Kangaroo Pouch Day Nursery Edgar Stammers

Four rooms on a single floor, a garden for outdoor exploration and a home in a former children’s centre give Kangaroo Pouch Day Nursery Edgar Stammers its character. This Walsall setting sits on the Edgar Stammers Primary Academy site on Harden Road. Its single-floor layout and garden give children spaces for indoor play and outdoor exploration.

Ofsted rated the nursery Good at its June 2024 inspection. Children’s confidence, conversations and growing independence were central to the account, alongside two clear priorities: making more of learning during free play and handling personal care with greater sensitivity.

There are 53 places in total, for children aged two months to five years. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of any individual group. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round operation and a Christmas closure.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care. In everyday terms, play, conversation and practical routines become opportunities to build skills, rather than learning being confined to a formal activity.

In June 2024, staff used children’s interests and experiences at home to shape activities. Conversations about family cars and journeys to nursery connected familiar experiences with opportunities to remember, explain and exchange ideas. Circle time gave children practice in expressing their thoughts within a group. These are useful building blocks for taking part in conversations and listening to others.

The same June 2024 account makes an important distinction between planned activities and free play. Staff organised activities around the skills children needed, but did not consistently develop learning further when children were playing more freely. Some children disengaged quickly. For parents, the useful question is how a practitioner responds when a child’s initial interest begins to fade, or when their play offers a chance to explore something more deeply.

Outdoor and Community Life

The building occupies one floor, with four rooms and a garden where children can explore outside. The former Edgar Stammers Children’s Centre gives this branch a recognisable physical identity. Indoor play and garden exploration both belong to its offer; the single-floor layout also matters when comparing the spaces a child will use through the day.

In June 2024, social learning included sharing toys, joining other children’s play and talking about feelings. Staff helped children put names to emotions and consider the effect of their behaviour on someone else. Friendship was something adults supported through ordinary interactions, as well as through organised activities.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2024, parents had regular conversations with their child’s key person about learning and how to support it at home. Staff also drew on knowledge of children’s lives beyond nursery when planning activities. This connected the child’s experiences in both places, giving families a practical role in the learning conversation.

Everyday independence was visible in the June 2024 routines. Babies practised eating for themselves and using cutlery, while younger children watched others clear away after meals. Those small tasks gave children opportunities to participate in their own care, rather than having every step completed for them.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the June 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities good, with developmental concerns prompting individual plans, targeted help and coordination with other services. The concrete strength was a response organised around the child’s needs, rather than a general promise of inclusion.

Personal care was also an improvement priority in June 2024. Staff comforted upset children and responded to hunger and tiredness, but some routines gave too little attention to how children experienced them. Hands and faces were wiped after lunch without advance explanation. For a young child, being prepared for what an adult is about to do matters as much as getting the task done.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Edgar Stammers Primary Academy, Harden Road, Walsall, WS3 1RQ. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays and operates throughout the year, closing at Christmas. These opening hours give the practical window for care.

Childcare enquiries can be made directly on 01922 277 200. The nursery occupies the primary academy site, but nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2024, the nursery offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. Families weighing paid hours alongside funded childcare should use that quotation to understand the proposed arrangement.

• Learning during free play. The June 2024 priority was helping staff develop children’s learning beyond planned activities. At a visit, ask how practitioners build on a child’s play when interest starts to drop.
• Personal care. June 2024 routines sometimes prioritised completing a task over preparing the child for it. Ask how staff explain wiping, changing and other care before they begin.
• Attendance and costs. The weekday opening window runs from 7.30am to 6pm, with a Christmas closure. Ask for one written proposal setting out the booking pattern, funded hours, meals and consumables for your child.
• Moving to Reception. Sharing the Edgar Stammers Primary Academy site does not guarantee admission. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as separate decisions.

This nursery suits families seeking year-round weekday care in a setting with a single-floor layout and garden access. Its June 2024 strengths lay in children’s confidence, everyday independence and communication between staff and parents. The balance is clear: the Good judgement sits alongside specific work on extending free play and making personal care more sensitive. Those are the most useful issues to explore when deciding whether the setting fits your child.