Tender Troops Day Nursery and Children Hub

Play, conversation and growing independence give Tender Troops Day Nursery and Children Hub its character. Counting games, imaginative shopping and learning to pour a drink bring early learning into ordinary experiences. At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding arrangements and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effective.

Based at Old Hall in West Bromwich, the nursery has capacity for 37 children, with a current age range from birth to five. That whole-setting capacity is separate from the number of children attending on any particular day. A key person acts as each family's main contact, while the School Readiness Program brings together school-themed activities, opportunities to meet future teachers and a graduation celebration.

Full-day, half-day and flexible-hours care sit alongside wraparound provision, giving families several attendance patterns to weigh up.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, learning through play goes alongside communication, physical development and increasing independence. Tender Troops combines structured activities with play children choose themselves, planning around their interests and developmental needs. This gives the day a balance between shared experiences and individual exploration.

Named strands make that approach more concrete. Early Mathematicians introduces number and measurement through games involving counting, shapes, patterns and puzzles. Confident Communicators uses songs, stories, discussion and pretend play to give children opportunities to listen and express ideas. The practical value is clear: early maths and language become part of play rather than separate exercises.

Creative Thinkers brings together colour, storytelling, music and movement, with opportunities for children to express themselves through imaginative play. Healthy Movers provides daily movement opportunities inside and outside, addressing coordination and both small and large movements. These strands describe what children do, making the learning approach easier for parents to understand than a broad promise of preparation for school.

In September 2024, children chose resources from organised play spaces, and activities followed their interests and next learning steps. Stories and rhymes were woven into the day; staff repeated vocabulary and demonstrated conversation. Children also visited the local library regularly. Books therefore had a place both in nursery routines and in experiences beyond the building.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor area adds space for active play. In September 2024, children went outside daily and took regular trips into the surrounding community. Ride-on cars provided an opportunity to talk about road safety, connecting physical play with an everyday practical subject. Pretending to visit shops also gave children a reason to play together and exchange ideas.

There was a clear limitation alongside these experiences. In September 2024, some questions were too straightforward for children's capabilities, and staff needed to develop learning further. The issue was the depth of the conversation, rather than a lack of activities. Parents interested in challenge should pay attention to how practitioners follow a child's answer and help an idea grow.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who becomes the main contact for parents and shares information about the day. When children move into another age-group room, several settling sessions introduce the new key person and routines. Parents can also see the next room. That gives a room move its own preparation rather than treating it as a simple change of space.

Communication combines conversations at collection with updates through a parent app. Parents can telephone to discuss care, and regular observations and learning updates help connect nursery experiences with home. The School Readiness Program extends this through parent evenings, individual meetings and home learning kits, alongside its activities introducing children to school.

In September 2024, new starters sought comfort from staff and formed relationships quickly. Practitioners offered reassurance and helped children join group play. These observations give useful context to the key-person arrangement: its purpose is a familiar relationship as well as a channel for information.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that leaders used local-authority advice to shape assessments and targets for children needing additional support, monitored development closely and sought external help promptly. This describes a specific support process, with advice feeding into individual next steps.

Daily routines also offered opportunities for independence. In September 2024, children practised helping themselves to food, handling drinks and cleaning their hands. Mealtimes now bring adults and children together, with conversation forming part of the shared experience.

Prescribed medicines can be administered, including epi-pens; for epi-pen use, staff receive training from the health professional involved. Families supply an additional emergency contact at registration, giving staff another person to reach if the main contact cannot be contacted.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Old Hall, 44 Bratt Street, West Bromwich, B70 8SB. Attendance options include full-day and half-day care, flexible hours and wraparound care. The enquiry form distinguishes full-time attendance across Monday to Friday from part-time attendance, which requires a minimum of two days per child. That minimum matters for families seeking a very small weekly commitment.

The nursery operates throughout the year, excluding bank holidays and inset days. Its opening information gives conflicting closing times, addressed below. An online enquiry leads to an email response within 24 hours and then the opportunity to arrange a call with the admissions team.

Wraparound provision includes Breakfast Club, providing breakfast; After-School Club, offering structured care after school; and Holiday Club, with activities during school breaks. These services can be booked as needed, providing a different arrangement from the nursery's part-time minimum.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both privately paid and government-funded sessions are offered for eligible families. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funded attendance and additional paid care need to be considered together when choosing a pattern that fits the family's week.

• Closing time. Opening information gives both 7am to 7pm and 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Confirm the closing time before planning collection around work.
• Learning and behaviour. The September 2024 improvement points concerned extending children's thinking and explaining how unwanted behaviour affects safety or other people's feelings. During a tour, ask for examples of how staff now put both into practice.
• Weekly commitment. Part-time nursery attendance requires at least two days per child, while wraparound services offer booking as needed. The distinction matters if care is needed only occasionally.
• The complete quotation. Private and funded sessions are both offered. Ask for a written breakdown covering the funded attendance pattern, additional hours, meals and non-food consumables so the whole arrangement can be assessed together.

Tender Troops suits families considering full-day or half-day nursery attendance, with flexible-hours and wraparound options also part of the offer. Its named learning strands make the day tangible: games introduce maths, conversation runs through play, and movement has a daily place. Key-person relationships and preparation for room changes give care a clear structure.

The September 2024 Good judgement provides a positive inspection position, with specific work still required on challenge and explanations of behaviour. For parents, the strongest combination is practical play, regular communication and preparation for growing independence. The conflicting closing times need resolving before the attendance arrangement becomes a firm family plan.