Little Memories Day Nursery

An Insect Motel outdoors and drama sessions with Pyjama drama give Little Memories Day Nursery a character built around exploration and expression. Based in Kings Heath, Birmingham, it combines hands-on learning with a dedicated key person and opportunities for children to practise doing things for themselves.

Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding on 19 December 2022, describing carefully planned teaching and strong relationships between children and staff. That dated judgement is an important part of its appeal, alongside the current emphasis on following children’s interests rather than allowing documentation to dominate practitioners’ time.

Children are accepted from 3 to 60 months. Baby Room, Little Learners and Pre-School provide the room structure, while opening hours run from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room, Little Learners and Pre-School give families a clear sequence of named spaces. The useful distinction is between that room structure and the experiences attached to it: Toddlers and Pre-School children serve themselves at mealtimes, with help matched to their development. This makes independence something children practise during ordinary routines.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the expectations for children’s learning, development and care up to age five. Here, that translates into attention to language, physical development, early literacy and mathematical thinking, with play and exploration helping children make connections between them.

Development Matters and Birth to Five are non-statutory guidance tools used together to inform the nursery’s planning. They sit alongside the EYFS rather than replacing it. The emphasis includes shapes and spatial thinking, linking spoken language with reading and writing, and using art and design to explore the world.

In the moment planning means practitioners respond to children’s interests as learning unfolds. Characteristics of effective learning, described as CoEl, adds attention to how children investigate, sustain their concentration and find solutions. For parents, the practical attraction is a curriculum that gives room to a child’s curiosity as well as planned learning.

French classes sit alongside tennis with Toddler Tennis and drama with both Creative Flair and Pyjama drama. Sports coaching addresses physical health and movement skills. These additions offer different ways to participate: through language, performance and physical activity, rather than relying on one kind of task.

In December 2022, a soda-and-mints volcano experiment prompted children to predict what would happen and use new words for the reaction. Book handling was another everyday lesson: children learnt to turn pages carefully and put books away after reading. The examples show learning through both an arresting experiment and a quiet routine.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Insect Motel gives outdoor exploration a concrete subject, connecting insects with weather across the seasons. Rain is also treated as an opportunity to investigate changing conditions. Outdoor time therefore has a learning purpose beyond general play, with nature and the elements supplying questions children can explore.

In December 2022, children used a garden with slides and climbing equipment. These physical features added movement and challenge to the day; they belong to the account of practice at that time.

Relationships and Communication

A dedicated key person provides an individual point of contact, and shared learning journeys and downloadable tools connect parents with children’s experiences. This gives families something concrete to follow beyond a general account of the nursery day.

In December 2022, staff worked with parents to learn words in the languages children used at home. Younger children also took Benji Bear and his suitcase home, recorded their adventures and practised brushing his teeth. That activity linked nursery learning with family life through a familiar character and an everyday health routine.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its December 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described activities adapted to individual needs so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities could participate throughout nursery life. The important detail is the adjustment of activities, rather than a general promise of support.

In December 2022, colour-coded plates distinguished dietary needs, while the lunchtime puppet 5-a-day Faye helped children discuss fruit and vegetables. Oral health also featured in conversations about looking after teeth. These examples connected care routines with things children could understand and practise themselves.

Fresh food is cooked daily on site by a chef, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and provision for religious, cultural and medical dietary requirements. Toddlers and Pre-School children take part in serving food, making sandwiches and pouring drinks from porcelain jugs, turning meals into opportunities to build independence.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. The nursery operates throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas, so the calendar extends beyond school terms.

Families can contact the nursery by telephone or through its contact form. A separate tour-booking form provides a way to arrange a viewing.

Getting There

The address is 254 Alcester Road South, Birmingham, B14 6DR, in Kings Heath. This is the branch to use when arranging a viewing or discussing attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare options include government’s two-year funding and 30-hour money, with stretch funding also offered. Stretch funding provides an attendance option beyond a term-time arrangement; these are funding choices rather than a promise that an individual child qualifies.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. For learning detail, the curriculum page explains how the guidance tools and additional activities fit into the day.

• Attendance and the total bill. Opening spans 7.30am to 6pm and stretch funding is offered. At a viewing, ask which booking pattern fits your week and how meals, consumables and any activity charges affect your written quotation.
• Dietary needs. Food is prepared on site and medical dietary requirements are catered for. Families managing an allergy should confirm current preparation and serving practice, including whether the colour-coded plate system seen in December 2022 remains in use.
• Room transitions. Baby Room, Little Learners and Pre-School form the nursery’s room sequence. Use the tour to discuss how your child would settle into their first room and move between rooms later.

Little Memories suits families seeking year-round nursery attendance, hands-on learning and opportunities for children to become more independent during ordinary routines. Drama, tennis and the Insect Motel add recognisable detail to the offer, while the December 2022 Outstanding judgement provides a strong, dated assessment of its quality.

The key person arrangement and shared learning journeys also suit parents who want an individual contact and a continuing connection with their child’s learning. The strongest decision will combine those educational attractions with a booking and funding arrangement that works for the family’s week.