The Mulberry Bush

107 North Road, Belfast BT5 5NF
Review Us
9.8 72 Reviews
  • The Mulberry Bush, Belfast
The Mulberry Bush is a family-run private day nursery and has been open for 33 years, catering for children up to the age of five years. Children are cared for in four separate rooms which offer resources and learning and play opportunities most appropriate to their age and stage of development.

The nursery provides a warm, friendly and secure environment to promote children’s emotional, social, physical and intellectual development and help them reach their full potential. Children take part in a range of group activities including messy play, sensory experiences, arts and crafts, baking and role play. The nursery has three outdoor play areas where children can enjoy time outside in good weather.

Children are provided with healthy and nutritious meals and fresh fruit every day. They are encouraged to develop independent eating habits and good table manners at mealtimes. Menus are approved by a dietitian and contain no artificial colouring, preservatives or flavourings.

Snacks are given in the afternoon, yoghurts, fruit, pancakes etc.

Children with allergies can be catered for.
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Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Owner

  • Judith McKee & John Herron
  • Privately Owned

Person in Charge

  • Fiona Dickson (Nursery Manager)

Admission Information

  • none

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 23

Total Places for Children

  • 45

Age Range

  • from 0 years 2 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • Parents can apply through Early Years for 15% off Nursery fees


    We are registered for the NICSS Childcare scheme, tax free childcare and accept childcare vouchers


    Nursery Brochure available on request

Opening Times

  • Monday 07:30-18:00
    Tuesday 07:30-18:00
    Wednesday 07:30-18:00
    Thursday 07:30-18:00
    Friday 07:30-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & 1 week at Christmas

Parking

  • Parking at the nursery

The Mulberry Bush Reviews (72)

9.8

The Mulberry Bush has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.821) out of 10, based on 19 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Mulberry Bush has 72 reviews.

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Review from L R (Mother of Child) published on 10 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic nursery. Professionally run. Staff welcoming, friendly and approachable. Children enjoy attending which really puts parents at ease.
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Review from Alan M (Father of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Overall experience is great, my child loves the nursery and has made great friends. Staff all very well trained, a well-run nursery.
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Review from C M (Father of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our eldest loved The Mulberry Bush when he attended. Youngest attends now and loves it. Can't recommend highly enough!
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Review from N G (Mother of Child) published on 5 March 2020 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have used The Mulberry Bush for the past six years for both my daughter and son. The service has been excellent for the children. We would definitely recommend to family and friends.
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Review from J T (Mother of Child) published on 31 May 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son loves The Mulberry Buh. He is often waiting in his buggy or waiting by the door to leave for nurser before he has even had breakfast or gotten dressed.
The small numbers of children in his room make it feel intimate and does not overwhelm him (as happened at a previous nursery) and all the
staff know him by name.
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Review from David (Father of Child) published on 25 February 2019 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our son absolutely loves it here, can't wait to get there in the mornings. Staff are great and we can tell he is constantly learning new things, as well as making friends. Couldn't be happier.
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Review from Anne-Marie S (Mother of Child) published on 7 February 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has been attending The Mulberry Bush since November 2018. She has loved it from the first day. The staff are so caring and really got to know her very quickly. We are kept up to date with everything and all the staff are easy to talk to if we have any concerns at all. With the knowledge
and kindness of the staff, we wouldn't have sent our daughter to any other nursery.
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Review from Kiara B (Mother of Child) published on 23 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The Mulberry Bush provides an excellent service and first class service and attention to all children and their parents. The staff treat the children like their own and take such great care of them. My son loves going in every morning and is so excited to see each of the girls when he arrives. The activities
provided are excellent and I've noticed my son's development coming on since he started. The food provided is excellent and my son now eats a wide range of foods as a result/ highly recommend this nursery to all.
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Review from L O (Father of Child) published on 20 April 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff at the Mulberry Bush have displayed a professional and caring attitude to the children. Having had a previous unsatisfactory experience at a different creche our son is thriving in the environment created by the staff.
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Review from Lizzie M (Mother of Child) published on 23 February 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff are super friendly and really reassured me as a first time Mum that my child’s needs would be met full. From day one my son absolutely loves going in and every time I’ve collected him he’s always been busy playing or being entertained. My son is teething his big teeth at the moment and the
level of understanding from the staff is second to none.
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Review from H W (Mother of Child) published on 24 October 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff in Mulberry Bush are great. They all know my daughter really well, they all know her by name and treat her like their own daughter. My daughter loves going to nursery and if she could go at weekends, she would. She is developing so well and she recently learned how to use the toilet and they
have been so supportive and helpful to continue her development.


There are plenty of hugs and love displayed all the time and actually, I have neve regretted for 1 second my choice in nursery. The Mulberry Bush is brilliant from the managers to the rest of the staff.

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Review from Louise R (Mother of Child) published on 24 October 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Very professional and well-run nursery. Staff are most welcoming and my children enjoy attending. Would highly recommend.
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Review from Mairead R (Mother of Child) published on 4 September 2017 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter has attended Mulberry Bush for two and half years and is happy at nursery. She has made lots of little friends and enjoys the variety of activities they do each day. She is well looked after by the staff, both those who are regular in her room and those who she sees from time to time.


She

has grown in confidence since being at Mulberry Bush and not a day goes by that she hasn't learnt a new song, story or craft at nursery.


The staff are very friendly and it's obvious that the kids enjoy being with them. I would recommend Mulberry Bush.

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Review from Lauren M (Mother of Child) published on 31 August 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic nursery with dedicated, friendly staff.
My little boy has only attended for his first month and loves it.
He gets excited when he arrives.
Staff only too happy to answer queries and I am always left with peace of mind the staff have made the process of returning to work and leaving my son
easier.
Can't recommend enough.
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Review from Gwyneth C (Mother of Child) published on 13 February 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The Mulberry Bush is a lovely nursery and our son loves going each week. The whole team are very welcoming and we love that they all know our son, even if they don't directly work with him.
The facilities are great and the range of activities each day is very impressive. We always enjoy reading the
daily report book to see what the children have been doing.
The meals provided are very nutritious and there is a good variety each week so the children are very well looked after.
As parents, we are very happy with The Mulberry Bush and can't recommend it highly enough.
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Review from David (Father of Child) published on 17 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son currently attends Mulberry Bush. He really enjoys his time there and has an excellent relationship with the staff. He is engaged with lots of stimulating activities throughout the day and his development has been fully supported at all stages. I leave him in the mornings in the knowledge that
he is in safe hands.
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Review from Sarah M (Mother of Child) published on 13 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We are very happy at Mulberry Bush with are toddler. We have seen her blossom since starting the nursery! They do lots of fun activities and go plenty of walks. We are very happy with are choice and it makes very handy drop off and pick up. You are greeted with smiles in morning and evening from all
the staff
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Review from Norma R (Mother of Child) published on 11 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son loves attending this nursery. Its family run, with owners on site every day. Staff are friendly and always very welcoming; making each child feel special. If I have every had any queries or concerns; these have been answered promptly and professionally. There is a great range of toys and activities
available for the children. Food is good. And each month the bill is clearly set out so I know exactly what I'm paying.
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Review from Gill H (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We have been using the Mulberry Bush for the last four years, my first daughter from 9 months old & my youngest is still there aged 2.5. It's a warm and friendly environment & the staff show genuine affection and professional care to all the children, ensuring that both parent & child feel secure. They
have great facilities and do a wide range of activities and both my children have thrived & love it there. Happy child = happy parent!
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Review from Carrie (Mother of Child) published on 6 March 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My little boy has been attending The Mulberry nursery since he was 8 months old. As a first time mum I was very anxious about leaving him when I had to return to work, especially because I had never been focused on routines and I was always led by him in relation to his daily needs. The owner and the
staff helped to alleviate some of these anxieties by their caring and compassionate approach. They very much took the lead from him and us, as his parents in responding to his needs. We have found all the staff very flexible in their approach to meeting our sons needs, we have practiced Baby Led Weaning as opposed to traditional spoon feeding, our son had an intolerance to dairy and he is a baby that will not nap during the day in a cot, none of these things presented as obstacles to our son accessing the nursery or having any disruption to his style of care. He has thrived in The Mulberry Bush and as parents it is heartwarming to see how happy he is spending his time there.
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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.821)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.821) out of 10 for The Mulberry Bush is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 19 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 19 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.821 for The Mulberry Bush is calculated as follows: ( (193 Excellents x 5) + (22 Goods x 4) + (9 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 224 Ratings = 4.821
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for The Mulberry Bush is based on 19 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 45 number of registered child places is 9, which has been reached with 19 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (9)

Meet the Team (1)

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Fiona Dickson

Job Title: Nursery Manager Joined: 1995

I have worked in the Mulberry Bush Day Nursery for 30 years.
My sister owns it and retired a few years ago.
Some of the staff have been with me for over 20 years and have gone on to do their Level 5 in Childcare.
We are a Family run Nursery and we put the children first.


Let our Family look after your Family

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