Streetsbrook Childcare

In January 2025, children counted stacked cups, raced balance bikes and joined a school marathon at Streetsbrook Childcare: practical learning with a connection to school life. Based at Streetsbrook Infant & Early Years Academy in Shirley, Solihull, it has 143 places in total.

At its January 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. Children attending then were aged 2 to 7, spanning early years and school-age care.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care here; conversation, play and practical activities turn that framework into everyday learning.

In January 2025, language activities included phonics, stories and singing, while signing and picture cards gave children who were not speaking another way to communicate. Mathematics was equally practical: children counted stacked cups, transferred water with pipettes and explored quantities by filling containers with cereal. These activities made number and measurement tangible.

Outdoor areas and the school hall supported physical play that month. Balance bikes, footballs, climbing equipment and a sandpit offered different ways to practise movement. A hall game involving hoops required children to find space and respond as the game changed.

Two events added another dimension. In January 2025, children took part in the school marathon, becoming more familiar with school life, and experienced Polar Express, a special day involving staff role-play and an imagined journey to the North Pole. These were examples of learning through shared experiences, rather than separate lessons.

In January 2025, children talked about their feelings during registration, with visual schedules and gentle music helping them move between activities. Staff also demonstrated turn-taking during pretend ice-cream play, giving social expectations a practical context.

Parent consultations and a parent representative system provided routes for family involvement that month. Staff used assessments to reconsider learning activities, including changing their approach to mathematics after reviewing children's progress.

Independence needed more attention. In January 2025, children helped themselves to snacks, cleared their plates and washed their hands, but adults sometimes took over clothing tasks too soon. Helping with hats, scarves and coat fastenings reduced opportunities for children to practise managing those tasks themselves.

The address is Streetsbrook Infant & Early Years Academy, Ralph Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3LB.

In January 2025, opening hours were 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, with operation throughout the year apart from bank holidays and a Christmas closure lasting a week. Provision then included day care, nursery wraparound, holiday care and care outside school hours. Funded early education was offered for children aged two, three and four.

Sharing a school site does not guarantee a Reception place.

• Time to practise independence. Adults sometimes completed clothing tasks for children in January 2025. On a visit, look at how practitioners give children time to try before helping.
• Early years and school-age care. Children aged 2 to 7 attended in January 2025. How would your child's age group, attendance pattern and daily spaces fit together?
• School familiarity and admission. Participation in the school marathon helped children become familiar with school life in January 2025. That experience does not confer a Reception place.

Streetsbrook suits families who value practical learning and contact with school life. Its January 2025 provision served both day-care and wraparound needs, alongside holiday care. Language support, hands-on mathematics and physical play give the inspection-era picture substance; allowing children more time to complete everyday tasks was the clear improvement priority.