Maebrooke Day Nursery

Weekly off-site Forest School for preschool children, a baby room capped at 12 and gardens reached directly from each room give Maebrooke a recognisable character. Outdoor learning has practical substance here: children can return to forestry activities in a separate outdoor area with a mud kitchen, mud oven and planted herbs.

Maebrooke Day Nursery is on Kerria Road, off Robinia, in Tamworth, with capacity for 57 children aged 1 to 60 months. At its April 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective, while identifying inconsistent behaviour guidance for younger children and teaching that sometimes gave children too little thinking time. That judgement needs to be read alongside the later safeguarding actions discussed below.

Attendance can be built around full days, morning or afternoon sessions, with a minimum of two sessions or one full day each week.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby & Early 2’s Room serves children aged 0-30 months, with an operating cap of 12; its emphasis is personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, and physical development, with a kitchen for bottle preparation and sterilising equipment and access to changing facilities. The room age band describes its organisation, while the nursery's overall accepted age range starts at 1 month. The kitchen allows feeding routines from home to continue during nursery care.

For children aged 30 to 42 months, the Toddler & Rising 3’s Room accommodates 16 and emphasises the prime areas of learning alongside independence, with low toilets and sinks supporting toileting and handwashing. Preschool room provision serves ages 42 to 60 months, with capacity for 24, and uses zones for construction, investigation, stories and creative work alongside opportunities to serve food and manage toileting independently.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS shapes the day through activities matched to children's interests and development, with observations used to track learning and identify where support is needed. It is the common early-years framework; Maebrooke's additional activities sit alongside it.

Jo Jingles brings structured music activities to every age group, using educational themes and musical elements such as tempo and pitch. Its stated areas include listening, communication, movement and imagination.

In April 2024, children made reading dens from blankets and cardboard, searched the garden for insects and helped mix play dough. The teaching weakness was also concrete: some adults answered questions too quickly, cutting short the time children needed to work out a response.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School, which combines exploration of nature with cooperation, problem-solving and learning to handle risk, takes preschool children off site each week. It continues across the year and in different weather, except high winds. The nursery has its own minibus for outings.

Two separate gardens have room access through stable doors, with a dividing fence allowing free-flow play where appropriate. A climbing frame adds physical challenge, while another outdoor area contains the mud kitchen, mud oven and planters where children can practise forestry skills. Canopies and wet-weather suits support outdoor use in changing conditions.

Little Kickers provides football coaching for children aged 2.5-5 years, divided into two groups. It mainly runs during term time, with sessions every two weeks in the summer holidays.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a Key Person who gets to know their interests and care needs and develops the relationship with home. Development records are shared with parents and, where necessary, other professionals. Free settling sessions give families time to begin that relationship before paid attendance becomes routine.

Communication uses conversation, telephone, email and text messages, with parents' evenings and termly information about learning progress adding scheduled opportunities for discussion.

Parents can also use secure internet viewing of room webcams, with no additional charge for the service. Three room leaders organise the rooms, and staff undertake paediatric first-aid training.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

In April 2024, the SEND coordinator worked with families, practitioners and other professionals on individual targets when developmental concerns arose. Children also practised dressing for outdoor play and serving food, making everyday routines part of preparation for school.

Ofsted's October 2025 and May 2026 complaint outcomes recorded repeated safeguarding shortfalls involving staff understanding and timely referrals, including procedures for allegations against staff, followed in each case by confirmation that the required actions had been met. The repetition remains relevant to a parent's decision even though both outcomes recorded compliance.

After lunch, the youngest room becomes a sleep space for children who need daytime rest, while children who remain awake continue with play and activities. Collection arrangements require a named authorised adult or parental consent for another person to collect.

Meals are cooked on site by a chef, using a four-week menu that changes between summer and winter. The food policy is to avoid actively adding nuts, while acknowledging that products may contain traces.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. Full-day bookings cover that window; mornings run from 7.30am to noon, and afternoons from 12.30pm to 5.30pm. The minimum booking is two sessions or one full day per week.

Funded-only arrangements include 8.45-11.45am or 1.15-4.15pm each day, 8am-1pm or 12.30-5.30pm three times weekly, and 8am-3.30pm twice weekly.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and over Christmas. Christmas closure days are not charged when they would otherwise be the child's attendance days. Bank holidays likewise carry no charge when they fall on the child's usual day.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid attendance are offered. In April 2024, funded early education covered two-, three- and four-year-olds; the current funded-only timetable provides several attendance patterns. A current written quotation should set out prices for the arrangement a family chooses.

Lunch is included with full-day or full-time paid attendance. For morning or afternoon attendance, the lunch option comes with an additional hour of care and an extra charge; funded sessions have a separate voluntary contribution for food and resources. The fees and charges page sets out that structure.

A non-refundable registration charge applies when booking and secures the requested place for three months, with longer periods requiring individual agreement with the manager. Fees are due at the start of the month; bank transfer and Tax Free Childcare are accepted. Late collection attracts a charge, while outings are separately charged according to the venue and are not compulsory.

The nursery can be contacted by telephone on 01827 62996 or through its enquiry form. School preparation includes independence in everyday routines and links with local schools to support transition.

• Repeated safeguarding actions. The October 2025 and May 2026 outcomes each recorded that required actions were met, following repeated shortcomings. Ask how staff now handle concerns about colleagues and ensure referrals reach the appropriate agencies promptly.
• Younger children's daily care. The youngest room is capped at 12 and becomes a sleep space after lunch. Discuss how feeding, rest and awake play work together for your child, and how practitioners give consistent behaviour guidance.
• Food and supplies. Funded sessions carry a voluntary food-and-resources contribution, and the food policy allows for possible nut traces. Clarify the items covered by that contribution, which personal care supplies to bring and any allergy arrangements before agreeing attendance.
• Postcode difference. The nursery's contact address uses B77 4FE, while its Ofsted address uses B77 4EW for the same Kerria Road location. Confirm the postcode to use when arranging a visit.

Maebrooke suits families choosing between full days and shorter morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those considering its funded-only timetable. Weekly preschool Forest School, Little Kickers and Jo Jingles give the day named activities with a clear purpose, while the youngest room's cap and feeding facilities provide concrete points for parents of babies to weigh.

The decision also requires scrutiny of safeguarding practice. The later actions were recorded as met, but the repeated concerns deserve attention alongside the Good judgement from April 2024.