Jelly Babies Pre-School & Nursery

Daily yoga, fruit skewers and experiments with water gave Jelly Babies Pre-School & Nursery a practical, hands-on character in May 2022. Based at Longbridge Methodist Church in Rednal, Birmingham, it has capacity for 32 children in total.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good on 4 May 2022 and judged safeguarding effective. Children attending then were aged two to four. The strongest picture was of children making choices, joining energetic activities and practising everyday independence; developing language and securing new learning needed more attention.

In May 2022, outdoor play gave children opportunities to choose their activities, with resources reflecting their interests. Indoors, experiments combined water with washing-up liquid and baking powder. These offered a concrete starting point for exploring how materials behave.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing these together in everyday play and routines. In May 2022, activities included counting through songs about vegetables and fruit, while making fruit skewers exercised the small movements needed for handling tools.

Daily yoga in May 2022 involved balance and controlled movement. Diwali and Chinese New Year were also celebrated, and parents shared objects and traditions from their cultures. This brought family experiences into the nursery's activities rather than keeping them separate from children's learning.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received effective support, with managers involving other professionals and taking account of children's interests.

In May 2022, children used timers to manage the end of activities and practised sharing with one another. Staff gave gentle reminders about behaviour. Handwashing and clearing cups and plates gave children manageable responsibilities during the day.

Communication with parents in May 2022 combined spoken updates with written information about development, alongside ideas for learning at home. Staff also used signing to support speech. However, opportunities to extend children's vocabulary across different activities were missed, and new concepts were not consistently reinforced sufficiently for children to remember and apply them.

The address is Longbridge Methodist Church, 1648-1654 Bristol Road South, Rednal, Birmingham, B45 9TY.

In May 2022, opening hours were 9.15am to 2.45pm from Monday to Thursday, and 9.15am to 1pm on Friday. At that time, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. Healthy snacks were provided in May 2022, with children also preparing fruit skewers.

• Language development. In May 2022, staff introduced vocabulary but did not consistently help children use it beyond the original activity. Building confidence with new words was an improvement priority.
• Remembering new learning. The May 2022 findings also called for better sequencing so children could retain and use new ideas. Activities need follow-through as well as an engaging starting point.
• Attendance fit. The May 2022 opening pattern included a shorter Friday. At a visit, how would the current attendance arrangements work for your child?

Jelly Babies suits families who value practical play, everyday independence and activities that connect with children's interests. Its May 2022 assessment provides a positive foundation, with clear reservations about extending language and consolidating learning. The yoga, hands-on experiments and family contributions give that dated picture real character.