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Zahra Childcare Centre

Ofsted: Needs attention·279 Gooch Street, BIRMINGHAM, B5 7JE · Birmingham
Number of places
52 places
Age range
0–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2026
Local authority
Birmingham

About this day nursery

Zahra Childcare Centre, established in 2023 in Birmingham, provides childcare for children aged 0-5 years. The nursery creates a nurturing and welcoming environment where children feel secure and settled, fostering strong relationships with their key persons and staff.

The setting places a strong emphasis on physical development, with daily outdoor play opportunities where children enjoy activities like riding scooters, using bicycles, and navigating obstacles. Leaders are planning to introduce all-weather suits to ensure children can experience outdoor learning throughout the year.

The diverse needs of children are well supported, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL). The staff team uses its linguistic skills to communicate effectively with families and seeks expert advice from external specialists to address children's emerging needs promptly.

While the nursery provides a supportive environment, leaders are actively working on improving the curriculum and teaching practices to ensure all children receive a consistently high-quality education and are well-prepared for their next stage of learning.

What it's like

Children form secure relationships with their key person and wider staff team. All children are happy and settled. Children clearly feel safe and secure at the nursery. Most children demonstrate skills that are preparing them well for their next stage in education.

Nurturing environmentEffective key-person systemPhysical activitySEND supportEAL support

Pricing & funding

Fees are structured around hourly rates, specific session blocks, or full days. Parents can book full-day, short-day, or AM/PM sessions, with snacks, tea, or lunch included in most set session rates. An after-school club option is also available which includes school pick-up and evening snacks.

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • New price list effective from 5th January 2026.
  • Full day bookings (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM) include snack and tea.
  • Short day bookings (8:00 AM - 2:00 PM) include snack and lunch.
  • AM (8:00 AM - 12:00 PM) and PM (12:00 PM - 4:00 PM) sessions include snack and tea.
  • After school club fees include school pick-up, care, and evening tea/snacks.

Key facts

Session types

Full day, AM Session, PM Session, Short day

Opening hours

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Age range

3 months to 5 years

Established

2023

Ofsted Inspection — new report card

Needs attention

Last inspected Jan 2026

Headline: Needs attention

Grade summary

Exceptional
—
Strong standard
—
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
—

Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.

Category grades

AchievementNeeds attention
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesNeeds attention
Children's welfare and wellbeingExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
InclusionNeeds attention
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Age range
0 to 5
Registers
Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register
Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Zahra Childcare Centre

Last inspected 21 January 2026

Actions the provider must take

  • monitor staff's practice more closely so that weaknesses in teaching are identified and addressed quickly
  • provide staff the training and support they need to be fully effective in their roles and to improve the quality of teaching
  • design and implement an ambitious curriculum that supports children to close any gaps in their learning, particularly their communication and language development

What it's like to attend

Children form secure relationships with their key person and wider staff team. All children are happy and settled. Children clearly feel safe and secure at the nursery. Most children demonstrate skills that are preparing them well for their next stage in education.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders and staff create a nurturing and welcoming environment where all children feel they belong.
  • There is an effective key-person system.
  • Staff meet the emotional needs of children well, using stories and props to explain emotions.
  • Children spontaneously approach staff for cuddles, and staff respond with warmth.
  • Children have opportunities to explore and be physically active.
  • They eat healthy and nutritious snacks and have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.
  • Children become increasingly independent in managing their own personal needs.
  • Children demonstrate adept gross motor physical skills, and they gain increasing control as they run, jump and balance on equipment.

Areas to develop

  • 1Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching affect the overall achievement of some of the children within the nursery.
  • 2Sometimes, staff do not have the specific knowledge of the most effective strategies to implement when younger children argue over resources.
  • 3Some staff do not adapt activities and the routine to the age and stage of the children participating.
  • 4The implementation of the curriculum does not fully align with what children already know and can do.
  • 5Assessment of children's progress and planning for their learning is not accurate enough.
  • 6Some staff do not adapt their teaching to the specific children's progress and what they need to learn next.
  • 7Strategies to monitor and implement change are not yet effective for a high-quality, ambitious curriculum to be seen consistently.
  • 8Staff occasionally struggle to implement strategies that are effective at closing the gaps in their knowledge, especially in communication and language development.
  • 9Interactions and teaching lack depth, and the questioning style of staff is sometimes repetitive.
  • 10Leaders do not have accurate enough oversight of the implementation of the strategies recommended by external agencies.
  • 11Some staff have not yet not received training that focuses on helping them apply these approaches effectively.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Leaders identify children's emerging needs and seek support and advice from external specialists quickly. Staff generally meet the needs of these children appropriately. Disadvantaged children and those with barriers to their learning are identified by leaders, and they get support from external professionals quickly.

Outdoor space

All children enjoy daily outdoor play. They delight in racing on scooters with their friends in the garden. There are lots of opportunities to be physically active and develop their social skills, with the use of play equipment such as bicycles, swings and obstacles to balance on. Leaders plan to purchase all-weather suits so that children can experience the outdoors all year round.

EAL / language support

There are many children within the nursery who have barriers to their learning, for example children who speak English as an additional language. The staff team utilises its skills and knowledge of languages to break down barriers with the families it works with.

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

21 January 2026

Needs attention

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more