Blackwell Montessori Nursery

Montessori resources, two outdoor areas and lessons in French give Blackwell Montessori Nursery its character: a term-time setting where practical learning sits alongside opportunities to explore outside. Its home is the Trinity Centre (Lickey Parish Hall) in Lickey, and its nursery age range is two to four.

At its 6 June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The important detail beneath that judgement was children's growing independence, alongside two areas needing attention: making group activities work better for younger children and broadening opportunities to explore home languages and unfamiliar communities.

This is a nursery for families who value children doing things for themselves. Its Montessori materials remain part of the current offer, while Music and Rhythm and French provide additional lessons delivered by outside providers.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday routines into their education. Montessori resources add a practical element to that foundation. Children can work with materials rather than rely solely on adult-led explanations.

In June 2023, children selected Montessori equipment independently and used it to practise small hand movements. The daily arrangement of the space took account of children's development, with time to choose activities and explore at their own pace. Independence was visible in ordinary routines too: children poured drinks and carried them to the table. These were useful opportunities to practise managing a task themselves.

Storytime and independent book browsing also featured in June 2023. Older children connected letters with sounds through singing and phonics activities, while insect learning prompted conversations about butterflies, bees and other creatures. Natural materials became shelters for pretend insects. That example gives a clearer picture of the learning than the Montessori name alone: practical resources, imaginative play and conversation worked together.

Music and Rhythm is an additional lesson offered through outside providers, alongside French sessions. These add music and language experiences to the nursery day. They also make the offer broader than its Montessori materials, although the group activities need to work for children at different developmental stages.

Outdoor and Community Life

Two outdoor areas give the nursery separate spaces for learning beyond the hall. Resources outside support children's development across the areas of learning, so outdoor time forms part of the educational offer rather than simply a break between indoor activities.

In June 2023, regular forest walks introduced seasonal changes and the growth of plants and trees. Children also watched footage of wildlife visiting the grounds, including foxes, rabbits and magpies. During a forest outing, younger children listened for sounds and talked about animals they might encounter. The natural world gave children things to observe and discuss.

Practical safety arrangements include a designated safeguarding lead and a deputy. Regular staff receive safeguarding training and paediatric first aid training; the team also includes staff with training in special educational needs. These are concrete arrangements for handling children's care needs, rather than a reason to assume every support requirement will be met in the same way.

In June 2023, staff gathered information from parents about children's development and care. An electronic communication system gave families access to learning updates, helping them connect nursery experiences with activities at home. Children were also encouraged to discuss their families and treat one another kindly.

The limitations matter alongside those strengths. In June 2023, some mixed-age group activities did not give the youngest children enough opportunity to participate. Opportunities to use children's home languages and encounter communities beyond their own experience also needed development. For younger children and multilingual families, these are specific points to explore rather than details to overlook beneath the overall grade.

Sessions and Attendance

Nursery opening hours are 8am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. The term-time calendar is a substantial practical consideration for working families: the separate Holiday Club covers selected holiday weeks rather than the whole school-holiday period.

Holiday Club opens for one week over Easter and up to three weeks during summer, with hours of 8am to 4.30pm on weekdays. Booking forms are usually released a couple of months beforehand, giving families a defined point at which to organise those holiday arrangements.

Getting There

The address is Trinity Centre (Lickey Parish Hall), 411 Old Birmingham Road, Lickey, B45 8ES. Families can contact the nursery by telephone or email.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation, with childcare hours and any additional items considered separately.

• Younger children's participation. Group activities needed better adaptation for the youngest children in June 2023. On a visit, ask how practitioners now organise mixed-age activities so younger children can take part meaningfully.
• Home languages and wider communities. June 2023 findings called for more opportunities in both areas. Ask for examples of how your child's home language and family experience would be included in daily learning.
• Term-time planning. Nursery care follows the term-time calendar, while Holiday Club covers selected Easter and summer weeks. Families needing care throughout the holidays should weigh that pattern carefully.
• Funding and the quotation. Funded education formed part of the June 2023 offer. Request a current written breakdown covering funded attendance, additional hours, food and non-food consumables before committing.

Blackwell Montessori Nursery suits families seeking term-time early education with practical Montessori resources, outdoor learning and additional music and French lessons. Its selected Holiday Club weeks offer another useful form of care for families whose holiday needs fit that calendar.

The June 2023 findings give independence and exploration substance, but also leave clear questions about younger children's participation and the representation of home languages. Those are the most useful matters to take into a visit: they test how well this particular nursery's day would fit your child.