Jellybean Nursery

A former adventure-playground site gives Jellybean Nursery a recognisable home: open space for play on Claremont Road, with community support behind the building. This Birmingham setting has capacity for 30 children. Its character rests on family involvement, individual attention and practical help with the move towards school.

Ofsted rated Jellybean Good at its December 2022 inspection. Those findings describe that visit. The current offer includes a personal key worker, communication activities using Makaton and a setting-based SENCO working alongside the area special educational needs team.

Morning, afternoon and full-time sessions run on weekdays during term time. The nursery also welcomes children under two; the children attending in December 2022 were aged two to four.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, play gives children access to different areas of learning, while staff tailor the curriculum towards the early learning goals. Children can move between activities and work towards their individual targets, rather than following an identical route through the day.

Makaton is used as part of the nursery's communication work with children. It sits alongside an emphasis on listening to children and recognising their individual preferences and temperaments. The practical point is participation: communication is approached in different ways, giving children more than one way to take part.

In December 2022, books, songs and familiar rhymes featured in language activities. Staff modelled speech, and older children discussed the day, month and year. Activities also drew on children's interests and the cultures and festivals relevant to their families. Learning therefore connected with experiences children could recognise beyond nursery.

Shared activities brought opportunities to practise patience. In December 2022, children took turns adding decorations to a Christmas tree, leaving room for their friends to contribute. Staff encouragement accompanied the activity. This was a concrete example of cooperation through play, rather than a separate lesson about behaviour.

There was also a limitation. In December 2022, some younger children struggled to sustain attention when group activities became too large. The improvement priorities included more age-appropriate opportunities to build confidence in learning. For families with younger children, the organisation of shared activities deserves attention alongside the choice of activities themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

The nursery occupies the former Hockley Adventure Playground site. Open space gives children room to explore and play, and Dojo Community Project supported the creation of the nursery building. That connection explains something of the setting's community roots; it does not imply an ongoing programme of children's sessions with the project.

In December 2022, children had daily opportunities for exercise outdoors. The next step was to broaden the learning available outside, extending the skills children could practise through exploration and play. Space and educational use are separate considerations here: the outdoor setting is a practical asset, while the dated improvement priority concerns what children do within it.

Relationships and Communication

A personal key worker provides a consistent point of contact for each child's care. Families can participate in group activities and their child's progress, making parental involvement part of the nursery's approach rather than an occasional invitation.

Full of Beans is the nursery newsletter, with families invited to contribute stories connected with the setting. It offers a named channel for sharing nursery life. Parents can also become involved in the trustee board, contributing to governance and guidance.

In December 2022, staff encouraged children to manage everyday tasks for themselves as preparation for school. Children practised sharing and taking turns, while staff drew on their interests when planning activities. These observations give substance to the nursery's emphasis on treating children as individuals.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The setting-based SENCO works with the area special educational needs team to identify and support children with learning difficulties or disabilities. An equal opportunities leader also forms part of the nursery's arrangements. These are concrete mechanisms for support, rather than a blanket promise about every child's experience.

At the December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs or disabilities benefited from a curriculum suited to their individual needs. These are dated findings, not assurances about present practice.

School transition receives practical attention: the nursery helps families with the move and with considering their next setting. The emphasis is on preparation and guidance.

Sessions and Attendance

Jellybean operates on Monday to Friday during term time. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am, afternoon sessions from 12.15pm to 3.15pm, and the full-time session from 8.45am to 3.15pm. These are three distinct attendance patterns, allowing families to choose a shorter session or a day spanning both parts of the timetable.

Children are not excluded during the lunchtime gap between sessions, and there is no extra charge for that bridging period. This matters when comparing a combination of sessions with the full-time pattern: the break does not require a separate collection.

Joining begins by telephone or email. Staff provide guidance about attendance costs, benefits, allowances and the associated forms.

Getting There

The address is Claremont Road, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 5NJ, on the former Hockley Adventure Playground site. On-street parking is part of the travel arrangements; it should be considered separately from a dedicated nursery car park.

Funding and Paid Extras

In December 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. The current joining arrangements include help for parents and carers with understanding childcare costs and completing the relevant paperwork.

• Younger children's participation. In December 2022, larger group activities sometimes lost younger children's attention. On a visit, ask how activities are organised for the youngest children, including those under two.
• Outdoor learning. Broadening outdoor experiences was a December 2022 improvement priority. Ask to see how the open space is used for learning as well as exercise.
• The funded-place quotation. Funded early education formed part of the December 2022 offer. Before agreeing an attendance pattern, request written terms covering the current entitlement, meals and non-food consumables.
• Term-time attendance. Morning, afternoon and full-time sessions follow a term-time timetable. Families needing childcare through school holidays will need to plan around that pattern.

Jellybean suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting the full-time term-time pattern. A personal key worker, parental involvement and practical transition support give its offer a clear family emphasis.

The December 2022 judgement provides a positive inspection position, balanced by specific questions about younger children's participation and outdoor learning. The strongest reasons to consider Jellybean are concrete: space to play, several session choices and named arrangements for communication and additional support.