Twinkle Toes Day Nursery

A separate sleeping space for babies and direct outdoor access from the younger rooms give Twinkle Toes Day Nursery a clear practical appeal. This Stourbridge setting has capacity for 46 children aged one month to five years. Its room arrangements deserve attention, but so does the standard of the learning within them.

At its 1 July 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Requires improvement, finding uneven teaching, insufficient challenge, inconsistent behaviour expectations and weaknesses in hygiene routines, with cluttered learning spaces also affecting children's engagement. These are substantial considerations for families choosing care. Comfortable surroundings alone do not establish how well a child's day is planned or supported.

Babies, toddlers and preschool children have separate rooms, with provision ranging from tactile play to early literacy and maths. Full-day and half-day bookings serve different family routines; the detailed times sit below.

Rooms and Ages

The Caterpillar Room welcomes babies from six weeks, combining painting and jelly play with a directly accessible outdoor area and a separate sleeping room where each baby has an allocated cot. That separation gives rest its own space rather than placing it alongside waking activity. Outdoor play from this room takes place in suitable weather.

Construction resources, messy play and child-sized furniture shape the Butterfly Room's provision for toddlers and older children, with doors leading directly to the private outdoor area. Furniture scaled to children makes activities and mealtimes more accessible. The room's outdoor access also allows the day to move between indoor resources and more space for physical play when weather permits.

Preschool children use the Dragonfly Room, where arts, imaginative play and educational toys support early reading, writing and maths alongside listening, communication, creativity and fine motor development. The emphasis reaches beyond recognising letters or numbers. Attention, social interaction and problem solving are also part of preparation for the next stage.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, communication, physical activity and everyday routines contribute to their learning. Resources associated with the Curiosity approach are also part of the provision. That resource choice should be considered alongside the actual activities and adult interactions children experience.

In July 2025, children selected books to share with adults, and staff repeated important vocabulary during stories. Familiar books drew children's interest. This gives a concrete example of how conversation and repetition can sit within an ordinary nursery activity, rather than language work being confined to a separate lesson.

The same visit highlighted the need for activities with clearer purpose and enough challenge for individual children. Some children lost interest or moved around without a clear activity to engage them. For parents, the important distinction is between having resources ready and using them to extend what a child can already do.

Outdoor and Community Life

In July 2025, outdoor experiences included children moving tyres together and joining parachute games with adult support. These activities brought movement and shared play into the day. The physical space was useful, but children's participation still depended on how adults organised and supported the activity.

Family cultural workshops also formed part of nursery life in July 2025. Eid was one example, with families exploring festival-related activities and trying foods. This created a way for parents to contribute to children's experience of different customs rather than receiving information only at collection time.

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, children emotionally supported by caring relationships, and appropriate SEND support involving outside professionals, targeted strategies and additional individual care where needed. These findings provide an important balance to the concerns about education and routines. They do not remove those concerns.

In July 2025, leaders sought local authority advice on staff training and tailored support, and responded to situations that could unsettle individual children. Daily exchanges with parents covered children's experiences, while workshops offered another form of contact. Communication therefore included both everyday updates and opportunities for families to participate.

Sleep has a concrete arrangement in the baby provision: individual cots in a separate room. For a family comparing baby care, this is a useful physical detail because rest and active play occupy different spaces. Settling support also includes advice for newcomers about adapting to nursery care.

Cupcakes Catering supplies the preschool meals, including afternoon tea, breakfast and lunch, and special diets can be catered for on request. Meals, baby solids and older children's snacks are included in the nursery fee.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 44 New Road, Stourbridge, DY8 1PA. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Full-day bookings are offered, alongside morning half days from 7.30am to 1pm and afternoon half days from 1pm to 6.30pm. A half day therefore offers a different attendance pattern from using the whole opening window.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks each year. Fees are charged across 52 weeks, including bank holidays and two annual inset days when the nursery closes. Attendance weeks and chargeable weeks are different measures here, which matters when comparing the total cost of an ongoing booking.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01384 393 769 or by email to info@twinkletoesdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is offered to eligible children over nine months. Named funding routes include Time for Twos, Dudley's early learning scheme, Early Education Funding (EEF) and an Early Education Universal Funded place; the applicable route depends on age and family circumstances. Tax-free childcare payments are also accepted.

Private childcare is offered alongside funded provision. The fees and funding page sets out the charge structure, and current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Monthly fees fall due on the first day of the month, with late-payment charges applying if payment is delayed.

• Teaching and routines. The July 2025 findings covered curriculum planning, behaviour expectations, hygiene and room organisation. During a visit, ask how activities now challenge individual children and how staff reinforce handwashing and shared boundaries throughout the day.
• Annual charging. Care operates for 51 weeks, while fees cover 52 weeks and include bank holidays and two inset closures. Consider the annual charge as well as the session pattern when comparing options.
• Baby starting age. The Caterpillar Room welcomes babies from six weeks. Families planning an earlier start should clarify the starting-age arrangement before booking.
• Funded attendance. For a proposed funded booking, ask how entitlement fits the morning, afternoon or full-day pattern.

Twinkle Toes suits families considering either full-day attendance or morning and afternoon half days, with separate age-group rooms and practical provision for baby sleep. Direct outdoor access and the preschool learning activities add useful substance to that offer.

The July 2025 concerns remain central to the decision. Families should weigh the care and inclusion findings alongside the need for more consistent teaching, behaviour support and hygiene. The strongest reason to consider this nursery is its concrete care arrangement; the most important question is how consistently the whole day now works for each child.