The Elms Day Nursery

A recycling project, allotment harvest activities and outdoor play through the seasons give The Elms Day Nursery a recognisable character. Past environmental activities have made practical connections with life at home: a recycling project involved bird feeders and waste sorting, while autumn 2024 harvest activities used vegetables grown by children.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There was also a clear teaching priority: extending learning further, especially for children ready for greater challenge.

The nursery has capacity for 114 children aged six to 60 months. Its address is 33 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2RS. The combination of outdoor experiences, individual settling arrangements and practical independence gives families several concrete reasons to consider it.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning and care: children develop communication, physical skills and relationships through play and everyday experiences. At The Elms, a recycling project added tangible subject matter to that learning. Sorting rubbish involved recognising differences; making bird feeders gave discarded objects a new purpose.

A recycling project with University of Birmingham’s Cleaning and Waste Services brought those ideas together. Children made feeders using reused materials and practised choosing the appropriate bins for different waste. The value is in the activity itself: sustainability becomes something children do, rather than an abstract instruction to protect the planet.

In November 2024, independence developed through ordinary care routines. Babies practised feeding themselves and cleaning their hands with adult help, while preschool children managed coats and toileting more independently. Those small tasks give children useful responsibilities and prepare them for greater self-reliance when they move on to school.

Singing also invited participation at that time. Babies used gestures to select familiar songs and joined in with movements and sounds. Older children practised cooperation while sharing letter stencils and building towers together. Learning was woven into play, although some children lost interest when adults did not take an activity far enough.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School, an approach centred on learning outdoors, sits alongside the nursery’s all-weather policy. Children use outdoor spaces throughout the year, including in winter, so suitable clothing is part of attending rather than an occasional extra. This will appeal to families who want outdoor experiences to remain part of the day as the seasons change.

In November 2024, children used a large outdoor area, explored manageable risks with supervision and took local walks. Visiting dance and sports groups added different kinds of movement. These experiences extended the day beyond indoor play and gave children opportunities to test their physical confidence.

In 2024, Green Impact gave the environmental work a named structure. The programme encourages workplaces to improve sustainable practices, and The Elms achieved its Platinum award that year. That autumn, children’s allotment vegetables also supplied harvest activities involving picking and cooking. The growing space connected caring for plants with preparing food.

Creative work follows children’s ideas. The nursery’s Christmas craft approach favours individual pieces over matching products directed by adults. For parents, the resulting artwork can reveal the child’s own choices rather than their ability to copy a model.

Relationships and Communication

Settling was individualised in November 2024. A key person met each family before the child started, and information gathering accommodated families arriving from overseas for university work or study. When children changed rooms, short periods with unfamiliar adults and children helped make the move gradual.

New parents also receive an induction with a management team member through Teams before their child starts. This gives adults a separate opportunity to understand nursery routines. Progress reports are shared through ParentZone, with telephone appointments providing time for discussion rather than leaving communication entirely to collection time.

In November 2024, the nursery employed 47 childcare staff; 42 held early-years qualifications at level 2 or above, including six with level 6 qualifications. These are inspection-time staffing details. They describe the team at that visit rather than the adults assigned to a child today.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In November 2024, staff responded to developmental delays by involving parents and outside professionals, agreeing targets and coordinating support plans. The practical point for families is the mechanism: concerns led to shared planning, with adults working together around the child’s needs.

Visitors training in dentistry also helped children learn about oral health at that time. This made a health topic part of the nursery experience, alongside learning about caring for the environment.

Robinsons supplies the nursery’s catering, and lunch, tea and snack information is shared with families. The nursery also publishes a ban on Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment because it contains an almond-oil derivative; this is a specific product policy, not a general assurance about allergy safety.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with bank holidays and University closed days among its closures. Families need to match their childcare arrangements to that calendar as well as the daily opening window.

Getting There

The nursery car park is reserved for collecting and dropping off children. University parking-permit holders must use a University car park for parking throughout the day, so the nursery spaces cannot double as workplace parking.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare formed part of the provision in November 2024. For paid childcare, current prices should come in the nursery’s written quotation.

School preparation includes developing independence in daily routines. The nursery has also supported parents with the Reception application process through discussion sessions. That support helps families understand the administrative step alongside their child’s preparation for school.

• Challenge during play. In November 2024, more capable children sometimes disengaged when activities were insufficiently extended. On a visit, ask how practitioners build on a child’s ideas and recognise when they need a harder task.
• Outdoor participation. The all-weather policy includes outdoor play during winter, and parents cannot request an indoor-only day. Consider whether this approach suits your child and the clothing you will need to supply.
• Settling and room changes. Individual settling and gradual room transitions were part of practice in November 2024. Ask how your child’s introduction would work and how many children usually share the youngest room.

The Elms suits families who value outdoor participation, environmental activities and growing independence through everyday routines. A recycling project and autumn 2024 allotment activities illustrate those priorities, while individual settling and coordinated SEND planning supplied useful care mechanisms at the November 2024 visit. The teaching caveat deserves attention: children ready to move further needed more consistent challenge. A visit should test how that works in practice, alongside whether the all-weather approach fits your family.