Almozene Nursery and Children's Centre

A child persisting with a scooter after repeated tumbles gives a useful picture of Almozene in July 2021: children were willing to try, choose activities and take pride in what they made. At its July 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with children showing confidence in their play and positive relationships with staff.

Almozene Nursery and Children's Centre, in Walsall, has capacity for 50 children and accepts ages from 3 to 60 months. Its opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

In July 2021, the early years foundation stage took practical form through counting during play, songs with numbers, storytelling and learning to write names. Children could reach toys and materials themselves, giving them opportunities to choose what to explore.

Language ran through these experiences. In July 2021, staff listened to children's ideas and used questions to extend their thinking; toddlers joined in actions and repeated words during songs. Older children explored simple fractions and early calculations. These examples show how conversation, movement and everyday play contributed to learning.

Outdoor activity had a clear place in July 2021. Children steered wheeled toys past obstacles, ran and jumped, while dough activities accompanied by music exercised fingers and hands. Children also helped prepare snacks and tidied their belongings, practising useful tasks for themselves.

There was a qualification to that independence. In July 2021, adults sometimes took too much control of activities children had chosen, reducing opportunities for children to test their own ideas.

At the July 2021 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities strong, including individual or small-group help and work with speech and language therapists.

In July 2021, staff tracked individual learning and planned activities around children's interests and next steps. Children took turns, played together and responded to encouragement. Those relationships mattered to a day in which children were willing to speak, participate and try again.

Preparation for the next stage of learning included developing independence and early writing skills in July 2021. Partnership with parents needed more attention around toileting, however: families were not consistently given enough help to develop these skills at home.

The address is 23 Mellish Road, Walsall, WS4 2DQ. The nursery opens throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. That calendar matters for families arranging childcare around work.

In July 2021, the nursery provided funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

• Independent exploration. In July 2021, staff sometimes steered children's chosen activities too closely. Giving children room to experiment was an improvement priority.
• Toileting partnership. More consistent help for parents was another July 2021 priority. How do staff now coordinate toileting strategies with families?
• Holiday cover. Bank holidays and the Christmas closure require an alternative childcare arrangement for families working during those periods.

Almozene suits families seeking weekday childcare across the year. Its July 2021 picture combined active outdoor play, conversation and practical independence, with specific improvements needed around adult direction and toileting support. The dated Good judgement gives families a useful starting point for considering the nursery.