Little Cherubs Solihull

A covered rooftop garden, a Sensory Room and live webcam access give Little Cherubs Solihull a recognisable character. Outdoor play happens above the building, while parents can see parts of their child's day remotely. This is childcare with some unusually concrete ways to connect home and nursery.

At its 20 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The two improvement priorities are important for parents choosing care for a baby or a quieter child: making more room for less confident children to speak, and giving the youngest babies more opportunities to explore.

The nursery takes children from 3 months to 5 years and has capacity for 52 children. Despite its Solihull name, the address is in Acocks Green, Birmingham. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions sit alongside flexible hours, with conditional term-time arrangements also offered.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room care combines sensory experiences, songs, conversation and tummy time, with feeding and comfort shaped around each baby's routines and preferences. That makes the child's familiar habits part of the care plan, rather than expecting every baby to follow the same pattern.

For children aged 2 to 3, the Toddler Room combines time to choose their own play with organised activities, emphasising growing independence, communication and movement. The Preschool Room, for ages 3 to 4, uses children's interests to shape guided learning and exploration, with an interactive screen adding another resource for shared activities.

Across the age-based rooms, the progression is from early exploration towards greater independence. That distinction matters more than a simple change of room: babies need space to move and investigate, toddlers are practising choices and relationships, and preschool children are extending their ideas through conversation and purposeful play.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children learn through play across areas including language, physical development, relationships, maths and creative expression. It is the educational foundation here, rather than an extra programme that sets this nursery apart.

Observations inform weekly planning, so activities can build on children's interests and their next developmental steps. Rooms are arranged around the framework's learning areas, giving children access to different kinds of play. Individual development folders let parents follow that planning, while monthly learning journals bring photographs and accounts of activities home.

The preschool day includes music and movement, listening activities and opportunities to investigate natural materials. A quiet corner provides somewhere to enjoy books or pause. These are different ways to participate: a child can join a shared activity, explore an interest or spend time with a book, rather than having every experience organised around a screen or a group discussion.

In May 2025, staff used songs and stories to encourage conversation and imagination. Children also helped prepare the meal tables, counting the cutlery needed for their friends. Everyday jobs became opportunities to practise numbers and responsibility. However, confident speakers tended to dominate some exchanges, leaving children with language gaps fewer chances to practise.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Rooftop Adventure Playground brings climbing, cycling, water play and digging into the outdoor day. Its covered garden allows outdoor play in different weather, while a planting area gives children opportunities to grow vegetables and follow the development of flowers. It offers more than a place to expend energy: movement, sensory exploration and growing things share the same space.

A large sand pit and quieter areas broaden the choices. Children can investigate textures, balance, play in a den or spend time reading with their key carer. Outdoor time therefore includes both energetic play and a slower pace, useful for children whose enthusiasm or energy changes during the day.

Inside, the Sensory Room is accessible throughout the day. A climbing frame, soft play, illuminated floor panels, a light-up den and fibre optic lights provide different sensory experiences, alongside calming sounds. The practical attraction is choice: this is another space children can use, beyond their age-based playroom and the rooftop garden.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker oversees each child's learning and development. Parents can discuss concerns with the key carer or manager and access individual development folders, while the monthly journals provide another way to follow activities at home. Communication has several routes, rather than depending on a single conversation.

An individual monthly plan links observations to the child's next steps and includes parent feedback. When a child moves to an older room, a Transition Report passes on progress and interests to the next key carer. Parents' evenings take place every six months, adding a scheduled opportunity to discuss development alongside everyday contact.

Nursery Cam allows parents to view live video remotely, including on mobile devices; it carries no sound. That can help families see a familiar face or activity during the working day, but it serves a different purpose from discussing learning, feeding or wellbeing with staff. The nursery also uses individual parent key fobs for entry and CCTV across the premises.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff gathered information from families before children started, offered affectionate reassurance, assessed development regularly and involved other professionals when concerns arose. These findings give substance to the nursery's arrangements for individual care and early support, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

For babies, the practical detail is individual attention to feeding, comfort and familiar routines. Toddlers can sleep when they need to, and potty training is introduced when appropriate. The team structure includes room leaders for babies, toddlers and preschool children, giving each stage an identified leadership role.

There is also a clear caution for the youngest children. In May 2025, some babies spent extended periods being held or sitting with staff, which reduced their opportunities to investigate the surroundings. Affectionate care and active exploration both matter; parents of a young baby should give this point proper weight when considering the day their child will have.

Fresh meals are prepared on site, with seasonal summer and winter menus overseen by a paediatric dietician. Vegetarian alternatives are offered daily and special diets are catered for, so food is part of the nursery's planning rather than an identical menu for every child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 1322 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, B27 6PL. Telephone enquiries use 0121 707 7569, and there is also an enquiry form.

Morning sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm; afternoon sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. A full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm. Flexible hours and school-hours care add alternatives to those fixed sessions, useful when the family's working pattern does not follow a full nursery day.

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week over Christmas. Term-time-only care is offered to teachers subject to availability, so that condition belongs alongside the option rather than being treated as a general entitlement.

Getting There

Free street parking is provided outside the nursery. For families travelling by car, that is a practical part of the Warwick Road location.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 or 30 hours for eligible children aged 9 months to 5 years, together with Two-Year-Old Funding for eligible families. Additional privately paid care is also offered. These are eligibility-based arrangements, so the funded hours and the family's chosen attendance pattern need to be considered separately.

Meals and snacks, and nappies and wipes, are charged separately, including alongside funded hours. The Enhanced Provision Package covers additions beyond government-funded education, including resources, specialist teaching, celebrations, outings and seasonal activities; families can choose whether to take it. That choice should be distinguished from simply booking a morning or full-day session.

A deposit is refundable on leaving, subject to terms and conditions, and a registration charge applies. Fees are charged across 52 weeks, with monthly payment in advance by standing order. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fee structure explains the charge categories and terms.

• Baby exploration. In May 2025, prolonged holding sometimes reduced babies' opportunities to explore. During a visit, ask how tummy time, movement and independent investigation are balanced with comforting your baby.
• Quieter voices. The May 2025 priority was to give less confident children more chances to contribute. Ask how staff make space for a child who watches first or needs longer to answer.
• Term-time budgeting. Teachers' term-time care is conditional on availability, while fees are charged over 52 weeks. Discuss how those terms apply to your proposed booking before committing.
• Dietary needs. Special diets are catered for and meals are separately charged. Families managing allergies should confirm current food preparation and handling arrangements for their child's needs.

Little Cherubs Solihull suits families choosing morning sessions, afternoon care or full days, as well as those needing flexible hours. The covered rooftop garden, sensory facilities and remote video access give parents clear reasons to consider it, while development folders and monthly journals provide ways to stay involved in learning.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the baby-exploration and quieter-voice priorities deserve attention. For a family whose child will use those spaces and whose booking fits the charge structure, this is a nursery with practical character and a clearly defined set of questions to weigh.