The Courtyard Nursery School

Herbs, play dough and stories give The Courtyard Nursery School’s learning a tangible character. At its June 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, judged its teaching highly effective and found safeguarding effective. The strongest examples involved staff turning children’s interests into purposeful activities.

Based at Eastcote Place, Barston Lane, Solihull, B92 0HS, the nursery accepts children aged 2 to 60 months. Its opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children’s learning, development and care: here, play, conversation and stories formed part of that learning in June 2025. Babies handled herbs and experimented with play dough; older children grew sunflowers and herbs. These gave children materials to investigate and practical tasks to attempt.

During that month, practitioners demonstrated rolling, stretching and pinching dough, giving babies clear actions to try. An older child’s memories of tall buildings became the starting point for constructing towers and drawing. Children’s own experiences shaped these building and drawing activities.

Book corners indoors and outdoors gave reading a physical place in the day. In June 2025, staff also retold The Gingerbread Man, using gestures, toys and props to help children follow the story and encounter new vocabulary. Children could choose resources themselves, creating opportunities to explore their own questions.

At the June 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received excellent support through collaboration between specialist staff, families and external professionals, enabling substantial progress.

In June 2025, emotional understanding was taught through stories and conversations, with prompt, compassionate help when children struggled to manage feelings. Staff explained how behaviour affected other children, making expectations understandable rather than simply issuing instructions.

Families received detailed communication about children’s learning that month and were welcomed into the nursery for everyday contact and special events. Staff development included supervision, team meetings and targeted training, supporting the exchange of knowledge across the team.

The address is Eastcote Place, Barston Lane, Solihull, B92 0HS. Weekday opening runs from 7.30am until 6pm; the nursery operates across the year apart from bank holidays and Christmas.

In June 2025, session times ran from 7.30am to 6pm, and the nursery provided government-funded early education for eligible children. That eligibility condition matters when planning childcare costs.

• Funding arrangements. Funded early education was provided for eligible children in June 2025. At a visit, ask how a funded booking would work for your child, including attendance and any additional charges.
• Learning through interests. June 2025 examples included dough exploration and building inspired by a child’s holiday memories. Consider whether this practical, responsive approach matches the experiences you want for your child.

The Courtyard suits families who value learning built around children’s interests, practical exploration and frequent conversation. Its June 2025 assessment gives that approach substantial inspection backing, while the weekday opening window offers a useful practical reference for parents planning care.