Shooting Stars Nurseries at Stourbridge

A listed building on Lower High Street gives Shooting Stars its town-centre character, but the garden supplies much of the practical appeal: a water wall, mud kitchen and space for digging and planting. This is a nursery with room for active, messy play alongside its indoor provision. At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good overall.

There are 59 places in total for children aged 3 to 59 months, with four base rooms separating babies, toddlers and two preschool stages. That whole-setting capacity is different from the number of children attending a particular room or day. Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families several attendance patterns to work with.

The strongest reasons to consider this branch are concrete: age-based rooms, an onsite cook, a garden equipped for different kinds of play and parent communication through eyLog. In June 2024, two matters needed greater consistency: help with emerging language and staff explanations of behaviour boundaries. Both deserve attention when choosing care.

Rooms and Ages

The four base rooms are organised around babies, toddlers, pre-school one and pre-school two, with equipment selected for their developmental stages. This gives the indoor provision a progression from infancy towards school age rather than treating all children as one group.

In June 2024, physical play took different forms across the ages: baby-room furniture supported pulling up, toddlers practised climbing stairs and older children balanced across a wobbly bridge outside. Those examples matter because physical development involves everyday movement as well as organised activities. Squeezing spray-bottle triggers while washing toy animals also gave toddlers practice using their hands.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: play supports communication, movement, relationships and early learning. It is the common foundation for provision here, rather than an extra programme unique to Shooting Stars.

In June 2024, children's interests shaped the activities staff offered. A tower of blocks could become an opportunity to count, while shapes in the surroundings prompted another conversation about mathematics. The useful principle is that learning can grow out of something a child already wants to do. It need not interrupt the game.

Stories and singing were part of interactions during that same month, and staff demonstrated clear speech. However, approaches intended to help children who struggled to communicate were applied unevenly. Families whose children need extra language support should weigh that specific finding alongside the interest-led activities, rather than assuming that frequent songs and stories answer every communication need.

Outdoor and Community Life

The rear garden brings several kinds of activity together. Grass and paving accommodate movement and trikes; a sand pit, water wall and mud kitchen provide materials to handle and explore. Climbing structures add physical challenge, while the allotment area gives children somewhere to dig and plant. These are different uses of outdoor space, not simply somewhere to run around.

Children have opportunities to play outside in different weather conditions. For a child who enjoys water, movement or working with soil, the garden is a substantial part of this branch's appeal. Its combination of active and messy play also gives families a useful basis for discussing how indoor and outdoor experiences fit their child's day.

Town-centre amenities and a nearby park offer opportunities for planned outings. In June 2024, community experiences had been restricted, with visits to a retirement home and library still at the planning stage. Those plans should not be mistaken for an established programme of trips.

Relationships and Communication

Regular conversations with parents are part of the current offer, including sharing children's interests at home and discussing their development. eyLog supports communication between nursery and home. The practical value is continuity: something important to a child away from nursery can inform the conversations and experiences they have here.

In June 2024, staff gathered details about children's routines and individual needs to help them settle. Comfort for babies included cuddles when they were upset. For families choosing infant care, those examples give more useful insight than a general description of a friendly atmosphere: they concern how staff responded to children and used information from home.

NurseryCam provides encrypted viewing access to the rooms a child uses during their booked attendance. It offers parents a way to see parts of nursery life, but it should sit alongside direct conversations about care rather than carry the whole relationship with staff.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and identified effective SEND support, including individual plans, adjusted teaching and collaboration between the special educational needs coordinator, staff and parents. These were dated findings about practice, rather than a promise that every child's needs will be met in the same way.

During June 2024, staff helped children develop independence with hygiene, with older children learning to wash their own hands. Behaviour guidance was less consistent: some staff did not explain expectations clearly enough to help children understand boundaries and manage their feelings. A family assessing support should consider both everyday care and how adults respond when a child finds an interaction difficult.

Meals are cooked on the premises, and menus are reviewed regularly. That gives food preparation a clear place within the nursery's daily operation.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 168 Lower High Street, Stourbridge, DY8 1TT. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the year except Bank Holidays.

Morning sessions run from 8am to 1pm, afternoon sessions from 1pm to 6pm, and full days from 7.30am to 6pm. A morning start at 7.30am requires advance booking and an extra charge. Collection at 6.30pm is also offered for an additional charge. These extensions may matter to families whose working day stretches beyond the usual session boundaries.

Enquiries can be made by calling 01384 444355 or emailing stourbridge@myshootingstars.com. A rear car park and free bays at the front provide options for collection and drop-off.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts Government funded hours of 15 or 30 hours, subject to eligibility, as well as Tax Free Childcare. Food during funded sessions is charged separately: the morning food charge covers breakfast, a morning snack and lunch; the afternoon charge covers tea. Funded childcare therefore needs to be considered alongside the food charge for the chosen session.

Reserving a place requires a booking fee and a refundable deposit. Payments are collected in advance, with fees divided into equal monthly instalments. Bank Holidays and children's absences are charged at the usual rate. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, allowing families to consider the chosen sessions and applicable charges together.

• Language support. In June 2024, communication strategies were not applied consistently. During a personalised tour, ask how staff now identify a child needing help and maintain that support across their sessions.
• Behaviour boundaries. The June 2024 improvement priorities included clearer, more consistent expectations. Ask staff to explain how they respond to difficult moments and help children understand the same rules across rooms.
• Funded-session costs. Meals are charged separately during funded attendance, and reserving a place involves a booking fee and refundable deposit. Request a written quotation for the exact morning, afternoon or full-day pattern you are considering.
• Parent viewing. NurseryCam access is restricted to the rooms a child uses during booked attendance. On a tour, ask staff to demonstrate how viewing access works alongside eyLog and conversations about your child.

Shooting Stars suits families considering morning sessions, afternoon care or full-day attendance, with paid extensions for an earlier morning start or later collection. Its town-centre building, varied garden equipment and onsite cooking give this branch a clear practical identity.

The June 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, while the language and behaviour findings keep the decision specific. Families should look closely at how consistently those everyday interactions now work. The garden and attendance options are strong reasons to consider it; the quality of individual support remains central to the choice.