Blossoms Pre-School & Nursery

Family grouping and adventures around Dickens Heath give Blossoms its character. Children share a home-style setting, while the surrounding village supplies a park, nature reserve, shops and library for exploration. This is a nursery where outdoor experiences extend beyond the setting itself: choosing a library book to share at home is part of the offer.

Blossoms Pre-School & Nursery, at Waterside, 56 Bridge House, Shirley, Solihull B90 1UD, has 22 places in total and caters for children aged 6 to 59 months. At its 6 August 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and found safeguarding effective. The assessment also identified work needed on adult guidance and the preparation of learning activities, a useful qualification to the overall judgement.

Morning, afternoon, school-day, full-day and extended-day sessions give families several attendance patterns to choose from.

Learning and Activities

Family grouping shapes nursery life here. The environment is arranged to help children explore calmly, with child-led experiences allowing their interests to influence play. For parents, the important characteristic is children sharing nursery life across ages.

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, with play supporting skills such as communication, movement and early number understanding. In August 2025, children investigated how sand changed when water was added, counted while filling buckets and collaborated on a den. These were practical encounters with texture, quantity and cooperation, rather than learning confined to adult explanations.

Adult involvement was less consistent. In August 2025, some practitioners extended children's ideas through conversation, but others gave too little direction during activities, leaving children disengaged. Preparation also varied: some activities lacked a sufficiently clear learning purpose. The distinction matters. Giving children choice is valuable, but adults still need to recognise when a prompt or explanation will move their learning forward.

Outdoor and Community Life

Dickens Heath provides much of the outdoor interest. Children explore seasonal changes, use sticks and mud in imaginative games and build fairy houses with stones. Families supply wellies and a puddle suit, so suitable clothing is part of preparing for nursery life.

The library adds a connection between nursery and home: children choose a book to take back to their family. The nearby nature reserve, park and shops also give everyday exploration a community setting, with opportunities to notice plants, people and changes through the seasons.

In August 2025, regular outings included the local park, shops and library, with staff teaching children to pause and listen when crossing roads or bridges. Outdoor play also involved running and ball games. The August 2025 inspection also described learning about Lunar New Year through activities and traditional Chinese foods, connecting learning with family backgrounds and cultural experiences.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker helps each child build a relationship with a familiar adult as they begin nursery. Three settling-in sessions take place before joining, giving children a staged introduction rather than beginning with their usual attendance pattern immediately. An online learning journal is included in the administration charge, providing a route for recording learning alongside that personal relationship.

At the August 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that staff gathered detailed information from families, identified developmental difficulties and worked with parents and external professionals to provide timely support and help children make expected progress. This is the most useful support finding here: the assessment describes specific action around children's needs, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Current wellbeing activities include yoga, dance and relaxation, while adults help children work through emotions using co-regulation. That means support with managing feelings is part of the nursery day alongside physical activity.

In August 2025, personal care involved seeking children's permission before changing them, encouraging handwashing and helping them use cutlery independently. Adults supervised eating and reminded children to take manageable bites. These routines linked care with growing independence.

Staff undertake recruitment checks and regular supervision, and are required to keep safeguarding, food-safety and paediatric first-aid training current. These are practical arrangements for staff preparation; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the relevant assessment of effectiveness.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. Morning sessions run from 7.45am to 12.45pm, afternoons from 1pm to 6pm, and the school-day option from 9am to 3pm. Full-day bookings have two alternatives: 7.30am to 5.30pm or 8am to 6pm. The extended full day runs from 7.30am to 6pm.

The Christmas-to-New-Year closure is not charged. Families whose attendance falls on bank holidays receive replacement days, while those attending full days Monday to Friday are not charged for bank holidays. These terms matter when comparing the attendance pattern with the total cost of care.

Getting There

The nursery is accessed by stairs, with parking indicated to the left of the approach. Its Dickens Heath location is a 10 minute drive from the M42, junction 4 and a 15 minute drive from Solihull Town Centre.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form, and visits can be arranged directly.

Funding and Paid Extras

Blossoms accepts Solihull MBC Early Education Funding for babies from 9 months old to children age 4 years old. It also accepts Company Childcare Vouchers and payments through Tax-Free Childcare. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the joining and fees page sets out the attendance choices and payment structure.

Session fees include breakfast, fruit snacks, cooked lunch and a light tea, together with nappies and wipes. A deposit is refundable against the final invoice, while the separate administration charge is non-refundable and includes access to the online learning journal.

• Adult guidance during play. In August 2025, inconsistent direction sometimes left children disengaged, and some activities needed better preparation. On a visit, ask how practitioners now plan activities and decide when to intervene.
• Family grouping. Children share a mixed-age experience. Ask how the day accommodates your child's stage, especially if you are considering care for a baby alongside older children.
• Stair access and outdoor clothing. The route to the nursery uses stairs, and children need wellies and a puddle suit for village adventures. Consider the practicalities of carrying your child and organising outdoor kit.
• Funding and included items. Session fees include food, nappies and wipes. Before accepting a funded arrangement, request a written breakdown of funded attendance, additional hours and any associated charges.

Blossoms suits families who want a shared-age nursery experience with frequent use of the surrounding village, whether they need morning or afternoon sessions, a school-day pattern or extended attendance. Library borrowing, seasonal exploration and settling-in sessions give the offer useful substance. The Good judgement is balanced by a clear development point: adult guidance and activity preparation needed greater consistency in August 2025. That is the priority to explore when choosing this setting.