds following EYFS with funded hour options. Closely comparable as a small-format UK full-day childcare provider targeting working families in similar local catchments.
• N Family Club: UK nursery group operating full-day EYFS nurseries with similar age-banded rooms, parent engagement apps, and mixed funded/private fee structures. Closely aligned as a UK full-day childcare provider targeting the same parent demographic with the same curriculum framework.

Broad incumbents

• Busy Bees Nurseries: Largest UK private nursery chain operating hundreds of Ofsted-regulated nurseries delivering EYFS curriculum and government-funded childcare. Comparable as a UK full-day childcare provider serving the same parent segments with the same regulatory framework, though at vastly greater scale.
• Co-op Childcare: Co-operative network of UK day nurseries providing full-day early years education, EYFS delivery, and government-funded childcare places. Comparable as a UK full-day childcare operator in the same regulatory and curriculum framework.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Major UK and international nursery chain providing full-day early years education, EYFS-aligned curriculum, and parent communication platforms. Directly comparable business model in the same UK childcare category, though operating premium corporate and community sites at far larger footprint.

Regional players

• Partou Childcare: European nursery group operating full-day early years nurseries with curriculum-aligned care and funded-place offerings. Comparable as a full-day nursery operator in the same category, though primarily operating in the Netherlands rather than the UK.
• London Early Years Foundation (LEYF): UK social enterprise operating nurseries delivering full-day EYFS childcare with funded-hour uptake and parent engagement programs. Comparable as a UK full-day nursery operator in the same regulatory framework, though geographically concentrated in London.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mulberry-bush-day-nursery

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mulberry Bush Day Nursery