The Cornerhouse Nursery

A detached house on a large corner plot gives The Cornerhouse Nursery its character; it has 25 places in total. This Harborne setting has separate spaces for babies, toddlers and preschool children, rather than treating the whole age range as one group. Its current age range is three to 59 months.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with close staff relationships helping children feel secure. The qualification to that positive picture matters: children needed more freedom to choose resources, and adult-led activities needed clearer learning intentions. Warm care and purposeful teaching are separate considerations here.

The address is 94 Lordswood Road, Harborne, Birmingham B17 9BY. Weekday opening runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with bank holidays excluded.

Rooms and Ages

Babies has soft flooring for early movement and play, alongside care routines covering feeds, nappy changes, rest and soothing songs. For the youngest children, the useful detail is the room's physical surface: exploring on the floor has a space designed for that stage.

Little Bears combines blocks, puzzles, books and art materials with indoor and outdoor activity and a quieter period for rest. Big Bears, the preschool room, has children's artwork, comfortable reading seating, a home corner and access to a secure outdoor space, with activities spanning language, movement, mathematics, science and creative work.

These are different environments for different stages. Little Bears puts practical play materials within the toddler day; Big Bears brings imaginative play and experiments into the preschool offer. The latter's reading spaces also give quieter activity a place alongside movement and exploration.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the statutory framework for learning, development and care here: in everyday terms, play and routines help children build communication, physical skills, independence and an understanding of their surroundings. Big Bears combines activities guided by adults with exploration led by children. The practical question is how those two parts work together.

In November 2024, two-year-olds made spiders from play dough and counted the features they added. Older children examined changes in sunflowers and strawberries left in the garden after growing. These examples connect early number work and observation to something children can handle or revisit, rather than separating learning from play.

Language work in November 2024 included songs, rhymes and conversations during activities. Staff described what children were doing and introduced unfamiliar vocabulary; pictures and actions supplemented spoken language for children who needed that help. The approach offered more than one way to join a conversation.

The same November 2024 findings identified a limit: access to some materials restricted children's ability to follow their own ideas. Adult-led activities also sometimes lacked sufficiently precise learning aims. A room can contain appealing resources while still needing better arrangements for children to choose and use them.

Outdoor and Community Life

Big Bears has outdoor equipment supporting movement, imaginative play and exploration of nature. The outdoor space therefore extends the room's activities rather than serving solely as a place to run around.

In November 2024, community outings included the zoo and local library, while celebrations introduced different faiths and cultures. Children of different ages also played together in the garden. These experiences widened the social setting beyond each child's usual room, with opportunities to meet older and younger children as well as explore places beyond the nursery.

Relationships and Communication

Communication has a clear rhythm. A child's key person gives a daily update, while Famly carries information about eating and sleeping, weekly updates and observations. Development assessments take place every three months, with progress discussions covering what families can do at home. Daily practical information and longer-term development conversations serve different purposes.

In November 2024, staff and parents exchanged information about children's starting points. Parents also received detailed accounts of activities and learning, together with ideas for continuing that learning at home. This makes the relationship useful beyond a simple account of whether a child had a good day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2024, children received affectionate reassurance and encouragement, alongside gentle reminders about sharing and taking turns. Staff helped children practise personal care from an early age, including handwashing, and talked about healthy food and drinking water. The emphasis was on children gradually doing more for themselves.

The current team includes a manager with designated safeguarding lead training and a practitioner who also works as a housekeeper. Those are concrete roles, rather than an assurance about outcomes. In November 2024, staff had access to training and regular support from leaders. For babies, the room's care description includes nappy changes, feeding, lullabies and naps, keeping ordinary bodily needs alongside play.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. The nursery operates across the year, with Christmas closures as well as bank holidays. Families can register their interest through the admissions enquiry route, and visits take place by prior arrangement.

Getting There

The nursery occupies a detached house at 94 Lordswood Road in Harborne, Birmingham B17 9BY. Contact is by telephone on (0121) 681 0681 or email at info@tchnursery.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

In November 2024, the nursery provided funded early education for children from nine months to four years. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Freedom to choose. In November 2024, restricted access to some resources limited children's control over play. On a visit, look at which materials children can reach and choose independently.
• Purposeful adult-led activities. The November 2024 improvement point concerned clearer learning intentions. Ask how practitioners decide what an activity should help a child learn, and how they adapt it as play develops.
• Your attendance and funding arrangement. The weekday opening window spans 7.30am to 6pm. Which booking pattern would fit your family, and how would funded hours, meals and non-food consumables be treated in the written quotation?

The Cornerhouse suits families seeking a small nursery with separate baby, toddler and preschool environments, a substantial weekday opening window and regular communication through a key person and Famly. Soft baby-room flooring, toddler play materials and the preschool outdoor space give that offer tangible shape.

Its November 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, but the teaching questions deserve attention alongside the care. The strongest decision will weigh the room appropriate to your child against how much freedom children now have to direct play and how clearly adults plan learning.