Prime Time 3 Day Nursery

A self-contained baby unit and a holiday club serving older children give Prime Time 3 Day Nursery a broader family role than early-years care alone. This Hodgehill setting combines nursery provision with wraparound care, making it relevant to families whose children are at different stages.

The nursery has capacity for 52 children, with an early-years age range of 2 to 60 months. At its August 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated assessment: its strongest details concern relationships with parents, story-based learning and children's growing independence, alongside improvements needed in room handovers and age-specific staff training.

The self-contained baby unit is the clearest physical feature of the current nursery offer. It gives baby provision its own space within a building that also accommodates services for older children. The holiday club extends that family role beyond the nursery years, catering for infants as well as teenagers.

In August 2023, familiar children's stories shaped the curriculum, connecting activities across areas of development. Regular book sharing gave early literacy a practical starting point: children encountered stories repeatedly rather than only using books for an isolated activity. The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care; here, the dated examples show how play, conversation and everyday routines contributed to that work.

The older children's holiday-themed activity in August 2023 had substance. They made passports, drew themselves and discussed clothing and items needed for a holiday. Conversations about sun protection and airport security connected imaginative work with things children recognised from family life. This was learning through a familiar subject, with opportunities to explain ideas as well as draw.

Babies and toddlers explored oats during the same visit, filling containers, tipping them out and using spoons to feed dolls. The materials were simple; the activity involved texture, repeated movements and coordination. These examples help parents understand the nursery's approach at that time, while keeping the distinction between an observed activity and a recurring programme clear.

At the August 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children made progress, that support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities included prompt identification and work with external agencies, and that relationships with parents were a substantial strength. Staff involved parents in children's plans, giving families a role in understanding and supporting the next steps.

In August 2023, leaders made time to discuss parents' wishes and helped them access local services where needed. Those are useful mechanisms: communication went beyond describing the day's activities to connecting families with further support. Staff generally understood their key children's development and used their next learning steps when planning activities.

Room moves were the weak point. In August 2023, a child's new key person did not consistently receive their learning targets, interrupting continuity between rooms. Staff development also needed a sharper emphasis on the ages practitioners actually worked with, especially younger children. These concerns matter because knowing a child well involves both understanding their individual next steps and how children of that age develop.

Everyday independence was visible in August 2023. Younger children used cutlery at meals, while older children managed shoes, coats and personal care with increasing independence. Mealtimes therefore contributed to practical skills as well as eating, and routine tasks gave children opportunities to do things for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

Prime Time 3 opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm. Its offer includes wraparound care and a holiday club alongside nursery provision, giving families with younger and older children different reasons to use the setting.

The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. Those closures are worth building into family childcare plans, especially where nursery care supports a regular working week.

Getting There

The address is 116-118 Dreghorn Road, Hodgehill, Birmingham, B36 8LN. Families can contact Prime Time 3 through its enquiry form or call option.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2023, the nursery was eligible to provide early education funding for children aged two, three and four. Families arranging paid care should obtain a current written quotation so that the agreed attendance and charges are clear before signing.

• Continuity between rooms. In August 2023, learning targets were not consistently passed to a child's new key person. During a visit, ask how a room move now transfers those targets and introduces the new practitioner.
• Care for younger children. The August 2023 findings called for staff training to relate more closely to the children's ages. Ask how practitioners working in the self-contained baby unit develop that age-specific understanding.
• Care across different stages. Wraparound provision and the holiday club broaden the building's use beyond nursery care. Ask how the early-years day and older children's activities are organised alongside each other.

Prime Time 3 suits families seeking nursery care for a younger child and wraparound or holiday care for an older sibling. Its self-contained baby unit adds a concrete point of interest, while the August 2023 account gives useful examples of story-led learning and practical independence. The decision turns on continuity: the room-handover and training concerns deserve clear answers, especially for families starting with a baby or anticipating a room move.