Springthorpe Day Nursery & Pre-school

A separate sleep room for babies and a garden used daily give Springthorpe a clear practical character: room to play, with somewhere apart to rest. This Erdington nursery, close to Sutton Coldfield, has capacity for 60 children aged three months to five years. Its age-specific rooms take children from early exploration through to preparation for school.

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent time with key persons and gaps in how well some staff knew individual children. That is an important qualification to the positive judgement. Relationships matter here, but continuity deserves careful attention.

Full-day attendance and a conditional term-time funding option serve different family routines. The separate baby sleep space, daily garden play and Famly communication app are the clearest reasons to consider Springthorpe alongside those practical arrangements.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room, for children up to 12 months, combines climbing frames and messy play tables with cosy areas and a separate sleep room, allowing active exploration and rest to occupy different spaces.

For children aged one to two, the First Steps Room gives newly mobile children additional space to practise moving; the Toddler Room, for ages two to three, puts imaginative play alongside learning to share and play with others.

The Pre-School Room, for ages three to five, brings construction and children's developing interests together with preparation for school through independence, confidence and everyday skills.

These stages make the organisation easy for parents to understand. The distinction between babies and newly mobile children is useful, rather than treating the whole under-two period as one stage. Preschool preparation also centres on what children can do for themselves, rather than presenting readiness as a list of academic accomplishments.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children's learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and practical routines provide opportunities to develop language, movement and independence. Springthorpe also uses Tommies' group-wide In the Moment approach, with activities shaped around children's interests and intended to extend language and early number skills.

In May 2023, physical challenges grew with children's confidence: babies experimented with stepping onto and off a crate, while toddlers progressed from riding a bicycle to trying a ramp. These were concrete examples of adjusting the challenge to what a child could already manage. They give more substance to the learning approach than a broad promise of stimulating play.

Daily garden access is part of the current offer, including wet-weather days. Outdoor play therefore has a regular place in the routine. For families who value time outside, that commitment matters more than an occasional outdoor activity.

Relationships and Communication

Famly is the nursery's parent communication app, used to keep families connected with their child's day and milestones. It gives communication a place beyond collection-time conversations. The practical value is straightforward: parents have another way to follow nursery life while their child is away from home.

In May 2023, each child was allocated a key person, but children did not consistently spend time with that adult. Strategies for sharing knowledge of children were also used unevenly. The improvement priority was better understanding of individual children, especially among newly appointed key persons and supply staff. For a family choosing care, the relevant issue is how knowledge of their child's needs travels between adults.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities used bucket time to practise shared attention, and that uneven staff knowledge of children limited the pace of learning. This combines a specific support mechanism with a clear limitation. The overall grade should be read alongside both.

During May 2023, practical independence included washing hands and faces after lunch and checking the result with staff support. Older children also practised getting dressed and undressed for later school routines. These small tasks made preparation tangible: managing personal care and participating in a group, rather than simply becoming familiar with letters or numbers.

A nursery chef prepares and cooks Springthorpe's meals. Food and snacks are included in standard paid sessions, while meals on funded days carry a separate charge.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 141 Springthorpe Road, Birmingham, B24 0SP. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and full-day sessions run across that same window. The minimum booking is two full days each week; bookings of three days or fewer must include Monday or Friday. This day-of-week condition can materially affect whether a pattern fits work or family commitments.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Standard bills spread the cost of 51 weeks into 12 equal monthly payments and include bank holidays and a staff development day. Equal bills make the payment rhythm predictable, but a closure does not necessarily reduce that month's bill.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or message, and visit booking is offered. Monthly payments are due in advance on the first, using Direct Debit, Tax-Free Childcare or a combination of both.

Funding and Paid Extras

Springthorpe accepts 15 hours for children aged two receiving additional support, 15 hours for all three- and four-year-olds, and 30 hours childcare for eligible working families. Eligible working families can access this entitlement from the term after their child turns nine months. Funding can be stretched across 51 weeks; term-time attendance is also offered for the two specified 15-hour entitlements, following 38 weeks of school terms.

Those term-time places are allocated in order of application and remain subject to the Admissions Policy. Additional sessions can be purchased beyond funded hours. Funded-day meals, including snacks, are charged separately, so entitlement hours and the final childcare bill are different parts of the decision.

Funding Loop is the digital system used to complete the relevant funding forms after eligibility has been checked. Parents must register with it to authorise the claim; working-family funding codes also need renewal every three months. The paperwork is consequential, because funding cannot be applied without the required authorisation.

A registration charge applies when requesting a place. It becomes non-refundable on acceptance; if the required pattern cannot be offered and the family withdraws rather than taking an alternative, it is refunded. A separate acceptance payment is credited against the first month's bill. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Continuity between adults. The May 2023 improvement priority concerned staff knowledge of individual children. During a visit, ask how the key person shares routines, interests and support needs with newly appointed or supply staff.
• Days that fit your week. Standard attendance requires two full days, with Monday or Friday included when booking three days or fewer. Compare that condition with your weekly commitments before choosing a pattern.
• Funding and the final bill. Stretched funding and the conditional term-time option work differently, and funded meals cost extra. Request a written quotation showing how your entitlement, attendance and food charges fit together.
• Your baby's routine. The Baby Room has a separate sleep room. During a visit, ask how sleep and feeding routines would work for your child.

Springthorpe suits families seeking regular full-day attendance across the year, as well as families using the specified 15-hour entitlements who prefer its term-time option. Daily garden play, separate baby sleep space and rooms organised by developmental stage give it a practical appeal.

The balance rests on relationships as much as rooms. The May 2023 judgement was positive, but staff knowledge and key-person continuity were clear improvement priorities. For families weighing Springthorpe, those details deserve as much attention as the attendance pattern and funding calculation.