Bearsprings
Childminder in London: Merton
Usually responds within 12 hours
Female Member since Feb 2018 Last Updated Nov 2025 Last Login 18 Nov 2025
My Summary
With Laughter In The Air, We'll Create, Learn And Share ® (With An Experienced Early Years Teacher)
About Me
Bearsprings is a unique setting; your child will benefit from the expertise background of a qualified primary school teacher, with over 30 years' experience in the early years, at schools in London. As a mother and daughter co-minding team, we are totally committed to providing excellence in childcare and function like a small family run NURSERY with the homely comforts of a CHILDMINDING setting, offering the very best combination and qualities of both types of settings.
If you would like to join our growing family, then feel free to contact us for the most current details on future availability. You will not be disappointed on visiting our setting; you are welcome to contact us to arrange a visit and we will be pleased to meet you and to show you around.
We incorporate British values in our daily routines and follow 'Development Matters' – A Comprehensive Non-statutory Curriculum Guidance For The Early Years Foundation Stage, for planning our curriculum and assessing all progress.
Our curriculum focuses on hands-on fun activities and has been carefully designed to cover relevant topics and themes, which are influenced by our children's interests, throughout the year.
Our teaching and learning resources are reviewed regularly and changed according to current topics and the developmental stages and interests of our children.
The importance of developing oracy skills from a very young age cannot be underestimated; we focus daily on developing the listening, understanding and speaking skills of all our children. The younger children also enjoy fun and games at stage 1 phonics and the older ones progress to blending and segmenting which are important skills for early reading and writing.
For babies, we differentiate and focus more on communication and exploring through their senses as well as tummy time and other physical activities that are more appropriate to their stages of development. They learn through one-to-one play with adults as well as playing and learning with their peers who will be of different ages. This works well at Bearsprings, as the older children role model and interact with their younger friends, inspiring them to develop and learn.
We spontaneously respond to our children’s interests and curiosity and encourage them to focus on the awe and wonder of life. Our aim is to provide opportunities for our children to become confident communicators and learners and we do our best to capture those invaluable teaching opportunities where children are interested and focused on an idea or activity.
All children at Bearsprings, regardless of their ages and stages of development, are encouraged to learn knowledge and skills from each other. Children play and learn with others that are their own age and older or younger than themselves.
As children learn best through repetition and rehearsal, we actively encourage them to consolidate their own knowledge and skills through teaching their peers (of all ages) and role modelling to them.
Our older children benefit substantially from this approach; by supporting their younger peers in activities, they consolidate their own learning and develop their self confidence and the positive mindset needed to continue their learning journeys.
Having experienced the support and kindness of their older peers, the younger children are in turn trained to continue the cycle of consolidating and learning through repetition and rehearsal, to achieve their own best possible outcomes.
We are proud to say that Bearsprings children are emotionally, socially and cognitively ready to start school at the end of their journey with us; they are well prepared and able to continue along a more formal path of learning in 'Reception Class.'
Here are just some of the ways in which we get our Bearsprings children 'school ready':
We support our children to separate from their parent/ carer and to come in as happily as possible, in order to decrease and eliminate any anxiety and distress, over time.
We encourage them to use a knife and fork to eat independently.
We start to toilet train them, in partnership with parents, when we feel that they are ready to begin the process.
We encourage them to mark make, using a variety of media and help them to learn to read simple words (phonics stages 1 & 2) and to write their names.
We help them to develop good communication skills and encourage friendly behaviour.
We provide opportunities for them to un/dress independently including shoes and coat (un/doing zips and buttons) so that they are able to manage independent un/dressing at school.
We support them to share toys and games and to take turns.
We enjoy regular book sharing so that they are able to look at books, listen to stories, join in and participate with enthusiasm. The older children also enjoy listening to stories and poems without pictures so that they can use their imagination freely.
We help them to understand and follow simple instructions.
We use a range of reward systems to help our children to practice positive behaviour for learning.
We support them to develop an age appropriate sense of danger, enabling them to have greater independence and to use objects like scissors safely. (Stranger danger is also frequently covered).
Our children are encouraged to follow age appropriate rules/ routines and are aware of set boundaries.
They are encouraged to develop a 'can do' attitude so that they can complete simple jigsaws, draw and engage in other classroom activities, independently.
We learn and sing action songs about numbers and learn to count with one to one correspondence.
We teach them how to ask for help and support them, through practice, to know when to ask.
Our aim is to make them all confident learners with a positive mindset (We follow the Leuven scales of wellbeing and involvement.)
Other positives:
• Environmentally child friendly and safety checked premises
• Activities based on EYFS (Govt. guidance on the best ways to teach your child)
• A safe, happy and nurturing environment
• Enhanced DBS checked and Paediatric First Aid Certified
• Confident learning through play
• Engaging and challenging activities embedded into your child’s daily routine
• Support to develop your child’s communication, language and interpersonal skills
• A working partnership with you where your opinions matter
• Regular feedback on the skills acquired by your child
• A foundation for your child to reach his or her full potential and to make them ‘school ready’
We do not offer a school drop off and/ or pick up services at present.
My Experience
We offer the expertise of a mother who is a qualified early years (reception/ nursery) teacher, with over 30 years of classroom teaching experience and outstanding observations from Ofsted in London schools (in the past); she gained her PGCE at the Institute of Education (UCL). She is joined by her daughter, who has grown up helping to make teaching resources and spending her summer holidays in her mother’s classroom. She gained a first-class Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Criminology and Sociology. This mother and daughter team has been co-minding successfully for over 7 years and combine their unique educational backgrounds in order to both create and deliver a curriculum that puts a focus on the well-being and emotional resilience of each and every child as a member of a community, at the setting.
We aim to instil a drive to want to ‘have a go’ and encourage children to celebrate not only their own success but also that of their friends. Our approach has been proven to create school ready leavers that have attained a high level of cultural capital, as parents regularly contact us to let us know how well their children have adjusted to formal education within a classroom setting, and how their teachers have complimented their abilities and attitudes towards learning.
Our co-minding team (Bearsprings) has the confidence and experience to work with children from many different backgrounds and has successfully helped children that have started at the setting, without any understanding of the English language, to pass private school interviews that are held entirely in English.
My Qualifications
BA (Hons) / PGCE in PRIMARY EDUCATION
Completion of the Merton Childminding Course - Introduction to Home-based Childcare Practice and The Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the Children's Workforce
Regular training provided by Merton Early Years (e.g. focusing on language & curriculum)
Designated Safeguarding Lead 1 & 2
SENCo Training
Paediatric First Aid
My Availability
I co-mind with my daughter on a full time basis.
We now have availability from January 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Morning | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Afternoon | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| After School | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Evening | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| Overnight | no | no | no | no | no | no | no |
| Last Updated: 11/11/2025 | |||||||
My Fees
- Childminding from £9.00 per hour
Please contact us for current information about our DAILY RATES.
We DO NOT charge by the hour so the rate mentioned above is for settling in periods, in some cases (where we may charge by the hour). Thanks.
My Local Schools
This childminder has not yet informed us whether or not they provide any drop off or pick up services at local schools.
My Ofsted Inspections
The inspection grades below have been obtained from the Ofsted website based upon the registration number the childminder has provided to us. You should verify this information yourself prior to using the childminder.
My Documents
- UK Passport (added 28/06/2025)
- Ofsted Certificate (added 25/02/2018)
- DBS Check (added 25/02/2018)
Reviews
5 out of 5
Parents say
This childminding service is highly praised for its nurturing environment, skilled caregivers, and educational approach. Parents appreciate the warm atmosphere, diverse activities, and focus on children's development. The setting is described as clean, well-equipped, and stimulating, with both indoor and outdoor spaces. Many reviewers highlight the positive impact on their children's social and academic growth.
Summary generated by AI from the text of recent member reviews
Latest reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Bearsprings. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.
We had the privilege of finding some days with Ruby and Ursala. What an amazing setting!
These wonderful two women are committed and lovingly invested in the children they care for. They have made an amazing setting that includes different learning areas for the children. Stella and Lydia were especially excited about the caterpillars turning into butterflies each year!
Ruby and Ursala make sure to think about all the children’s needs and provide everything they need during the time they spend with them. They are also invested in making a safe environment for the children. They make sure to include seasonal learning and dress up for different occasions. Stella has come home talking about her friends and singing songs she has learned. Our girls have had fun playing and learning at Bearsprings. It has been sad to greet Ursala and Ruby after a wonderful season at Bearsprings and Stella has been asking if she can visit making the relationships she made there very evident.
Ruby and Ursala make a wonderful team. Ruby is calm and warm and Ursala is vibrant and fun and together they are the perfect duo.
Thank you Ruby and Ursala you have been a special part of our family’s time in London.
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Franchet
on 17/11/2025
I just wanted to take a moment to say, having visited a multitude of providers in search of a place for my son, Bearsprings stood out by a mile and more than ticked all the boxes. It’s that “knowing” feeling a parent gets when you have found the right place!
From the minute I walked in and met Ruby and Ursala, I knew that this setting was one to take seriously. Warm, approachable, inviting and very knowledgeable are the words I happily use to describe them. They engaged with my son immediately (something that many places didn’t do) and left me impressed by their intimate, cosy, home from home like setting. I found this place unique because it has more than the expertise of a Nursery setting (qualified, very experienced teacher), but has the warmth of a childminders intimate setting (which in my view, is so important for young children). I knew that my child would not just be a number but would instead be nurtured, taught and cared for amongst a group of other lovely children. I feel so strongly about this :0).
It is unfortunate that there were no spaces at the time of my visit, but I feel that it’s important to help one another in leaving reviews of experiences, because choosing a place for my child has been very hard (I wish there would have been a space, as this would have erased my challenge). I am also a teacher which makes me even pickier! :0)
Hats off to Ruby and Ursala for creating a beautiful, cosy, outstanding setting and for being such lovely and warm people. In my search, I found that this is sadly quite hard to come by!
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by
Sally
on 16/11/2025
Response by
Bearsprings
on 16/11/2025:
Hello Sally,
It was a real pleasure meeting you, your husband and son at the viewing.
Thank you for taking the time to write Bearsprings such a lovely review.
We hope that your move goes smoothly and we look forward to hearing from you again, in the future.
Best wishes,
Ruby & Ursala
Our daughter has been at bearsprings since she was 1 years old. She settled in without any problems and we haven't had a single day when she hasn't wanted to go to see Ruby and Ursala. The mother daughter duo is a brilliant and unique setup. They are both very warm, approachable and caring. They take their job very seriously and the children are very happy there. Ruby and Ursala were so helpful and accommodating with our daughter's napping needs and did whatever we asked them to do! As a child clinical psychologist, child care is very important to me. I felt my daughter was in very safe hands. I highly recommend bearsprings!
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by
Zara
on 05/09/2024
Response by
Bearsprings
on 25/09/2024:
Thank so much for your very kind review, Zara.
Your daughter treated us like family from day one and Bearsprings soon became her second home.
Her language has developed incredibly over the past two years and she is now able to reflect on her feelings and thoughts and express them clearly, giving reasons for her emotions.
She is a bubbly and cheerful girl who is happy to join in with the activities on offer and when given a choice she would love to involve herself in some aspect of role play with her friends, both indoors and outdoors.
We are confident that she will continue to thrive in the future and enjoy making new friends, of all ages.
Best wishes
Ursala & Ruby
We feel incredibly fortunate to have found Bearsprings, led by the exceptional Ruby and Ursala. From the very beginning, they’ve gone above and beyond in every aspect of care for our son.
Ruby and Ursala have created a warm, nurturing environment that truly feels like a second home. Our son has flourished under their care and really looks forward to his time with them. He often comes home singing songs they’ve shared, references books they have read and recounts the fun he’s had with his friends. We worked in partnership with Ruby and Ursala to develop our son’s language skills, and he has come on in leaps and bounds with the help of their attention and focus.
The team even incorporate unique and engaging experiences into their programme of learning, such as butterfly keeping – something that has really captured our son’s imagination and sparked an interest in nature.
If you’re searching for childminders who are not only professional and loving but also genuinely invested in your child’s happiness and development, Ruby and Ursala are truly the best. We cannot recommend them highly enough.
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by
MaddieB
on 02/09/2024
Response by
Bearsprings
on 25/09/2024:
Dear Maddie,
Thank you for your lovely thoughts; we also feel fortunate to have had your son attend Bearsprings, as it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know all of you.
We have been hugely inspired by the positive response of your son and his peers, in assisting us with caring for caterpillars and butterflies, and we'll continue to explore pollinators and try our hand at moth keeping next year.
Your engaging partnership with us has allowed your son do develop a love of books and encouraged him to speak about his favourite characters and other things that he enjoys doing.
We are sure that his positive mindset will help him to continue to explore, play and think critically when faced with challenging tasks in his learning.
Thank you both for being such supportive parents.
Best wishes
Ruby & Ursala
Our daughter has attended Bearsprings for nearly a year from the age of about 2-3yr. We have had such a positive experience with Ruby & Ursala and our daughter absolutely loves going there. While being there, she became potty trained very quickly and easily and her communication skills have developed to an advanced level for her age. She has made friends at Bearsprings and benefited from interacting there with children older and younger than herself. Bearsprings offers a combination of a nursery and childminding setting. The space is set up wonderfully for children to play, learn and explore. We highly recommend Bearsprings and we will be very sorry to leave when our daughter starts attending the local primary school.
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by
Katharin
on 18/07/2024
Response by
Bearsprings
on 08/08/2024:
Hello Katharine,
Thank you so much for reviewing Bearsprings and for your lovely compliments.
As parents, you have both consistently supported us and reinforced your daughter’s learning at home. She has made excellent progress in every area because you have always taken the time and care to work in partnership with us.
Your daughter’s communication skills have developed rapidly over the year, as have her personal, social and emotional skills. At a very young age she is able to confidently interact with children and adults of all ages and stages of development, and most importantly, she enjoys doing so.
We wish her well in everything she does and know that her positive mindset will guide her in accomplishing a successful outcome, whenever she is faced with a challenge.
Her sense of humour and cheerful character always brighten up our day!
Best wishes always,
Ruby & Ursala
We can’t thank Ruby and Ursala enough for taking such good care of our two girls for the past four years. They provide such a caring and nurturing environment for the children and have always shown such warmth and kindness to our girls making them feel completely at home.
The girls have benefited greatly from going to Bearsprings: socially, academically and emotionally and Bearspings has played a huge part in preparing them for their next chapter. Ruby and Ursala, we will always be grateful for your excellent help and support. We think what you offer at Bearsprings is exceptional and you go above and beyond. We would highly recommend you to anyone looking for childcare in the local area. Thank you! X
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by
Vicky
on 09/04/2024
Response by
Bearsprings
on 20/04/2024:
We have had so much fun along the way and really enjoyed seeing the girls growing up into the lovely characters that they are now.
They both glow with confidence and really know how to enjoy social experiences; they love being with other children and enjoy regularly being immersed in new and challenging experiences.
It has been our pleasure getting to know you all and we would like to thank you for your consistent support and your very warm way of communicating with us.
Thank you vey much for the review and we hope our partnership will continue to flourish.
Take care,
Ursala & Ruby
Our child has been with Bearsprings from 9 months to 3.5 years and we only have positive experiences to share.
Ruby & Ursala are welcoming, supportive and provide a home-from-home atmosphere for the children. They have a wonderful set up that engages the children and stimulates imaginative and creative play; often changing things around based on current topics or themes. The facilities are great with indoor and outdoor space and exceptionally clean!
We have been so happy with our child's development at Bearsprings and they have made wonderful memories and friends whilst there. We will truly miss Ruby, Ursala and the family environment they have welcomed our daughter into and thank them for all their support over the past 3 years.
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by
Kirsty
on 17/03/2024
Response by
Bearsprings
on 20/04/2024:
Thank you so much for this review, Kirsty.
We had the best experiences and made some lasting memories with your daughter and the rest of your family, especially because she was a baby when she bonded with us and you were literally a few doors away, so we saw each other very frequently.
She thrived playing outdoors and through role play with her friends; she integrated with everyone, irrespective of their age and stage of development.
Her friends do ask about her frequently and we know you'll keep in touch and let us know how she's doing.
Thank you both, for your interest and support in her learning and development throughout her time at Bearsprings.
Best wishes for her to continue her learning journey through more fun filled experiences in early years education.
Take care always,
Ursala & Ruby
Both of our two daughters first attended Bearsprings from around 8 months old. Our eldest is now at school and our youngest is still enjoying her weekdays with Ruby and Ursala.
They both enjoy being challenged at Bearsprings and the variety of activities they can try out. It offers a supportive learning environment and Ruby and Ursala always keep us up to date with our daughters' progress. It combines the educational professionalism of a nursery with the personal touch of a family childminders. It was excellent preparation for reception for our eldest.
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by
Adam
on 07/08/2023
Response by
Bearsprings
on 08/08/2023:
Hello Adam,
It has been a pleasure getting to know both your girls and the rest of the family since your older daughter joined us, when we first opened, over 5 years ago.
Most importantly, your girls know how to enjoy being challenged through a range of play activities. They are very sociable too and like to involve their peers in whatever they are doing. It is always lovely to see them at our setting, as they like to come with a positive energy and motivation.
They are eager to problem solve and like to involve all the children and adults in adding the fun factor to everything that we do.
We have enjoyed watching them grow into the lovely, chatty girls that they are today. Their conversations reflect their kind and interesting characters and we all enjoy their sense of humour.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with you and know that the girls will always succeed in whatever they set their minds to.
Many thanks for your kind review.
Ursala & Ruby
Our little girl has blossomed during her time with Ruby and Ursala and we cannot thank them enough for loving her and teaching her how to play with her friends.
The environment at Bearsprings is a happy and warm-hearted one. The children are taught to be kind, generous and tolerant towards each other. The amenities and the range of activities the children are involved in from a early age is excellent.
There is also a large garden which is part sheltered for the children to play and again has a range of activities for them to play with.
We will be sending our second baby to Ruby as soon as she’s ready and cannot wait to continue the relationship for years to come!
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by
Larisa
on 06/04/2023
Response by
Bearsprings
on 15/04/2023:
Thank you for your very lovely words, Larisa.
Your daughter came to us at the age of one and over the next year or so transformed into a very talkative, sociable and inquisitive little girl!
She loves dressing up, role play, sharing books, dancing with instruments/ props and outdoor play, in particular.
She has learnt to share and take turns and understands that we are all important but have different needs and interests.
It is always a pleasure to see her totally immersed in her self chosen activities; she is also able to engage well during adult initiated experiences.
She has indeed blossomed over the time she has been at Bearsprings, developing strong relationships with her friends/ carers, and choosing to interact in a kind and polite manner.
We hope she continues her future journey, to gain new knowledge and skills, with her usual energy and laughter.
Looking forward to settling in your baby soon and continuing to make happy memories with your family!
Love Ruby & Ursala
My kids attended Bearsprings for only two months. It was so short but our kids and we could have wonderful memories at Bearsprings with Ursula and Ruby. They provide a relaxing environment for all kids. The message exchange was smooth and I felt comfortable leaving my child in their care. I would definitely recommend Bearsprings. Thank you so much Ursala and Ruby.
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by
Yuko
on 29/08/2022
Response by
Bearsprings
on 31/08/2022:
Thank you for your kind words, Yuko.
Although we knew the boys would be joining us for a short period of time, we did not anticipate how well they would begin to understand and start using words and phrases in English.
They also taught us expressions, words and phrases in Japanese, so we all managed to pick up some new knowledge.
The boys socialised well with their peers and enjoyed outdoor group play, singing and dancing in particular.
We wish them all the best at nursery and school during their stay in England.
Ursala & Ruby
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