Muhammadi Nursery

Garden-grown peas and potatoes, football with Kits Academy and Islamic learning give Muhammadi Nursery a recognisable character. This Balsall Heath setting combines practical exploration with an emphasis on kindness, sharing and independence. Children can investigate outdoors, spend time in the Sensory Room and learn about the food they have grown. These are concrete experiences around which conversation and play can develop.

At its November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to meet the expected standard, with safeguarding standards met. Those are separate judgements, rather than an overall grade. The main improvement point concerned waiting during some routines, which could leave younger children restless.

Muhammadi accepts children from two years old, with a current age range extending to five. Attendance is term-time, with full-day, morning and afternoon patterns, plus breakfast and after-school clubs. That makes the choice about both the child's experience and the shape of the family week.

Rooms and Ages

Toddlers, for children aged two and above, combines tactile play with music, movement and audio-visual resources to develop communication and coordination. Activities include foam exploration, car-washing play with bubbles and water, and making discovery bottles from seasonal materials. These give children things to handle, describe and investigate, rather than relying on spoken instructions alone.

Preschool, for children aged three and above, brings early phonics and mathematics into child-led play, with indoor and outdoor spaces and preparation for school. Examples include arranging letters to spell names, comparing the sizes of farm animals and constructing fire engines from cut-out shapes. The emphasis shifts towards using emerging knowledge in purposeful play.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics alongside creative expression and understanding the world. Muhammadi builds its planning around children's interests, observations and contributions from parents. Planned activities sit alongside opportunities for children to choose their own play, indoors and outside.

A fire drill prompted further exploration of firefighters: children used magnetic tiles, dressing-up and small-world play to develop the subject. That is a useful example of an experience becoming a thread for learning. Children can revisit an idea through making, talking and pretending, instead of treating it as a single adult-led activity.

Weekly football with Kits Academy adds coached movement and introductory ball skills. Children practise passing, kicking and dribbling through games, with listening and cooperation woven into the session. Physical activity therefore involves responding to other people as well as moving the body. Football Club is separately charged and takes place on Wednesday mornings.

In November 2025, daily activities included manipulating dough with tools, completing puzzles, counting cups at mealtimes and talking about drawings. Adults added words to children's play and used children's home languages to explain English vocabulary. Songs with actions and conversations about book illustrations provided further opportunities to speak and listen. These examples show learning spread through ordinary moments, rather than confined to a formal teaching slot.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School adds outdoor exploration through activities such as looking for wildlife, making bird feeders, using natural materials for art and playing in a mud kitchen. Activities change with the season and children's interests. Woodland walks, puddle play and outdoor stories give the natural surroundings a practical role in the nursery experience.

The nursery garden also connects growing with eating. Children have harvested peas and potatoes and eaten the produce at lunch, following the journey from plant to plate. Trips to a local farm involve observing animals and crops and talking with the farmer; seasonal park walks bring attention to changes in nature.

Road Safety Week has included practice at a crossing, with children stopping, looking and listening and using the pelican crossing button. It takes a safety message beyond a discussion indoors. Islamic learning and cultural awareness are part of daily practice, while celebrations include Eid Henna, Diwali Celebration and Japanese Children's Day. Families' traditions and children's own experiences contribute to this cultural learning.

Relationships and Communication

Regular updates through the Famly app give parents a way to follow learning and development. Meetings with key staff provide space to discuss skills and the next steps for a child, while workshops throughout the year invite parents to join activities. Communication includes both information sent home and opportunities for families to contribute.

In November 2025, children had close relationships with their key persons and were familiar with everyday routines. They practised practical tasks such as pouring drinks, preparing fruit and managing handwashing. Adults encouraged courteous behaviour and cooperation during play. For parents considering the transition into group care, these observations give substance to the emphasis on relationships and independence.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for SEND follows a graduated approach, with parents involved through assessment. At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified individual needs promptly, worked with families and other agencies, monitored progress and made timely referrals, while additional funding supported individual learning. The mechanism matters: needs are considered with parents and revisited as the child's development progresses.

The Sensory Room provides light, sound, colour and texture in a calm space for exploration. Mindfulness sessions may include breathing, listening games, relaxation and gentle movement. These offer different ways to pause or engage, alongside the more energetic football and outdoor activities. They are concrete parts of the offer, rather than a general promise about wellbeing.

In November 2025, adults used mealtimes to discuss healthy food and demonstrate food preparation and manners. Work with parents also covered nutritious eating and tooth brushing. The same visit identified a practical weakness: some snack-time arrangements involved excessive waiting for younger children. Independence was encouraged, but the organisation of routines needed attention.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 17 Clifton Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 8SX. Core opening hours are 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time; the nursery closes for school holidays. Families planning care around employment need to account for that calendar as well as the daily hours.

Full Day runs from 9am to 4pm. Morning Session is 9am to 1pm, while Afternoon Session runs from noon to 4pm.

Breakfast Club is offered, and After School Club runs from 4pm to 5.30pm. Applications use an online form; enquiries can be made through the contact form, by email or by telephone.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligibility-check routes cover two-year-olds and 30 hours. Eligibility and the nursery's charge structure are separate matters, so families comparing attendance patterns should consider both the hours they intend to use and the associated extras.

Lunch and weekly snacks are charged separately, as is Football Club. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fee structure also covers breakfast and after-school care, allowing families to consider those arrangements alongside the core sessions.

• Younger children's waiting time. The November 2025 improvement point concerned how routines were organised, including snacks. During a visit, ask how these routines now keep younger children engaged while supporting independence.
• Term-time attendance. School-holiday closures sit alongside full-day, morning and afternoon bookings. Families needing a continuous childcare calendar will need to plan for those breaks.
• Funding and the total arrangement. Lunch, weekly snacks and football carry separate charges. When discussing a booking, ask how funded hours are delivered and what the terms are for non-food consumables, so the written quotation reflects the intended pattern.
• Islamic learning and family traditions. Daily practice includes Islamic learning, alongside celebrations drawn from different cultures. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how that combination would feature in your child's day.

Muhammadi suits families seeking term-time care with a choice between full-day attendance and shorter morning or afternoon sessions, and who value Islamic learning alongside outdoor exploration and practical independence. Kits Academy football, Forest School activities and garden-grown food give the programme concrete substance. The Sensory Room offers a quieter counterpart to its physical activities.

The November 2025 area judgements provide a measured picture: the expected standard was met across the evaluated areas, with a specific improvement needed in the organisation of routines. That waiting-time issue deserves attention for younger children. For families whose calendar and values fit the offer, Muhammadi brings together identifiable learning experiences, parent communication and different lengths of nursery day.