Little Treasures

A period house, several gardens and a separate preschool building give Little Treasures its character: this is a nursery with different spaces for different stages of childhood. At Broomhall Grange in Broomhall, on Worcester's outskirts, it cares for children from 3 months to 5 years and has 120 places in total. The physical offer is substantial. Children can dig, build, grow plants and move between indoor play and outdoor exploration.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Little Treasures Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children made good progress, while identifying improvements needed in personal care, vocabulary teaching and the purpose of planned activities. That balance matters: there are strengths in children's learning and relationships, alongside specific aspects of everyday practice for families to examine.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings sit alongside a term-time option.

Rooms and Ages

The Toddler Unit takes children from 3 months to approximately 2 years, combining three playrooms with access to a physical room and outdoor spaces, while food, sleep and daily routines are shaped around each child's needs. For under-twos, staffing is one adult to three children, the statutory minimum. As children develop, shared routines introduce the experience of doing things together.

Around age 2, and when developmentally ready, children move to the Strider Unit, where two large playrooms support stories, circle games, early language and number work, with opportunities to practise using cutlery, drinking from open cups and toilet training when ready. Its usual staffing is one adult for four children aged 2 to 3, compared with the statutory minimum of one for five. That is additional adult support at an age when practical independence and communication are developing together.

Preschool begins at around age 3 and occupies a purpose-built, open-plan space with its own adjoining outdoor area, combining play based on children's interests with circle time, early writing and number work, and practical tasks such as managing coats and water bottles.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical and social development alongside literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive activities. Here, adults plan activities as well as making room for children to initiate their own play. Activities reflect children's interests and developmental stages.

In February 2025, books and songs were part of everyday learning: younger children heard rhymes, chose familiar stories and explored the order of events and characters' actions with staff. Older children selected activities independently and showed interest in early writing and mathematical ideas.

The same visit captured children trying traditional Welsh dancing to explore another culture. However, some activities lacked a clear teaching purpose and did not consistently address individual learning targets.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor play is a daily part of the offer for every room. Mud kitchens, a purpose-built sandpit and water walls give children materials to manipulate and investigate; construction, balancing and den-building spaces add opportunities to solve practical problems. Grass, bark and paved surfaces serve different kinds of movement, with the flatter area used for bikes, scooters and cars.

The vegetable patch and flower beds bring growing into the day. Children can explore the care plants need and the connection between growing and food. Beyond the gardens, outings include the village park, a local garden centre, the library and woods.

A key person uses a questionnaire about each child's preferences, routines, needs and development to plan suitable care and resources.

Tapestry, the online learning journal, records observations and allows families and staff to follow children's development together. The management team also includes SENCo responsibilities, and staff training covers areas including autism awareness, paediatric first aid and enteral feeding. These are identifiable roles and skills for families whose children need additional support to discuss.

At the February 2025 inspection, Ofsted identified occasions when personal care was hurried, inaccurate naming of objects limited vocabulary learning, and activity planning needed clearer learning intentions. The personal-care example involved younger children being moved from chairs and held while dirty clothing was removed. For parents of babies and toddlers, how adults handle those small, repeated moments deserves as much attention as the playrooms.

In February 2025, staff also recognised when children needed comfort, helped them negotiate disagreements and supported sharing. Parents were receiving information about their children's days and learning, together with ideas for activities at home.

Food is cooked on site each day, with breakfast, fruit snacks, a hot lunch and afternoon tea among the meals offered. Staff and the cook discuss developmental stages and individual requirements with families, and the youngest children's mealtimes follow their home routines.

Sessions and Attendance

Little Treasures is at Broomhall Grange, Norton Road, Broomhall, Worcester WR5 2PD. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01905 356208 or by email at littletreasurelt@gmail.com.

The normal opening window is 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. A full day follows those hours; mornings run from 8am to 1pm and afternoons from 1pm to 6pm. An earlier start from 7.30am can be added by booking in advance, with a separate charge.

The nursery operates for 51 weeks of the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. A 38-week term-time option is also offered.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded places are offered to eligible children aged 9 months to 5 years. The universal 15-hour entitlement can be taken as a full day plus a half day over 38 weeks, or a full day over 51 weeks; the 30-hour entitlement is offered as three full days over 38 weeks or two full days over 51 weeks.

Additional private days or half days can be booked subject to availability. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the charge structure. Fees are paid monthly in advance, with no reduction for absence caused by holidays or sickness.

For funded sessions, food and non-food consumables are charged separately when the nursery supplies them. Families may instead provide either category themselves, but must notify the nursery before the term begins and keep that choice for the whole term. Consumables cover items such as wipes, sun cream, waterproof clothing and learning resources, so the decision reaches beyond nappies alone.

If required food or consumables are missing, the corresponding daily charge is added; repeated omissions lead to a switch to the nursery-supplied option. This is a practical commitment for families choosing to provide their own supplies, and belongs in the calculation alongside any additional private hours.

• Personal care and teaching. The February 2025 improvement points concerned sensitive handling during care routines, accurate vocabulary and clearer activity intentions. During a visit, ask how staff now approach these moments and how they identify what an activity should help an individual child learn.
• Moving between stages. Progression to the Strider Unit and Preschool depends on developmental readiness around the stated ages. Ask how the key person prepares a child for the move and how familiar routines are carried into the next space.
• Funding and supplies. Funded attendance follows defined term-time or year-round patterns, while a decision to provide food or consumables lasts for the term. Compare the attendance pattern and supply responsibilities with what your family can reliably maintain.
• Holiday cover. The nursery closes on bank holidays and for a Christmas week, and offers a separate term-time attendance option. Families needing care through holidays should match their required dates to the chosen agreement.

Little Treasures suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, with a term-time option for those whose childcare needs follow that pattern. Its strongest practical attractions are the separate preschool space, daily outdoor use and the progression towards everyday independence.

The February 2025 Good judgement sits alongside concrete improvements needed in care and teaching. Those details give families a useful basis for assessing the nursery: consider how adults support a child through routines and learning, as closely as the gardens and play spaces. The funded booking patterns and term-long supply choices also reward careful planning.