Hamd House Nursery, Small Heath

In November 2021, butterfly paintings, fruit riddles and experiments with erupting volcanoes illustrated Hamd House Nursery, Small Heath's educational character. Language ran through those activities, rather than being confined to a separate lesson. At its November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that its teaching developed communication effectively, with excellent progress for children including those with SEND.

The nursery caters for children aged 2 to 5 in Small Heath, Birmingham, and has 150 places in total. That whole-setting capacity should not be read as the number of children sharing an activity or a playroom. Its current playrooms combine accessible resources, seating and organised activity areas, giving children opportunities to choose materials and work independently as well as alongside others.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and eligible full-day patterns. This is an offer to weigh against the rhythm of the family week, as well as against the educational detail.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, practical play provides opportunities to develop language, early literacy and mathematical understanding. In November 2021, younger children connected butterfly artwork with The Hungry Caterpillar, discussing the story's food and healthy choices. A familiar story became a starting point for conversation and creative work.

Older children used a fruit guessing game at snack time in November 2021, describing what they were eating while staff introduced written fruit names and letter sounds. The interest lies in the connection between ordinary routines and learning. Snack time also became a chance to talk, listen and practise vocabulary, rather than simply a break between activities.

Science supplied another route into language in November 2021. Children explored floating and sinking, discussing whether water was transparent, and investigated a volcano mixture made with soap, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Those concrete experiences gave new words something tangible to describe. Early mathematics included measuring and weighing, comparing objects and recognising shapes in slices of cucumber.

The physical resources supported participation too. In November 2021, children practised forming letters on a whiteboard and took turns sharing their efforts. An animal visitor had brought snakes, which children later recalled and discussed. These examples show the educational approach at that date; they should be distinguished from the present attendance offer.

Outdoor and Community Life

Local trips are free, while end-of-term outings carry a charge at cost, with children receiving EYPP exempt from trip charges. Cooking activities carry no charge because the nursery subsidises them. These are useful additions for families weighing the costs around a funded place, although the different charging arrangements need to be kept separate.

Inside, resources are within children's reach and displays form part of the playroom environment. The layout accommodates shared activity alongside independent work. For a child learning to make choices, that access matters as much as the amount of equipment in the room.

Relationships and Communication

Learning continued beyond the nursery in November 2021 through a toy library that lent educational play materials and books to families. Activity packs and newsletters also gave parents ways to continue activities at home. The practical value was continuity: families had resources to use together, rather than only an account of what had happened during a session.

The Small Heath enrolment form asks about children's additional needs, dietary needs, allergies and personal care, alongside any involvement with outside professionals. This creates an opportunity to share specific needs before attendance begins. It also asks parents to identify authorised collectors, making collection arrangements part of the application process.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Personalised plans are part of the current SEND arrangements. Staff work with parents, local child development centres and City Council Area SENDCOs, bringing information from home and specialist services into planning for the child. The useful detail is the mechanism, rather than a broad promise: individual plans and external contacts provide a basis for discussing what support will look like in practice.

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with staff able to recognise concerns and follow the relevant procedures. At that date, welfare calls to families and careful record keeping were part of the approach, while children also learned about keeping themselves safe. This is a dated judgement, rather than a claim about today's practice.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 11-27 St. Oswald's Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B10 9RB. The nursery operates on weekdays during term time. Morning attendance runs from 8.50am to 11.50am; afternoons run from 12.50pm to 3.50pm. Full Time sessions run from 9am to 3pm for children meeting Birmingham City Council eligibility criteria.

Flexible entitlement access is also offered to accommodate individual needs. The morning and afternoon patterns provide different ways to fit nursery into the day, while the eligibility condition is integral to the full-day offer. Families can contact the Small Heath nursery on 0121 772 8838 or at hamd.smallheath@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Entitlement funded education is offered for children aged 2 to 5. Fruit and nappies are charged separately, with payment collected termly, so a funded place should not be treated as including those items. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Trip charges follow a different structure: local outings are free, end-of-term trips are charged at cost, and children receiving EYPP are exempt from trip charges. Cooking activities are subsidised and free of charge.

The nursery describes a link with Hamd House School in its Small Heath application form. Attending nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Nursery attendance and school admission are separate decisions.

• Term-time routine. Morning and afternoon sessions are both offered on weekdays during term time. Consider how that calendar fits your family's care arrangements outside term.
• Full-day eligibility. The 9am to 3pm Full Time pattern depends on Birmingham City Council eligibility criteria. At a visit, discuss how the eligible attendance pattern and flexible entitlement access would fit your child.
• Settling and individual support. Personalised SEND plans involve parents and specialist contacts. Ask how your child's settling period would be organised and how their individual plan would be put into practice.
• Costs around funding. Fruit and nappies have separate charges, while trip costs depend on the outing and EYPP status. Compare the written quotation with the items your child will actually use.

Hamd House Nursery, Small Heath suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon education, as well as those eligible for its full-day pattern. Its strongest educational evidence is the November 2021 picture of language woven into stories, experiments and everyday routines. Current personalised SEND planning and clearly differentiated session times give families practical points on which to judge the fit. The full-day eligibility condition and separate charges deserve equal attention alongside that dated Outstanding judgement.