Tender Years Day Nursery

Colour experiments, books within babies' reach and songs shared with older neighbours shaped the picture of Tender Years Day Nursery at its April 2023 inspection. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, alongside a curriculum that extended children's existing knowledge. Those findings offer a useful picture of its educational strengths, with important reservations about attention to quieter children and activities for the middle age groups.

Based at 46 Castle Lane in Solihull, B92 8DD, Tender Years accepts children from birth to five years and has 74 places in total across the whole nursery. Baby Room, Toddler Room, Tweenie Room and Pre School Room organise the nursery into different stages. Opening hours are 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Rooms and Ages

The youngest and oldest children supplied some of the clearest examples of learning in April 2023. In Baby Room, painting offered opportunities to explore textures and practise handling brushes; in Pre School Room, children used pipettes and beakers to investigate how colours combine. These were different kinds of exploration, suited to different stages of development.

The April 2023 account identified the tweenies group as children aged two. Activities led by adults in that group and the toddler group needed stronger planning to sustain interest and extend learning. This distinction matters: the strongest examples from babies and preschool children should not be read as a judgement on every room's activities.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. Here, the April 2023 examples translate that framework into recognisable experiences: handling art materials, exploring ideas through experiments and developing language through stories.

During that month, preschool children predicted the colours their mixtures would produce, while staff used questions that invited more than a short answer. The practical materials gave children something concrete to test. Books were also positioned where babies could reach them, allowing even the youngest children to choose something to explore.

Storytelling included pauses for children to supply familiar words. That made reading a shared activity rather than simply listening to an adult. It also gave children a reason to use their developing vocabulary.

Outdoor and Community Life

In April 2023, two rabbits shared the garden while children played. Children learnt to adjust how they used the space around the animals, connecting care for living creatures with everyday behaviour.

Older children also made regular visits to a local elderly care home that month, sharing activities and songs with residents. These encounters extended their social experiences beyond nursery staff and other children. The useful detail is the recurring contact, rather than a one-off outing.

Relationships and Communication

Famly Software System connects home and nursery through messages, account management, photographs and learning observations. Parents can also contribute pictures and memories from home, giving communication a practical two-way route. For families, this brings nursery updates and their own contributions into the same system.

In April 2023, staff responded when babies signalled that they wanted to finish painting and do something else. This is a concrete example of care following a young child's cues. Conversations with families also included support around common medical conditions and the concerns of first-time parents.

At the April 2023 visit, a senior member of staff carried out checks as the nursery closed each day. Staff had someone to speak to before going home, giving them a daily opportunity to raise concerns about children. This made the end of the working day a point for passing on concerns as well as completing practical checks.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The April 2023 findings included a limitation that deserves equal weight: quieter children sometimes received fewer exchanges with adults. Their opportunities to learn were consequently less consistent. Families with a child who hangs back should pay close attention to how practitioners draw them into conversation and activities.

Sessions and Attendance

Tender Years opens between 8am and 5.30pm on weekdays and operates across the year. Bank holidays and a week over Christmas are its closures, so families need to plan alternative care for those periods.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 0121 706 5619, by email at enq@tenderyears.co.uk or through the contact form. The nursery's address is 46 Castle Lane, Solihull, B92 8DD.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded early years entitlements of 15/30 hours are offered without charging for the funded hours themselves, for eligible children. Additional hours are charged separately. Optional extras, including trips, wraparound care and meals when chosen, are separately itemised, so a funded-hours arrangement and its extras should be considered separately.

Chosen meals therefore carry a separate charge under these funding terms. Invoices distinguish funded hours from chargeable items, making the structure of the bill clear. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Attention across the rooms. April 2023 findings called for more interaction with quieter children and better-planned adult-led activities in the tweenies and toddler groups. During a visit, explore how staff involve a reserved child and sustain these groups' interest.
• Funding arrangements. Funded hours are free for eligible children, while additional hours and chosen extras are billed separately. How would the entitlement fit your intended attendance, and what would you need to supply or pay for?
• Holiday cover. Bank holidays and a week over Christmas fall outside the nursery's opening calendar. Match these closures against your working commitments before choosing an attendance arrangement.

Tender Years suits families seeking weekday, year-round nursery care with digital communication through Famly Software System. Its April 2023 examples of experiments, accessible books and community visits give substance to the educational picture. The reservations are specific: quieter children's interactions and planning for the middle age groups deserve close attention alongside those strengths.