Conifers Day Nursery KN

Outdoor adventure and careful attention to how children communicate give Conifers Day Nursery KN its character. The purpose-built Kings Norton setting has age-related play rooms, a fenced garden and outdoor space adjoining Arrow Walk Park. These are useful foundations for a day that makes room for active play alongside indoor learning.

At its 24 April 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding across all areas and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: staff used conversations during play and meals to extend learning, while children practised remembering earlier experiences and explaining their plans.

Children aged 3 months to 5 years are accepted, with capacity for 56 children in total. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different attendance patterns rather than a single all-day option.

Rooms and Ages

Age-related rooms organise the nursery day around children's stages of development. Spacious interiors allow active play, while free-flow outdoor access connects indoor experiences with the enclosed garden. For a child who needs to move, the physical layout gives outdoor activity a place in the day rather than treating it only as a separate outing.

In April 2025, indoor and outdoor spaces had been adjusted after leaders examined how children used them. Two rooms had also been developed around sensory and emotional needs, offering opportunities both for physical activity and quieter moments. That distinction matters: energetic play and time to pause serve different purposes.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) shapes learning through communication, movement, relationships and emotional development, alongside early literacy, mathematics, creative expression and understanding the world. These areas connect ordinary experiences with learning: talking about a choice, sharing equipment or exploring outdoors can each have an educational purpose.

In April 2025, staff encouraged children to explain what they intended to play with, accepting single words or sentences according to their development. Preschool children were prompted to remember earlier play and connect it with what they were doing next. The emphasis was on children expressing an idea and returning to it, rather than simply moving between activities.

Mealtimes also carried learning opportunities in April 2025. Staff introduced counting and sharing through handing out equipment, bringing language and mathematical ideas into familiar routines. Outdoor adventurous learning complemented children's experiences at home, giving physical exploration a deliberate place in the curriculum.

Relationships and Communication

Settling-in sessions include discussion of safeguarding, behaviour and health-and-safety policies, with copies emailed to parents. This gives families a concrete introduction to the procedures staff use and an opportunity to understand expectations before attendance becomes routine.

Tapestry, an online learning journal, is the nursery's route for sharing children's experiences and development with parents through photographs, video and written entries. It connects home with nursery learning in a more specific way than a general account of the day's activities.

In April 2025, parent workshops addressed the needs of local children and were open to parents across the surrounding area. Families also received guidance on accessing additional support for their children's individual needs. That work extended parent communication beyond updates about attendance or daily routines.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the April 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that key persons received training to put individual SEND plans into practice and that additional funding was used carefully around children's needs. The support described was practical: planning drew on children's interests, development and family input, rather than treating additional support as a separate activity.

In April 2025, children with food allergies were learning to recognise their designated plates and identify foods to avoid; older children discussed their own and their friends' allergies. This brought awareness of individual needs into everyday routines.

Staff prepare snacks, while an outside caterer supplies lunch and pudding. Vegetarian, dairy-free and halal diets can be accommodated, making dietary arrangements a relevant part of planning a child's attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Morning sessions run from 7.45am to 12.45pm, afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 7.45am to 6pm. Half-day bookings cover either of those shorter periods, and a full-week booking is also offered. The separate morning and afternoon options matter for families whose childcare needs do not require a full day.

The main opening pattern is Monday to Friday, 7.45am to 6pm, over 51 weeks, with bank holidays and a week at Christmas excluded. That Christmas closure needs to sit alongside a family's work and holiday plans.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by email, and visits can be booked. A one-off, non-refundable registration charge places a child on the waiting list and is payable when the application form is submitted. It is a booking rule, rather than a statement about places being free.

Getting There

The address is 17 Arrow Walk, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B38 9HP. A car park on the nursery site serves collection and drop-off, and Arrow Walk Park is next door.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 hours and 30 hours funded places for eligible children aged 2 to 5. Eligibility remains a condition of those arrangements; it should not be confused with every child receiving the same funded attendance pattern.

Funded sessions carry a separate consumables charge. Parents also supply nappies or pull-ups, wipes and creams, as well as a drinking cup, labelled spare clothing and any required inhaler. Families therefore have both a charge to account for and everyday items to bring from home.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the booking categories and registration terms.

• Session-time conflict. The main session timetable gives an afternoon booking of 1pm to 6pm, while the contact timetable gives 12.45pm to 5.45pm and an earlier closing time. Which timetable will govern your child's booking?
• Funded-place costs. Funded sessions have a consumables charge, and families supply nappies, wipes and creams. Before applying, what does the charge cover, how are funded hours spread through the year, and how are meals charged?
• Space for different needs. In April 2025, two rooms supported sensory and emotional needs through activity and quieter reflection. At a visit, how would your child use these spaces within their age group?

Conifers suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance. In April 2025, staff emphasised outdoor adventure and helped children explain their play plans. Tapestry adds a practical connection between learning and home.

The Outstanding judgement is backed by detailed examples of teaching and individual planning. The decisions to settle before booking are concrete: the applicable timetable, funded-session costs and how the rooms will work for your child.