First Class Nursery

An archway links the babies’ indoor spaces, while Busy Bees makes collecting meals and clearing plates part of preparing for school. First Class Nursery on Lister Road in Kidderminster gives everyday routines a clear purpose: children gradually take on more for themselves, with care and learning organised around their stage of development.

At its 18 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, judged safeguarding effective and found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) received effective support.

There are 47 places in total across the nursery, which accepts children from 3 months to 5 years. Baby Room, Bugs Room and Busy Bees provide the progression through nursery life. Full-day, morning and afternoon sessions give families different attendance patterns, with an earlier Breakfast Club alongside them.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room takes children from 3 months to approximately 2 years, combining spaces for movement and creative play with communication and emotional development, linked by an archway and complemented by its own outdoor area. Baby Room’s stated ratio is one staff member to three children, the statutory minimum for under-twos.

Children move into Bugs Room at approximately 2 years when ready, where construction, small-world and creative areas, an outdoor space, and shared stories, singing and dancing support growing independence.

Busy Bees has a stated room capacity of 16 children, with indoor and outdoor choices, collaboration and practical mealtime responsibilities supporting preschool independence.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects play and daily routines with children’s development in language, movement, relationships, early literacy, mathematics and understanding their surroundings. It is the common early-years framework; here, planning gives particular attention to communication, physical development and children’s social and emotional needs.

Birth to five matters is the non-statutory developmental guidance used to help plan next steps. Staff combine this with their knowledge of each child’s interests and current skills, so an activity can build on an existing fascination while addressing something the child needs to practise. The curriculum statement explains that relationship between development and individual planning.

Loose parts add open-ended play: resources can be used in children’s own ways rather than having a single prescribed purpose. They are incorporated into activities and play areas, creating opportunities to experiment with ideas and solve problems.

In November 2022, babies practised balancing and climbing on small equipment with staff nearby, while preschool children wore picture lanyards identifying lunchtime responsibilities. Those examples capture the progression from supported physical exploration to taking a useful role in a group.

Outdoor and Community Life

Free-flow access lets children move between indoor and outdoor learning during the day. Outdoor areas extend the room activities into opportunities to explore nature, movement and science. Families supply suitable clothing, including coats and wellies for winter; waterproof outfits are provided by the nursery.

In November 2022, outdoor play included wheeled toys and painting a board with water using small brushes. The latter offered a simple way to practise arm movement through play.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with a key person and an all about me sheet covering interests, home routines and care needs. In Baby Room, the key person works with parents on a plan for feeding, sleep and routine. As babies develop, that plan helps connect their individual needs with the nursery’s shared routines.

Children may bring a teddy or small blanket for sleep, and dummies are permitted for comfort and sleeping under the nursery’s policy.

Development is tracked each term, with plans reconsidered halfway through the term. Parents receive termly progress discussions and contribute their observations from home. Individual work, small-group activities and whole-group experiences are used according to what children need, giving staff different ways to support the next step.

Room changes include sharing current developmental information with the next key worker. For the move to school, the child’s key person contacts the teacher and follows a transition procedure. The useful detail is continuity: information about the child travels with them, while preschool routines give them practice in managing familiar tasks independently.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Additional learning or care needs are addressed through work with other agencies where required. The nursery also helps families access Worcestershire’s Early Help support and directs them towards the Worcestershire Family Hubs and Starting well Partnership. These are routes to wider family, health and developmental support, rather than promises about a particular service being allocated.

In November 2022, staff used signs and visual prompts to help children understand activities and routines, and exchanged developmental information with other professionals.

Hot lunches arrive from an external caterer; the remaining meals and snacks are prepared at the nursery. Food is also used as a practical learning opportunity, with younger children supported to handle cutlery and open cups and preschool children taking more responsibility for their meal routine.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Lister Road, Kidderminster, DY11 6NN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, with attendance across the year and bank-holiday closures. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01562 755 733 or by email to enquiries@first-class-nursery.co.uk.

Full Day runs from 8am to 5.30pm. The AM session is 8am to 1.30pm, while PM Session runs from 1.30pm to 5.30pm. Breakfast Club covers 7.30am to 8am and includes breakfast. The early opening and the start of the full-day booking are therefore different parts of the offer, which matters when matching care to work commitments.

Lunch, tea and snacks are included in the full-day fee. Morning bookings include a snack and lunch; afternoon bookings include a snack and tea.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered from 9 months through the older nursery ages, subject to eligibility. The 15 or 30 hour entitlement is stretched across 51 weeks, giving 11 or 22 funded hours each week respectively. Additional attendance is charged separately, so the funded weekly allocation should be distinguished from the total hours booked.

Food is charged separately for funded hours, and funded-only places carry a consumable charge. Parents also supply nappies, wipes, sun cream and nappy cream when needed. Those home supplies remain a practical responsibility alongside the charge structure; they should be considered separately from the meals included in paid sessions.

The sessions and prices page sets out the attendance choices and stretched funding arrangement. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation. For families comparing a morning place with a full day, the relevant comparison is the complete attendance and extras arrangement, rather than funded hours alone.

• Emotions and digital safety. In November 2022, the improvement priorities were more opportunities to develop vocabulary for feelings and better teaching about safe technology use. At a show round, ask how these are now built into activities across the rooms.
• Baby routines and room changes. Baby Room uses an individual feeding, sleep and routine plan, and the move to Bugs Room happens around readiness at approximately 2 years. A face-to-face show round is recommended where possible; use it to discuss how your child’s routine and next room transition would be handled.
• Stretched funding and extras. Funded hours are spread over 51 weeks, with food charged separately and a consumable charge for funded-only places. Ask for a written breakdown covering your intended sessions and the supplies you will send from home.

First Class Nursery suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, especially those who value individual baby routines and practical preparation for school. The strongest details are concrete: connected baby spaces, outdoor access, developmental information shared between rooms and preschool responsibilities embedded in the day.

The Good judgement dates from November 2022, and its improvement priorities remain useful questions for families. The current attendance choices offer flexibility in session length, while stretched funding calls for a careful look at the full booking arrangement. This is a nursery to assess through its everyday care routines and gradual encouragement of independence.