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Little Smarties Academy in Birmingham (B42)

Ofsted: Good
(Jul 2023)
·
4.8(32 parent reviews)
·Little Smarties Academy, 363 Rocky Lane, BIRMINGHAM, B42 1NG · Birmingham
Number of places
26 places
Age range
1–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jul 2023
Local authority
Birmingham

About this day nursery

Little Smarties Academy, located in Great Barr, Birmingham, was registered in 2002 as a childcare on non-domestic premises setting. It operates Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round, closing only for bank holidays.

The nursery caters to children aged 1 to 4 years old, with a total capacity of 26 places and 46 children currently on roll. The team consists of seven childcare staff members, one holding a level 7 qualification and six with level 3 early years qualifications.

The registered person is Tasmiya Ahmed. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children, supporting their learning and development in a nurturing environment.

Little Smarties Academy prides itself on providing a warm welcome to children and parents, fostering strong bonds between children and staff, and encouraging children to lead their own play through a carefully designed learning environment with open-ended resources.

What it's like

Staff extend a warm welcome to children and parents. Children develop strong bonds with the attentive and nurturing staff, feeling happy and safe. Babies confidently play and explore, while older children demonstrate good social skills. The manager and staff empower children to make decisions and lead their own play within a thoughtfully designed learning environment with a variety of open-ended resources.

Warm welcomeChild-led playStrong leadershipFamily partnershipsGood progress

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)

Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays.

Term time / All Year

All_year

Established

2002

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Little Smarties Academy

Last inspected 4 July 2023

Overall effectiveness
Good

What it's like to attend

Staff extend a warm welcome to children and parents. Children develop strong bonds with the attentive and nurturing staff, feeling happy and safe. Babies confidently play and explore, while older children demonstrate good social skills. The manager and staff empower children to make decisions and lead their own play within a thoughtfully designed learning environment with a variety of open-ended resources.

Inspector highlights

  • Children form close bonds with staff who are nurturing and attentive to their needs.
  • The manager and staff place a strong emphasis on children making decisions and leading their own play.
  • The learning environment is designed with a wide range of open-ended resources.
  • All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.
  • The manager shows strong leadership and strives to continually improve the nursery.
  • Staff feel well supported and have opportunities for professional development.
  • The manager and staff have implemented a progressive curriculum that prepares children well for school.
  • Parent partnership working is strong, with parents kept informed about their child's progress and learning plans.

Areas to develop

  • 1Extend the monitoring of staff planning and teaching to provide further support, so that their teaching is matched precisely to children's learning needs.
  • 2Provide the younger children with consistent messages about the expectations so that they are fully supported to complete everyday tasks for themselves.
Inspection #10295332 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works well in partnership with staff, parents and outside agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive the support they need, with a consistent approach to supporting children with language delay.

Outdoor space

The manager has plans to develop the outdoor provision for children to extend their understanding of the world. Staff have also received training for children's outdoor learning.

EAL / language support

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works well in partnership with staff, parents and outside agencies to ensure that children with SEND receive the support they need, with a consistent approach to supporting children with language delay.

Parent Reviews of Little Smarties Academy

4.8
(32)
Sabina Begum
2 months ago

Little Smarties Academy is an excellent nursery that provides a warm, safe, and nurturing environment for children. The staff are consistently friendly, polite, and professional, creating a welcoming atmosphere for both children and parents. Nasreen, the nursery manager, is exceptional. She is highly knowledgeable, approachable, and genuinely supportive. Her dedication, patience, and professionalism are evident in the way she engages with families. She has gone above and beyond to support me and my family, always taking a thoughtful, step-by-step approach to ensure we felt guided and reassured. I am extremely appreciative of the care, understanding, and support we have received. I would not hesitate to recommend Little Smarties Academy to other parents.

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M B
2 months ago

I was reluctant to give my child to Nursery but after visiting and having a look around, I was pleasantly surprised with how cosy and welcoming it was. They have different rooms for different age ranges. A cute garden for outdoor play, nappy changing that's secure a dining area for kids to eat and little toilets

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Salmaa Osell
3 months ago

My son attends Little Smarties Academy and I honestly couldn’t be happier with our experience. The nursery staff are absolutely amazing and the communication is brilliant. A special thank you to Shamia and Rajni for helping my little one settle in so well – they’ve been so caring, patient and supportive. Since starting nursery, my son’s speech and language has drastically improved, and you can really see how much work and effort the staff put into every child. His independence has grown so much, and as an only child, it’s been wonderful to see him now confidently playing and interacting with other children. There is always so much happening at the nursery – it’s super interactive, and I love being able to keep all the lovely work my little one makes. The lunch menus are well balanced and promote healthy eating. My son never used to enjoy vegetables, but the staff have worked so hard to encourage him to try new foods, and his eating habits have improved so much. I’m incredibly grateful for everything the team at Little Smarties Academy has done for my son. Thank you all! 💛

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Kiran Droch
3 months ago

When I first visited the nursery, it felt homely, and the staff were attentive and friendly. Our child ran in and was instantly so happy. Our child settled in very quickly and easily. All the staff are compassionate and genuinely caring, which is incredibly comforting for us as parents. Kirsty and Naz have been absolutely brilliant — always approachable, supportive, and clearly passionate about what they do. We feel completely confident leaving our child in their care and are so grateful for the nurturing, positive environment they’ve created. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this nursery to other families.

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Siobhan Masih
11 months ago

My daughter has recently started attending little smarties nursery and absolutely loves it!! Since day one she’s been comfortable with all of the staff and happy to go to any of them in the mornings when I drop her off which makes me feel more at ease too. Her key worker Selena has been amazing with my daughter and can see she really cares for all the kids she looks after. Highly recommend this nursery!!

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Inspection history

Date: November 2009

  • July 2023Good
  • December 2017Good
  • February 2015Good
  • September 2014Inadequate
  • September 2013Good
  • November 2009Good

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