Little Scallywags Day Nursery Newlands Farm House

Three floors and large gardens give this Tamworth nursery its physical character. Little Scallywags Day Nursery Newlands Farm House occupies Newlands Farmhouse on Stonydelph Lane, with rooms organised by age and outdoor spaces devoted to different kinds of learning. Open-ended play materials encourage children to decide what to make and explore, rather than follow one prescribed use.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its 2 November 2022 inspection, with communication and language prominent in the children's experiences. That judgement is dated: the practical offer includes care for children aged 2 to 60 months, alongside half days, shorter days and funded attendance patterns.

The strongest combination here is space for exploration and a concrete connection between nursery learning and home. In November 2022, a lending library enabled adults and children to borrow books, while homework packs gave families activities to continue together. These were practical ways to extend learning beyond nursery hours.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, this brings learning and care together: conversation, physical activity and creative exploration all have a place in the nursery day.

Age-appropriate rooms sit across the building's three floors. Children can explore open-ended resources, leaving room for their own ideas and different ways of using the same materials. The large gardens add another setting for play, with separate spaces supporting different areas of learning.

In November 2022, creative activities gave children something tangible to discuss. Hedgehogs made with clay, pasta and sticks prompted questions about materials and animals. During painting, staff responded to a child's gesture with a paintbrush, then demonstrated printing with a block. The examples show how a child's interest could become an activity, with an adult adding a new technique rather than taking over.

Reading also had a practical presence in November 2022. Books could be borrowed by children and adults, and stories were shared at different points during the day. A familiar action song introduced listening before story time. The important reservation was group engagement: some children lost interest and played instruments nearby, making it harder for others to hear the story.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2022, children searched leaves for spiders and talked about differences in shape and size. Wheeled toys offered a different physical challenge, with children steering around equipment and one another. A large outdoor chalkboard provided space for drawing circles and experimenting with marks. These examples connect the garden with language, movement and early writing, rather than treating outdoor time as a break from learning.

Tamworth Homelink, described in September 2022, involved parents in activities connected with nursery themes and children's interests. It gave families a concrete role in continuing a project at home. Another dated example is Sports Day: in July 2020, Tamworth children took part in physical activities during National Sports Week. These are examples of this branch's past activities, rather than a recurring events calendar.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that safeguarding arrangements were effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received good support, including referrals and advice from outside agencies. For families whose child needs additional help, the useful detail is the route from recognising a need to seeking specialist input.

Relationships were evident in everyday responses during November 2022. Staff recognised non-verbal signals from their key children and responded to requests for activities. When a change of activity became overwhelming, children could receive close comfort and familiar songs. That gives a more concrete picture of care than a general promise of individual attention.

Home learning had a practical form at the same date. Homework packs helped parents continue activities, while the lending library made books accessible to adults as well as children. For a family wanting to take part in their child's learning, these examples matter because they provide something to use together, rather than simply an account of what happened during the day.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Newlands Farmhouse, Stonydelph Lane, Tamworth, B77 5PJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with operation across the year and closures for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01827 282858 or by email to tamworth@littlescallywagsdaynursery.co.uk.

The booking choices need careful distinction from that opening window. A half day runs from 8am to 1pm, while the Shorter Day Rate covers 8am to 3.30pm. A standard full day includes up to 9 hours of childcare; time beyond that is charged at the hourly rate. Families comparing schedules should therefore compare the booked pattern with the hours they actually need.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours Think 2 funding and 15 hours 3 year old universal funding. Both follow a two-day pattern from 8am to 3.30pm. Care extending beyond that finish time, and additional days outside the funded hours, attracts a separate charge.

For 30 hours 9 months+ extended funding, 30 hours 2 year old extended funding and 30 hours 3 year old extended funding, the choices are three days from 7.30am to 5.30pm or four days from 8am to 3.30pm. Under the four-day arrangement, staying beyond 3.30pm is charged separately. These are specific attendance patterns, so the funded offer needs to match the family's weekly routine as well as the child's entitlement.

Dinners and snacks are included in the private daily rate, while children attending only for funded hours have a separate daily food charge. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the Tamworth fees page sets out the attendance and charging structure.

• Group activities. In November 2022, some children disengaged from story time, and nearby instruments disturbed others' listening; improving group engagement was the action required. On a visit, ask how stories and other shared activities now accommodate children with different attention spans.
• The booked day. A standard full day includes up to 9 hours, while the nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm. Compare your required hours with the written quotation, including any time beyond the daily allowance.
• Care across three floors. Children use age-appropriate rooms in a building spread over three levels. During a visit, ask to see the room your child would use and how their day connects with the garden.

Little Scallywags suits families seeking half-day or shorter-day attendance, as well as those whose needs fit its three-day or four-day funded patterns. The building's age-organised rooms and large gardens give children different spaces to explore, while the November 2022 examples of borrowing books and home activities show a practical connection with family life.

The dated Good judgement provides a useful starting point. The decision should also give weight to the group-engagement concern and the precise charging boundaries of the chosen attendance pattern.