Tame Valley Academy Nursery

Songs, rhymes and conversation give Tame Valley’s nursery its clearest character: early reading starts with spoken language. Children develop communication through songs, rhymes and adults modelling language. That makes language development the defining feature here, rather than treating nursery phonics simply as an introduction to letters.

The nursery belongs to Tame Valley Academy on Chillinghome Road in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. The academy is part of Greenheart Learning Partnership. Tame Valley promotes respect and responsibility alongside perseverance, resilience and cooperation: school values that provide the wider context for its nursery provision.

Communication is the starting point for phonics. In June 2024, nursery learning used singing and rhyming, with adults demonstrating language for children. The practical emphasis is on hearing and using words. For parents, this is a useful distinction: the first steps towards reading involve talk and listening, rather than just recognising printed letters.

Adult language provides an example for children to follow, while songs and rhymes bring spoken words into learning activities. These are concrete ways of developing communication, with a direct connection to the nursery’s early phonics work. The approach puts language practice into activities children can join in with.

Ofsted’s inspection on 26 and 27 June 2024 identified early reading as a strength of children’s initial education. Additional phonics help supported children who were falling behind. The implication is a combination of an initial emphasis on language and extra help where reading development needs support.

Support also has a partnership structure behind it. Greenheart’s Director of People holds a safeguarding qualification and has previously worked as a special educational needs coordinator. The role includes strategic responsibility for safeguarding and SEND across the partnership. This is trust-level oversight, distinct from the adults providing children’s daily nursery care.

Across Greenheart, staff also work between schools, sharing their subject expertise to help colleagues develop their practice. The partnership provides training, specialist networks and discussion forums. These arrangements give the academy access to professional support beyond its own staff team; they do not describe a separate nursery staffing model.

Attending Tame Valley’s nursery does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the Reception application as two decisions: joining the nursery should not be taken as securing a later school place.

For nursery enquiries, contact Tame Valley Academy on 0121 464 4497 or email enquiries@tva.greenheartlearning.org. These are the academy’s direct contact details, keeping the initial conversation with the school itself. The nursery’s school setting is on Chillinghome Road, Birmingham, B36 8QJ.