Osborne Nursery School: nursery life in Erdington

A garden available through much of the session and a Forest School on site give Osborne’s nursery day an outdoor thread. Children have room to choose, explore and return to familiar adults. This maintained nursery school on Station Road, Erdington, caters for children aged two to four, with up to 160 part-time places offering 15 hours each week.

Little Learners is the younger children’s room; Explorers caters for three- and four-year-olds. Moving between them depends on readiness and space after a child’s third birthday. These are stages within a nursery school, rather than a nursery classroom attached to a primary school.

The morning starts with parents helping their child choose an activity. Children then meet their keyworker group for greetings, registration and counting, before an adult-led learning activity. Listening games, growing, dance and mathematical problems feature among the possibilities. A longer period of choosing activities indoors or outdoors follows, with stories and singing bringing the session together at the end. Afternoons follow a similar sequence. That gives children both predictable meeting points and time to pursue their interests.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) connects learning through play with language, relationships, physical skills, early reading, mathematics, creativity and understanding the world. Little Learners concentrates on communication, movement and social development, with a qualified teacher overseeing its curriculum. Its separate outdoor area gives younger children their own space, alongside opportunities to use the main garden and Forest School.

Explorers children can move between rooms and the garden for much of their session, and have a half-day Forest School session each fortnight. Natural materials that children can use in different ways invite investigation rather than one prescribed answer. Language screening with the Wellcomm Screening Tool informs daily learning groups. Sound games come before letter teaching; Jolly Phonics begins when a child is ready.

Teaching during play. At the May 2023 inspection, staff did not consistently build on earlier group teaching while children played independently. Some learning consequently received too little reinforcement. For families, the useful distinction is between having plentiful activities and receiving help to deepen learning within them.

A keyworker connects each child’s nursery experience with family life. Explorers groups have up to 13 children; Little Learners has one practitioner for every four to five children. An induction meeting introduces families to nursery, while regular parent meetings and Play and Learn with Your Child Days keep them involved. Tapestry adds photographs and observations that parents can respond to and supplement with experiences from home.

Food is part of learning independence. Breakfast and snacks are free for children attending the relevant sessions. Children staying through lunch have a school dinner, with local-authority payment for those eligible for free school meals and a charge for other families. Using cutlery, pouring drinks and clearing plates turn the meal into practice in managing everyday tasks.

Support for speech includes individual and small-group work, assessment and referral to Speech and Language Therapy where necessary. In May 2023, children with SEND benefited from individual support plans and a sensory room offering a different setting for learning. Ofsted found safeguarding effective at that inspection. Parents can raise a welfare concern through reception and ask for the designated safeguarding team.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate school application through the normal admissions process. Osborne is a nursery school, so the next step is into a primary school rather than an internal Reception class.

For September 2026 entry, the nursery directed parents to Birmingham’s online application route, with a deadline of 15 January 2026. That deadline has passed. Preparation for school also happens through the nursery day: choosing activities, communicating needs and managing meals are practical skills children can carry into their next setting.

Morning sessions run from 8:30 to 11:30; afternoons run from 12:30 to 15:30. The 15-hour model also includes patterns spread over two and a half days. Eligible working families can use 30-hour places, with five-session options of 8:30 to 14:30 or 9:30 to 15:30, or four sessions from 8:30 to 16:00. Alternative combinations are subject to accommodation by the office, and paid additional hours depend on availability.

Funded places include snacks and drinks. Lunch charges apply as described above, and some visits or activities invite voluntary contributions. Ask the office for current charges. Registration forms can be returned in person or emailed to enquiry@osbornen.bham.sch.uk.

There is no uniform. Clothes children can manage independently, suitable for active and messy play, are the practical choice. Parents collect session children from their group’s carpet area.