Little Trolls Day Care

In March 2025, play dough pizzas, stories about Goldilocks and conversations about feelings illustrated Little Trolls Day Care's approach to early learning: things children can touch, retell and discuss. Based at The Centennial Centre in Edgbaston, Birmingham, it has 50 places in total. The emphasis is on learning through play, with room for children's own interests alongside activities organised by adults.

At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. Children attending at that time were aged 1 to 5; that is the age range of the inspected group. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings provide different ways to organise attendance.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care, with play helping children develop communication, social and physical skills. Adult-guided activities sit alongside opportunities for children to choose what interests them. This gives the day both direction and space for exploration.

In March 2025, toddlers mixed play dough, investigated how the ingredients felt and used the result in pretend pizza-making. Practitioners brought conversation into the activity by discussing toppings. A familiar play activity therefore became an opportunity to handle materials, make choices and put ideas into words.

Preschool activities in March 2025 drew on a book chosen each week. Children retold the Goldilocks story and explained the differences between the bears' porridge. The useful detail is the conversation around the story: children were recalling events and explaining them, rather than simply listening to an adult read.

Arts and crafts, music and movement, outdoor exploration and interactive play also form part of the nursery's activities. These give children different ways to participate, from making something to moving their bodies or playing with others.

Outdoor and Community Life

Indoor play areas are complemented by outdoor space. In March 2025, children talked about riding bikes in the garden and taking walks to a local park. They could also explain outing rules and the ways staff helped keep them safe, bringing practical safety into their account of everyday experiences.

A sensory room was being developed in March 2025 to provide a calmer space for managing emotions. This was work in progress at that point, rather than a completed facility to assume forms part of today's day.

Relationships and Communication

In March 2025, babies and toddlers sought comfort from their key persons when tired. Sleep followed familiar routines, with lullabies and subdued lighting, and staff shared information about children's daily routines with parents. For younger children, that connection between familiar care and communication home matters as much as the activity programme.

Daily updates, newsletters, parent meetings and an open-door approach support communication with families. Regular information about progress gives parents a way to follow what their child is doing and discuss concerns alongside ordinary news from the nursery day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress, supported by assessments, work with families and professionals, and individual or small-group help each day. Additional funding at that time paid for extra staff, resources and meals for the children it supported. The support was tied to identified needs rather than a single activity offered to everyone.

In March 2025, speech and language assessments helped staff plan communication activities and obtain specialist advice where needed. Toddlers practised naming their feelings, while preschool children used circle time to listen to others and explain their own emotions. These are concrete examples of how communication and emotional development were brought into the day.

Kitchen staff prepare meals on site and accommodate dietary requirements and allergies; meals taken during funded hours carry a separate charge. Allergy-affected families should discuss current arrangements before choosing the setting.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is The Centennial Centre, 100 Icknield Port Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 0AA. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form.

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6.30pm. Nursery AM Sessions run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, while Nursery PM Sessions run from 1pm to 6pm. The different finishing times matter: the full-day booking extends beyond the afternoon session. Additional hours are also charged separately.

Holiday Club/Play Scheme has its own patterns: a full day from 8am to 5pm, or a half day from 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 5pm. These should be distinguished from the nursery's morning and afternoon bookings when planning attendance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare forms part of the offer, with meals during funded hours charged separately. Private session bookings and additional paid hours are also offered. A registration charge applies, and current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the session and charge categories.

• Training put into practice. In March 2025, leaders needed to improve how they checked whether staff training translated into secure everyday practice. At a visit, ask how that monitoring now works and what it has changed.
• Your child's stage and attendance. The March 2025 group ranged from 1 to 5, and morning, afternoon and full-day patterns have different endpoints. Discuss the age group and booking pattern that would fit your child.
• Food and funded hours. Meals during funded hours are charged separately, and kitchen staff accommodate dietary needs. Families managing an allergy should confirm the current meal arrangements and handling procedures.

Little Trolls Day Care suits families considering morning sessions, afternoon sessions or full-day attendance, with play and communication central to its approach. The March 2025 examples give substance to that offer: making dough, retelling stories, discussing feelings and receiving targeted help. The improvement point concerns how consistently staff learning is checked in practice. That is the most useful leadership question to take into a visit.