ILM Day Nursery, Perry Barr

Islamic values, cooking and language activities give ILM Day Nursery, Perry Barr a recognisable character alongside its play-based learning. Indoor sensory play areas and a garden provide different settings for exploration, while kindness and respect sit alongside the educational programme. For parents, the choice is about both the everyday care and the values woven into it.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The nursery has capacity for 67 children, with an accepted age range from three months to five years. Its address is 54 Davey Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham, B20 3DR.

Full-time and part-time attendance are both offered. The strongest practical distinction is that families can choose between those patterns rather than organise their childcare around a single attendance model.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care: here, storytelling, practical play and creative work give children opportunities to develop language, movement and expression. Islamic values form part of early learning, alongside an emphasis on curiosity, kindness and respect. These values complement the EYFS framework.

Arts, cooking, and language sessions bring different ways to participate into the programme. A child can work with creative materials, take part in cooking or practise communication through language activities. Weekly themed activities add a changing subject to explore. This combination gives parents something more concrete to assess than a broad promise of learning through play.

In June 2023, older children used Little Red Riding Hood to connect storytelling with practical work. They discussed the display they had helped create and put story pictures into order. Action songs supported younger children's participation, with props helping them follow the movements. Books and songs were therefore linked to things children could make, remember and do.

Literacy and mathematics also had a clear place in June 2023. Children searched for objects beginning with a particular sound, practised phonics and explored comparisons such as size. Handwriting books extended practice into the home. For families considering the preschool stage, these examples show how play and more directed learning sat together at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor sensory play areas give children space to explore through their senses, while the Outdoor secure play garden supports movement and active play. The contrast matters: the day can include both close exploration indoors and bigger physical activity outside.

In June 2023, a climbing frame and wheeled toys supported physical practice. Digging and experimenting with a cornflour mixture brought texture and changing materials into play, while older children made paper as part of learning about recycling. Those experiences connected movement, practical discovery and discussion of the natural world.

Communication with families is part of the current offer through Parent progress sharing. This gives parents a connection to learning beyond the nursery day, rather than leaving the educational programme entirely inside the setting.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children made good progress, with exceptional progress for some, and highlighted effective language support and close work with parents. In June 2023, speech screening helped staff identify communication needs and set targets; bilingual practitioners supported children learning English, and pictures helped explain routines. These were specific mechanisms for identifying needs and making the day understandable.

During June 2023, developmental concerns were discussed with families and referrals to outside agencies followed when needed. Learning information was shared regularly. For parents whose child needs additional help, the important distinction is the sequence: identifying a concern, discussing it and involving further support, rather than relying solely on informal reassurance.

Emotional support was practical too. In June 2023, staff helped children work through disagreements and understand their feelings, using encouragement to reinforce positive behaviour. Children could choose activities and spend sustained periods engaged in them, although the provision did not always follow their interests successfully.

Healthy meals are included in the fee. In June 2023, children also practised tooth care with pretend teeth and discussed how food and exercise affect the body, making healthy habits something to practise and talk about.

Sessions and Attendance

Full-time and part-time options allow families to choose different levels of attendance. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across the year. That opening window gives the boundaries of the day; the attendance options describe the booking choice.

The Perry Barr application form is the enquiry route for families interested in joining. Tours can be arranged through the nursery, and its branch telephone number is 0121 356 8833. The address is 54 Davey Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham, B20 3DR.

The age-group descriptions cover Babies from one to two years, Toddlers from two to three and Pre‑School from three to five. These describe stages of provision; the nursery's overall accepted age range begins at three months. For parents of a younger baby, the arrangements for that earliest stage deserve attention during a visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise about a family's present eligibility or attendance arrangement.

Meals are included in the fee. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing a family to assess its own attendance pattern before making a commitment.

• Care for the youngest babies. The accepted age range starts at three months, while the Babies age-group description begins at one year. For a baby under one, what settling, sleep and daily care arrangements would apply?
• Following children's interests. In June 2023, some activities did not adapt successfully when children's interests developed, and some children disengaged. During a visit, look at how staff make resources accessible and extend a child's chosen activity.
• Values in everyday learning. Islamic values are integrated into the educational approach, alongside kindness and respect. Discuss how these appear in ordinary play and routines so that the approach fits your family's expectations.

ILM Day Nursery, Perry Barr suits families seeking either full-time attendance or part-time care, with Islamic values woven into a programme of practical play, language and creative activities. The sensory spaces, garden and weekly themes provide concrete reasons to consider it.

The June 2023 Good judgement is a useful starting point, with a clear caution about sustaining children's interests when activities evolve. The decision should turn on how the present day works for your child's stage, especially for a baby below the age covered by the Babies description.