Nursery Management: Case Study - Putting down roots

A background as a project manager in television is not the most obvious preparation for setting up your own nursery, but for Rachael Thomson, the experience of organising teams, working with groups of people, tight deadlines and long hours was good experience for when she and her husband Oliver opened up The Mulberry Bush in Southampton in July.

Nearly five years in the making, everything began to take shape in March when the couple found the perfect building, which had previously been a doctors' surgery. Hampshire County Council helped them in their quest to find a suitable premises and was keen to offer business support.

'The local authority did a feasibility study for us before we purchased the business and they were really happy for us to open here,' says Ms Thomson. 'We all felt that the competition and the level of service we could offer was going to be generally good for the local area. It is a highly populated area with lots of families, lots of schools and lots of kids.'

Central to the Thomsons' vision was that staff should spend their time working in the jobs they are employed and trained to do. A gardener comes regularly to look after the garden and the managers spend most of their time in the rooms with the children, rather than doing paperwork.

'Pip, one of our managers, is fantastic at HR and the logistical elements so she takes that responsibility and, overall, we have found a really good balance. With his financial background, my husband is very experienced with that element of the business and will continue to make sure everything is financially viable. We have worked really hard to establish the best balance in management we possibly can,' says Ms Thomson.

Rather than wait until the nursery was ready to open before looking at employing staff, two managers were taken on as soon as the premises were found. The Thomsons wanted to get their input into the design of the building and what would be most practical for children.

Each room has a specific colour scheme, which was decided on with the help of an architect.

'We looked at the use of colour to promote certain types of learning and certain atmospheres,' says Ms Thomson. 'We really wanted to ensure that the environment was stimulating and calming in the right way.

'So, for example, we have blue tones in all our quiet and sleep areas because it is very good for calming. We have avoided red in large quantities anywhere in the nursery. It is great and can be very stimulating, but we didn't want it as a permanent feature in a room. We have used greens in the baby room, which is a very peaceful colour.'

The kitchen is in the centre of the nursery with a viewing window so the children can see the cook working. Just off the kitchen is a smaller, children's kitchen, with an oven, a fridge and a washing-up area where the children can go for supervised cooking in their own space, instead of having to go into the main kitchen.

They have also made outdoor access easy. Ms Thomson says, 'We put French windows in every room so that the children have easy access to the garden. We have a pretty large growing area to help them get involved with the kitchen. We also have a mud kitchen, which is great, and a Nike Grind play surface, made from recycled trainers.'

She says that the nursery's marketing approach has been fairly local. 'We have had such a great response from a small amount of marketing that we haven't had to do a lot. We have done lots of local flyer drops and leafleting people outside schools. And we have had a couple of articles in the local paper.'

Within 24 hours of opening, places were filling up fast, but for Ms Thomson large growth is not the focus.

She says, 'In the long run, I think it would be great for us to have a small number of settings. I do not want to be the next big player in this market - that is not my business model. It is not what I am about.

'If we maybe ended up with four settings, that would be great. I wouldn't like to be in the position where I couldn't spend at least a day a week in each of my settings.'

• www.themulberrybush.co.uk.