The Wendy House Day Nursery, Lynwood

Purposeful play and growing independence give Lynwood its clearest character: children cutting flower stems, pouring their own drinks and making writing for a family celebration. At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. Those observations describe an older snapshot of daily life, rather than a promise about today's activities.

The Wendy House Day Nursery, Lynwood has 78 places in total, for children from birth to 60 months, at 5/6 Lynwood Way, Lickey, Birmingham, B45 8EZ. Whole-nursery capacity is different from the number of children sharing an activity or a room.

For attendance, Lynwood offers half days, flexible hours and term-time day care, alongside breakfast and after-school provision. That gives families several different ways to use the setting.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing education and everyday care together. In March 2022, activities combined adult direction with time for children to choose and explore for themselves. Staff used their knowledge of individual children and observations of their play to plan what came next.

Small, practical tasks made learning tangible. In March 2022, children handled scissors to trim flower stems and picked up seeds with tweezers, giving their fingers practice for later writing. Mathematics also appeared within play: children compared sizes, paired colours and counted with number materials and sparkly diamonds. The learning was attached to something children could handle.

Writing had a recognisable purpose. In March 2022, children drew pictures and copied words about their mothers for a Mother's Day tea party. A family occasion supplied a reason to make marks and communicate an idea, rather than completing an isolated exercise.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that some planned activities needed greater challenge or allowed too little scope for exploration, and asked for more adult involvement in shared reading to develop children's thinking and imagination. Books and recorded stories were already part of the day; the improvement concerned what adults did with them.

Outdoor and Physical Play

In March 2022, an external provider led weekly physical sessions. Children practised ball skills, stretching and changing direction around obstacles, connecting movement with balance and control. These were opportunities to use the whole body, complementing the smaller movements involved in scissors, tweezers and writing.

In March 2022, children formed close relationships with staff and settled readily into play. Everyday routines also gave them opportunities to manage tasks for themselves: older children used a water dispenser, served their lunch and practised handling cutlery. Handwashing and using the toilet were part of that growing independence.

Behaviour expectations were made concrete through ordinary shared responsibilities. In March 2022, children helped put toys away, waited during activities and responded to reminders about taking turns. These routines linked consideration for others with managing a day among friends.

Communication reached beyond a conversation at the door. In March 2022, staff gave parents updates electronically as well as face to face, together with ideas for supporting development at home. This connected nursery experiences with family life and gave parents something practical to follow up.

The same dated account describes staff supervision of children, safeguarding training and procedures for reporting welfare concerns. These are important care arrangements, while the safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection date given above.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Lynwood's attendance choices include half days and flexible hours, plus term-time-only day care. The half-day and flexible options are separate choices from the overall opening window.

Breakfast club runs from 7am to 9am, while after-school club runs from 3pm to 6pm and includes a hot meal. Both wraparound services extend to children up to age 11. Lynwood also offers collection from state school nursery and holiday clubs, making its wider services relevant to families coordinating nursery and school routines.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07846938021, by email or through the contact form, selecting Lynwood. This identifies the branch directly rather than the other nursery in the group.

Funding and Paid Extras

In March 2022, the nursery received early education funding for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated participation fact, rather than a statement of current entitlement rules.

Cooked meals are included in the services offered at Lynwood. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Challenge and shared reading. The March 2022 improvement points concerned the ambition of activities and adults' involvement with books. During a visit, ask how staff now extend a child's interests and make shared stories part of the day.
• Several attendance patterns. Half days, flexible hours and term-time day care serve different routines. Discuss which combination fits your working week, including any use of breakfast or after-school club.
• Your written quotation. Ask how funding and meals are treated for your chosen attendance pattern, so the quotation answers your family's practical needs.

Lynwood suits families considering half-day attendance or term-time day care, with flexible hours and school-age wraparound services adding further options. Its March 2022 picture is strongest in practical independence and learning through familiar tasks: preparing something for a parent, handling tools or serving lunch. The same dated account gives families a useful point of scrutiny in the challenge offered during activities and the adult role in reading.