St. Alphege Pre-school/No. 1 Club

A garden built around growing food gives St. Alphege Pre-school/No. 1 Club a clear identity beyond its hall-based setting. At Oliver Bird Hall in Solihull, decking extends classroom play outdoors, while the victory garden connects planting with healthy eating and care for nature. This is a term-time setting with both preschool provision and clubs for children attending St Alphege Nursery & Infant School.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 2 March 2023 and found safeguarding effective. There is capacity for 30 children in total. Preschool welcomes children from the term following their second birthday until they are five; morning, afternoon and full-day attendance provide different ways to organise the preschool week.

The practical distinction is between preschool and school-linked childcare. Breakfast Club and After School Club serve children already attending the named school, while preschool combines play-based learning with funded and privately paid hours.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the day includes early writing, number play, conversation, movement and creative activities. Letter sounds and mark-making introduce literacy, while shapes, patterns and counting give children ways to explore mathematical ideas through play. Painting, singing, dancing and role play provide opportunities to express ideas as well as practise skills.

In March 2023, children explored a story using actual food, naming and counting the objects as they listened. Ice experiments involved water-filled pipettes and hammers, giving children different ways to investigate change. Activities were revisited and adjusted, so an experience could become another chance to practise rather than simply something new to finish.

Choice also shaped the day in March 2023. Children decided what to explore, and circle time allowed quieter children time to contribute their news. Outdoors, staff followed children's interest in umbrellas and stepping stones, introducing ideas about balance through the activity. These examples show learning attached to what children were doing, rather than confined to a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

The decking has a building wall for megablocks, a teepee, and provision for water and sand play. It extends the usable play space beyond the classroom and supports both construction and imaginative activity.

Elsewhere in the garden, the Mud Kitchen, Minibeast Lab and Story Circle give different purposes to outdoor play. The victory garden was established in 2024 with partners including Hurricane Cubs and Big Lottery Fund. Its purpose is concrete: children learn about producing food, eating healthily, sustainability and looking after nature. Growing something to eat makes the connection between plants and food tangible.

In March 2023, outdoor exploration included searching for insects and moving large tyres together. Children considered weight and size through physical activity, while searching for insects prompted learning about care for living things. These are dated examples of how the outdoor space was used, alongside the garden features offered now.

A parent app brings communication and learning information into one place. Families receive messages and activity photographs, can access their child's learning journey, and use the same system for invoices and payment confirmations. That connects everyday updates with the practical administration of attendance.

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that settling was adapted to individual children, staff identified additional support needs and made prompt referrals, and children learning English as an additional language progressed well, although opportunities to use their home languages needed extending. That last point matters for bilingual families: progress in English and recognition of a child's other languages are separate questions.

In March 2023, staff worked with parents to establish children's starting points and shared information about subsequent learning. Links with the local school nursery and other childcare settings involved exchanging information about friendships, personalities and development. For children moving between settings, that gave adults a fuller picture than attendance information alone.

The teaching detail also deserves balance. In March 2023, some practitioners occasionally broke into children's play with too many questions, and further professional development, especially for newer staff, was an improvement priority. Families can use those specific points to explore how adults now support sustained play.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting operates at Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ, on weekdays during term time. Preschool offers morning and afternoon sessions, with full-day attendance also covered by its lunch arrangements. A separately charged early preschool start begins at 8.30am.

Breakfast Club runs from 7.45am to 8.45am, Monday to Friday, for children attending St Alphege Nursery & Infant School; a separately charged early-start option begins at 7.30am. After School Club offers finishes at 5pm or 6pm, with an extension between those times. After-school bookings can be arranged in advance or on an ad-hoc basis, which gives school families more than one way to use the service.

Preschool and club registration forms provide joining routes, and enquiries can be made by email or telephone. Withdrawal requires at least half a term's written notice; booking changes require four weeks' written notice and remain subject to the manager's discretion. Fees continue during a child's absence, including illness or holidays.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible children can use 15 or 30 funded hours per week during term time. The fees policy includes funded provision for children aged two, three and four, with eligibility evidence and paperwork required before each term. Extra hours are charged separately; Breakfast Club and After School Club do not offer funded places.

For full-day preschool attendance, hot lunch is separately charged, and menu and allergen information can be requested from the manager. Under funded arrangements, food and snacks sit outside the basic entitlement and within the voluntary services provision.

Parents supply nappies, wipes and sun cream. Other consumables, including tissues and nappy sacks, form part of the voluntary services provision. Families can opt out of that contribution by email or app message, but the policy then requires supplies from home and allows attendance dates to change around enhanced sessions, with dates provided each half term.

The funded preschool administration charge is covered by funding; private preschool and club places carry a non-refundable administration charge when a place is confirmed. Payments are monthly in advance. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees policy sets out the distinction between basic funded provision and additional services.

• Home languages and uninterrupted play. March 2023 improvement points included more opportunities to use home languages and further staff development; some questioning also interrupted play. During a visit, ask how these points have shaped current practice.
• Funded attendance and extras. Opting out of the voluntary services contribution means bringing supplies and can involve changes to attendance dates around enhanced provision. Discuss how that would work with your intended weekly pattern before booking.
• Term-time preschool and school-linked clubs. Preschool follows term dates, while the clubs are for children attending St Alphege Nursery & Infant School. These are different services, so match the booking to the child's stage and school arrangements.

St. Alphege suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions, full-day preschool attendance, or school-linked breakfast and after-school care during term time. Its strongest practical character comes from outdoor play: the decking, garden activity areas and food-growing project give children several ways to explore beyond the classroom.

The March 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality benchmark. For parents deciding now, the important choices are the attendance pattern and the funded-services arrangement, alongside how the setting supports bilingual children and protects time for sustained play.