Hasbury Acorns

Children choosing what to explore, growing herbs and turning cooking into a lesson about the world: Hasbury Acorns' July 2022 daily life had a strong practical thread. Its appeal lies in children having something to contribute, rather than simply following an adult's activity plan. That gave children a practical role in shaping their day.

Ofsted rated Hasbury Acorns Outstanding on 7 July 2022, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The setting has 24 places in total and is based at St. Margarets At Hasbury Primary School & Nursery in Halesowen. Preschool accepts children from age two, alongside breakfast and after-school provision.

Morning, afternoon and full-day preschool sessions give families different ways to arrange attendance. Those session choices form the current practical offer.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, bringing play, communication and growing independence into their day. At Hasbury Acorns, the clearest illustration comes from July 2022: children helped shape their learning by mapping out ideas together. Their interests became material for discussion and exploration, giving them practice in explaining a thought and listening to someone else's.

In July 2022, staff introduced vocabulary through activities, then children drew on those words in their play. Stories, singing and rhymes supported this work; gestures and signs gave children who were not speaking another way to take part. Language was connected to something children were doing, rather than confined to a separate exercise.

An eight-week exploration of the world in July 2022 brought cooking and geography together. Children made pizza, prepared their own ice cream and tried scones, while Independence day prompted pastry-star making. Antarctica became an opportunity to build igloos from marshmallows. These were concrete ways to approach unfamiliar places and cultures, with making and tasting giving children something tangible to discuss.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2022, growing food added another practical strand. Children tended basil and coriander alongside tomatoes and strawberries, exploring how plants develop rather than only hearing about them. The growing plants gave them something to observe over time and connected food with its origins.

Animal activity days also featured in July 2022. Children handled and cared for animals, learning about owls, turtles, chinchillas and bearded dragons. These encounters extended learning beyond pictures and models, with care for living things becoming part of the experience. They are useful examples of the inspection-era programme, rather than a timetable of current events.

Relationships and Communication

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that the key-person arrangements supported close relationships, children with SEND benefited from effective individual support, and safeguarding arrangements were effective. Those findings give substance to the grade: support centred on knowing individual children and responding to their needs.

In July 2022, parents could send pictures of home activities through an interactive app. Children then discussed those experiences with others. This made family life part of the learning conversation and gave children a familiar subject from which to contribute.

Communication in July 2022 also included discussion of children's next steps with families, schools and external agencies. Parent questionnaires informed changes to practice. For families, the useful distinction is between receiving updates and having information from home influence what happens next; both were present in that dated account.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In July 2022, children needing additional support encountered different materials and textures, while staff used gestures and signs to support participation. Children also explored different cultures and faiths. Inclusion had practical expressions in activities and communication, rather than resting on a general statement of welcome.

Health and independence met at snack time in July 2022. Children selected and prepared snacks themselves, with staff encouraging exploration of unfamiliar food and textures. The current team includes designated safeguarding lead and SENCO roles, giving safeguarding and additional-needs responsibilities an identified place in the staff structure.

Sessions and Attendance

Hasbury Acorns is at St. Margarets At Hasbury Primary School & Nursery, Hagley Road, Halesowen, B63 4QD. Preschool runs Monday to Friday, with a morning session from 9am to noon, an afternoon session from noon to 3pm, and a full day from 9am to 3pm. The shorter sessions and full day offer genuinely different attendance patterns.

Breakfast Club begins at 7:30am. After School Club runs from the end of the school day until 5:50pm. These are separate school-age arrangements; the preschool full day ends at 3pm. In July 2022, both preschool and wraparound provision operated during term time.

Breakfast Club serves breakfast and drinks, while After School Club provides tea, including sandwiches, fruit and yoghurt. This gives school-age children a food routine within the club session.

Funding and Paid Extras

Preschool accepts Time for Twos, universal funding, working parent funding and 30Hour funding. Paid preschool sessions are also offered, and childcare vouchers are accepted. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; funded entitlement and privately paid attendance should be considered separately when planning a booking.

The school-site address does not make preschool attendance a guarantee of a Reception place. Preparation for the next stage of education and an entitlement to a school place are separate matters.

• The preschool day ends at 3pm. Morning and afternoon sessions are available as well as the full day. Match the preschool pattern to the hours your family needs, keeping the separate school-age clubs in view.
• A dated inspection picture. The Outstanding judgement dates to July 2022. On a visit, ask how child-led planning, growing food and individual support work now.
• The funded booking. Several funding routes are accepted. Ask what the proposed attendance pattern includes and which meals, consumables or additional hours would be paid for separately.

Hasbury Acorns suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool attendance as well as those wanting a 9am-to-3pm day. Its July 2022 inspection offers strong support for the quality of that period, with practical learning, children's contributions and individual care giving the judgement substance. The separate breakfast and after-school clubs add another useful service for school-age families. The decisive choice is how the preschool pattern fits family life, alongside the current delivery of the practices that earned the inspection praise.