Lickey End Nursery and Preschool

Messy play, outdoor activity and a dedicated school-preparation session give Lickey End Nursery and Preschool its character. Based at Lickey End Methodist Church in Bromsgrove, it has 24 places in total, with preschool provision for children aged two to five. The emphasis is on learning through play, following children's interests and helping them become more independent.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective. The practical picture is a term-time preschool with morning, afternoon and full-day patterns, plus Breakfast Club for children who attend the preschool. Rising Stars adds a Thursday session for older preschool children approaching their move to school.

This is a setting whose strongest detail lies in what children actually do: explore messy materials, practise using tools, spend time outdoors and prepare for the everyday demands of Reception. Its smaller overall capacity is useful context, but should not be read as the size of an individual group.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play used to develop understanding, relationships and practical skills. Staff observe children's interests and plan their next steps individually. Indoor and outdoor activities are accessible through the day, allowing different kinds of play to contribute to the same child's development.

Messy materials include glitter, shaving foam and gloop, so spare clothing belongs in the nursery bag. These are hands-on experiences rather than activities designed to keep children spotless. The emphasis on exploring materials sits alongside creative expression and learning about the world through play.

In July 2024, children worked dough with tools and threaded pasta onto spaghetti. These activities gave small hands practice in controlled movements relevant to later writing. Children also chose a favourite book by voting, bringing decision-making into an ordinary group activity. The day combined play chosen by children with activities led by adults.

Weekly French lessons were part of the July 2024 nursery experience, using songs, counting and play in French. This brought another language into familiar early-years activities. It is an inspection-time feature rather than a promise about the current timetable.

Rising Stars is for children aged three to five who are due to start school the following September. It combines work on letters, colours and numbers with name-writing, cutting practice and PE. Changing clothes and putting shoes on and taking them off are part of the preparation: readiness for school includes managing practical tasks as well as recognising letters.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play is a clear part of the preschool day. In July 2024, children helped devise an obstacle course, practising balance and movement as they worked their way across it. In construction play, they discussed how to build a house together and were reminded to wear helmets and ear defenders. These experiences joined physical development with cooperation and early conversations about safety.

The Holiday Club has a large outdoor play area and activities including crafts, games, soft play and local park trips. This is a separate holiday offer, rather than evidence that preschool outings follow the same pattern.

Relationships and Communication

Each child is assigned a Key Worker at the start of preschool. That practitioner plans the child's learning, follows their next steps and communicates with parents or carers. For families, this gives the ongoing conversation about development a clear point of contact.

In July 2024, settling sessions helped children make the move from home, while staff shared assessments with parents so learning could continue beyond preschool. The setting employed four childcare staff at that time. That is a dated staffing snapshot, not a statement about today's deployment or the number of adults in any session.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff recognised developmental difficulties promptly and worked with families and other professionals on individual support plans, using additional funding to address children's needs. This is useful evidence of how support worked at that visit, rather than a general promise about every future need.

Everyday independence also received attention in July 2024. Children selected when to eat their snack, served themselves fruit and drinks, and washed their hands during the day. Staff joined them in conversation about family life. These small routines gave children opportunities to make choices and practise caring for themselves.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool operates on weekdays during term time. A full day runs from 9am to 3pm; mornings run from 9am to noon, with a 9am to 1pm option that includes lunch; afternoons run from noon to 3pm. These are genuinely different attendance patterns, rather than a single opening window.

Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 9am and is restricted to children attending the preschool. Rising Stars takes place on Thursdays, from 9am to 3pm during term time. Children attending Rising Stars need a PE kit comprising pumps, a T-shirt and shorts.

Holiday Club serves preschool children and children up to nine years old. It runs for one week at Easter and four weeks in the summer holidays, from 7.30am to 3pm. The term-time preschool timetable and this holiday provision should be considered separately when planning family childcare.

Getting There

The address is Lickey End Methodist Church, Alcester Road, Bromsgrove, B60 1JX. Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07398 183 084.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted for three- and four-year-olds and for eligible two-year-olds. Rising Stars includes an offer of 15 or 30 funded hours a week. The preschool itself operates during term time; entitlement and eligibility remain separate from choosing an attendance pattern. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Breakfast Club provides cereal, toast and drinks; Holiday Club provides breakfast, while parents supply a packed lunch. The longer morning preschool option includes lunch as part of that session.

School preparation includes opportunities to visit Lickey End First school and meet teachers there and at other local schools. These visits introduce children to the next stage of education; they do not establish an admissions advantage.

• Teaching development and digital safety. In July 2024, improvement priorities were more precisely directed staff development and broader opportunities for children to understand risk, including online risks. Ask how these priorities have changed staff practice and children's activities.
• Term-time planning. Preschool sessions run during term time, while Holiday Club covers one Easter week and four summer weeks. Families needing care across school holidays should compare those periods with their own working calendar.
• Preparing for Reception. Rising Stars combines school visits, early writing and practical PE routines. At a visit, ask how these activities would fit your child's stage of development and intended attendance pattern.

Lickey End suits families seeking term-time preschool with a choice between morning, afternoon and full-day attendance. Breakfast Club adds an earlier start for preschool children, while Rising Stars gives those approaching school a session devoted to the transition.

Individual planning, messy exploration and outdoor play give the offer substance. The July 2024 picture also included language activities and practical independence, alongside clear development priorities in teaching and risk awareness. The strongest fit is for families who value play-based learning and school preparation, and whose childcare needs match the term-time timetable and defined holiday periods.