Nursery at Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School

A mud kitchen, chick hatching and a trip to Ash End Farm give this nursery its character: learning starts with things children can touch, try and talk about. Nursery Ash Class sits alongside Woodies Childcare within Damson Wood Nursery and Infant School in Solihull. Woodies takes children from age two, with Caterpillars and Butterflies offering day care on the school site.

The distinction matters for family routines. Woodies offers part-time and full-time care, while the school nursery has its own application process. Both belong to a setting where early language is a central focus.

Children take part in short child-led and adult-led activities linked to the current topic. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) brings together language, movement and relationships with early literacy, maths, creative work and learning about the world.

Nursery topics move from All About Me and Celebrations to Bears, How does your garden grow, Down on the Farm and Under the Sea across the year. Role play lets children retell experiences and try out situations connected to their projects. For families, these themes provide concrete starting points for talking together about what children are exploring.

Communication gets specific attention. The Skills Builder Framework helps nursery children practise listening and speaking, including remembering brief instructions and letting someone else finish. Adults extend children’s vocabulary during play. In January 2025, Ofsted found early-years language teaching highly successful, illustrated by young children exchanging ideas with adults while blowing bubbles in Woodies.

Outdoor activity has a regular place. Nursery children have weekly Forest School sessions, and the large outdoor space behind the school includes opportunities for den building, tool use and muddy play. Woodies also has access to the paddock, library, hall and playground. These spaces give children different settings for movement, exploration and quieter activities.

Experiences extend beyond the classroom: children hatch chicks, visit Ash End Farm and walk locally to post Christmas letters. There is an important curriculum caveat. In January 2025, some learning starting with two-year-olds in Woodies lacked a clear sequence, so new knowledge did not always build coherently. Improving the order of knowledge and vocabulary was the required next step.

Family involvement begins before children start, through transition events. Learning is recorded in a class floor book using photographs, observations and children’s contributions; families can add their own material and share the book at parent evenings or invited reading sessions. This gives parents a concrete way to discuss experiences across home and nursery.

Lunch can come from home or be bought at school. The kitchen offers a vegetarian hot choice alongside another hot meal and a jacket potato. Snacks and consumables carry no additional charge, while parents supply nappies and wipes. Paying for extra hours is optional rather than a condition of taking a funded place.

For concerns about additional needs, families can arrange a discussion with the school’s SEND coordinator. Woodies has a childcare manager and deputy manager, with designated safeguarding responsibilities within that team. This provides identifiable routes for raising care or welfare concerns.

Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate application through the normal Solihull Council admissions route and meet the deadline for their entry year. Choose the nursery for the day it offers; a later school place remains a separate decision.

Woodies offers paying parents bookings from one or two sessions each week to full-time attendance. Hours need careful planning. Confirm current session and collection times with Woodies before arranging care.

Eligible families can access up to 30 funded hours; additional hours are charged separately. Applications for the extended entitlement must be made by the term before the child starts. Contact the school for current charges.

General nursery enquiries and school tours go through the office on 0121 705 8652 or office@damson-wood.solihull.sch.uk. Woodies can be contacted at woodies@solgrid.org.uk. For outdoor sessions, children need waterproof clothing, warm layers and suitable footwear.