Cherry Tree Nurseries, Tile Hill

Hamsters, muddy investigations and a football coach give Cherry Tree Nurseries, Tile Hill a recognisable character. In October 2023, children checked the animals’ food, searched outdoors for small creatures and practised ball skills with an adult coach. These were hands-on experiences, with conversation and physical activity woven into play.

At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall and judged safeguarding effective. The setting is based at Mosaic Sure Start on Jardine Crescent in Coventry, CV4 9PL, and has capacity for 60 children aged 6 to 60 months. That is the whole nursery’s capacity, rather than the size of a child’s everyday group.

Full days, school days, morning and afternoon sessions sit alongside term-time contracts and stretched funded sessions. That breadth gives families several attendance patterns to consider, rather than a single working-day arrangement.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage covers children’s learning, development and care: everyday play supports communication, movement and growing independence alongside early literacy and mathematics. In October 2023, those experiences included mixing paints, making marks and investigating the wheels on different vehicles. Familiar objects gave children something concrete to discuss and explore.

At the October 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used observations and information from parents to shape learning around individual children, supported language development well, but needed to extend mathematical understanding more consistently. The useful distinction is between including counting in an activity and helping children understand the mathematical ideas behind it.

In October 2023, adults used questions to prompt children to remember what they knew and explain their ideas. Children experimented with colours and made patterns and prints. Conversation accompanied the activity, giving them opportunities to put discoveries into words rather than simply complete a task.

Outdoor and Community Life

In October 2023, babies could crawl across open floor space and use low furniture to practise standing. Toddlers explored sand by digging and transferring it between containers, while older children looked for insects and worms outdoors. The activities differed with children’s stages of development: movement for babies, practical exploration for toddlers and closer investigation for older children.

A puddle became another October 2023 activity when children mixed in soap and brushed the path with the resulting bubbles. Ball practice also involved staff and a football coach. Neither experience depended on children sitting still; both brought learning into active play.

Caring for the nursery hamsters added a different kind of responsibility in October 2023. Children handled them gently and checked their food with staff. That small, concrete task gave consideration for another living creature a place in the nursery day.

Relationships and Communication

In October 2023, staff listened to children’s accounts of life outside nursery and spent time getting to know them as they started. They encouraged sharing and turn-taking, and acknowledged children’s efforts. For a young child, being recognised as an individual matters as much as the activity being offered.

Family information also shaped the October 2023 day. Staff collected words used in children’s home languages and brought them into nursery, alongside information about family celebrations. Resources depicted different children and families, and activities gave children opportunities to talk about their own experiences. Familiar language provided a practical connection between home and nursery.

Parents contributed to planning in October 2023, and staff gave them ideas for supporting learning at home. This linked what children were doing in nursery with something families could continue outside it, rather than keeping the two parts of their day separate.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Tile Hill has a nursery SENCO role within its preschool leadership, alongside an area SENCO covering Tile Hill and Binley. These are identifiable points of responsibility for additional needs. The branch also has baby and toddler room leaders, and its baby room leader holds a level 3 qualification.

The Tile Hill cook involves children in cooking and growing things to eat; tomatoes and beans feature in that work. It offers a practical connection between preparing food and seeing where ingredients begin. In October 2023, children ate freshly prepared meals, followed hygiene routines and learnt about cleaning their teeth; staff also worked with families on toilet learning.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Tile Hill offers full-day, school-day, morning and afternoon attendance, as well as term-time-only contracts.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. This makes the distinction between year-round attendance and a term-time contract useful for families whose work and childcare calendars follow different patterns.

Getting There

The address is Mosaic Sure Start, Jardine Crescent, Coventry, CV4 9PL. Visits can be booked by calling 02476 620118, giving families a direct route to see the Tile Hill setting.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is accepted, with funded-only sessions and stretched funded sessions among Tile Hill’s attendance options. Term-time-only contracts are also offered. Families comparing funded attendance with privately paid sessions should consider the contract pattern as well as the length of the nursery day.

Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. The choice between a morning, afternoon, school day or full day is therefore part of the cost decision, alongside whether attendance follows term dates or runs across the year.

• Early mathematics. In October 2023, mathematical ideas were not consistently developed during planned activities and spontaneous play. At a visit, ask how staff now extend counting, comparisons and other mathematical thinking beyond the initial activity.
• Attendance pattern. Tile Hill offers school days and shorter sessions as well as full days, with term-time and stretched funded arrangements. Discuss which contract matches your working calendar and how its funded hours, meals and consumables are treated.
• Additional needs. A nursery SENCO role sits within preschool leadership, supported by an area SENCO. Families needing additional support can use a visit to discuss how these roles would contribute to their child’s day.

Cherry Tree Nurseries, Tile Hill suits families considering morning or afternoon sessions, school-day attendance or full days, including those looking at term-time and stretched funded arrangements. The October 2023 examples give the nursery personality: animal care, physical exploration and conversations built around children’s own experiences.

The Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with a specific qualification around extending early mathematics. For parents, the strongest combination is the choice of attendance patterns and a nursery day that, in October 2023, gave children plenty to handle, investigate and talk about.