Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery

A pirate ship role play sandpit, food-growing garden and Avoncroft Museum links give Avoncroft Pre-School Nursery its character. At Stoke Heath Community Art Centre in Bromsgrove, outdoor exploration sits alongside stories and growing independence.

There are 24 places for children aged two to five. At its May 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, judged safeguarding effective and found good progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Term-time attendance includes mornings, afternoons, combined days and short wraparound periods.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the shared framework for learning and care, supports language, movement, relationships, early reading and number skills through play. Avoncroft combines child-chosen play, adult-led activities and optional sessions.

Development Matters and Birth to 5 Matters guide assessment, with observations shaping individual next steps. The book corner, construction resources and role play area support different interests; quiet time allows reading alone or with a friend.

Monday morning French brings a visiting teacher, songs, stories and games. Tuesday morning Pyjama Drama uses singing, movement and pretend adventures with a visiting teacher; Wednesday morning Cooking involves recipes, ingredients and food to take home.

Friday afternoon Beat Baby/ Rhythm Time develops listening and language through songs and rhymes. Thursday afternoon Yoga/Pilates runs in autumn and spring, replaced by weekly introductions to different sports through Multi-Sports in summer. Voluntary contributions and opt-outs affect participation.

In May 2024, book voting, treasure maps, outdoor painting and questions about animals brought literacy and conversation into children's play.

Outdoor and Community Life

The all-weather garden includes a water wall, giant mud kitchen and potion station for experimenting, a balancing area for physical challenges and a reading pod. April 2025 additions included a sensory garden, composting area and music and stage area.

Growing, cooking and tasting produce from the fruit and vegetable patch connects plant care with food. A wormery and bug house bring smaller living things into that exploration.

Friday mornings offer Forest Schools Type Activities, an outdoor session built around practical exploration. Children wear waterproof clothing and wellies, and staff help them consider manageable risks, including how high to climb. This is an addition alongside the EYFS, with resources covered through the activity contribution or supplied by parents who opt out of paying it.

Community links include Avoncroft Museum and Avoncroft Art Society, through outings and shared events. Listening walks and visits to nearby fields to see sheep or lambs extend exploration beyond the garden. Families can join termly events, with examples including the Christmas concert and Easter egg hunt. The annual Garden Party brings families together and raises funds for resources and activities.

Relationships and Communication

A key person works with each family on interests, development and settling, informed by a family contribution form. Free holiday stay-and-plays and flexible settling sessions support gradual separation where appropriate.

Tapestry is the online journal for nursery observations and photographs from home. Twice-yearly developmental reports or age-two checks, consultations on request and half-termly newsletters connect individual progress with group learning. The team's preparation includes early childhood degree study and specialist SENCO training.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

SEND support has a defined structure: the SENCO can prepare a provision map covering adult support, teaching strategies, resources and Individual Education Plans. Parents contribute to the assess, plan, do and review cycle. Action plans set out interventions and responsibilities, with reviews agreed at least termly. This gives families specific arrangements to discuss when a child needs additional help.

At the May 2024 inspection, Ofsted found effective individual support drawing on paediatric advice, speech and language therapy and the area SENCo, alongside a key person system that used observations to shape children's next steps. Current arrangements also include designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles, and the nursery says all staff are paediatric first aiders.

Operation Encompass is a national scheme connecting early-years settings with police notifications when a child has experienced domestic abuse. Participation gives the nursery information before the child attends, allowing staff to respond with that context. Early Help offers families a route to discuss difficulties with health, development or family circumstances before problems become more serious.

Parents supply fruit snacks and packed lunches, while the nursery provides milk or water at snack time and asks for a drinking bottle. Allergy arrangements include individual action plans and generally exclude nuts and nut products; allergy-affected families should confirm the current arrangements for their child.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Stoke Heath Community Art Centre, Redditch Road, Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, B60 4JN. The nursery operates Monday to Friday for 38 weeks across three school terms, closing for school holidays.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon, afternoons from noon to 3pm, and the combined day from 9am to 3pm. Wraparound care covers 8.30am to 9am and 3pm to 3.30pm. Sessions can be tailored to family needs, and later starts or earlier collections are possible within the core session arrangements. The short extensions are privately paid hours.

Rising Stars sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays support school readiness, mainly for children over three, with a small younger group also attending. Children preparing for school can attend other sessions too. At transfer, the key person prepares a developmental summary that includes parents' views and is shared with parents before it goes to the next setting or school.

The nursery describes feeder-school links including Stoke Prior First School and Finstall First School. Attendance does not guarantee a school place: families still use the local authority admissions process. School preparation and record sharing support transition.

Applications and general enquiries can be sent by email, with preferred start date and days included in an application. Telephone contact is offered during session times.

Getting There

A free car park is shared with other users of the Art Society site. Families are asked to park there and accompany children on foot between the Art Society buildings, keeping cars away from the nursery door.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded and privately paid childcare are offered. Funding includes working-family provision for two-year-olds, additional-support funding for two-year-olds, and universal provision for three- and four-year-olds, with additional working-family hours where applicable. The 15 or 30 funded hours are delivered term-time through the morning and afternoon sessions.

Activity contributions are voluntary, with families choosing each term. Opting out of contributions for Cooking or Forest Schools means supplying the ingredients or resources needed to participate; opting out of visiting-teacher activities such as French or Pyjama Drama means the child uses the standard nursery curriculum instead. Non-food activity consumables therefore have different arrangements, depending on that choice, including during funded hours. Food remains parent-supplied for funded attendance too.

A refundable deposit reserves a place and is returned when the child starts. A term's notice applies to withdrawal or reducing sessions, with fees payable instead if notice is not given; booked fees also remain payable during sickness or holiday absences. Families should obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation, alongside their selected hours and activities.

• Indoor learning and routines. In May 2024, the indoor layout needed better support for conversation and listening, and routines needed to create more learning opportunities. On a visit, ask how the room and daily timetable now address those two points.
• Term-time fit. The 38-week calendar and short wraparound periods suit some working patterns better than others. Match the morning, afternoon or combined day to your family's school-holiday arrangements.
• Activity choices. Contributions and opt-out arrangements affect both participation and what parents bring. Review those choices before selecting days, especially if Cooking or Forest Schools is a priority.
• Settling and individual support. Flexible settling sessions sit alongside key person and SENCO arrangements. Discuss how these would work for your child's separation, communication or additional needs during a visit.

Avoncroft suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as a combined day, within a school-term calendar. Its garden, museum links and explained activity timetable give children several routes into practical learning, while key person contact and Tapestry connect that learning with home.

The Good judgement from May 2024 provides a positive inspection position, tempered by specific improvement work on indoor language opportunities and routines. For families comfortable with packed lunches, term-time attendance and making activity choices, this is a small setting with a substantial outdoor and community offer.