Summary
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Achievement verified
Strong standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and routines verified
Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching verified
Strong standard
- Inclusion verified
Strong standard
- Leadership and governance verified
Strong standard
- Framework verified
Report card
- Group verified
The Birmingham Federation Of Maintained Nursery Schools
- Inspection datesingle source
24 Jun 2026
- Inspectors verified
Dal Malhi
- Postcode verified
B19 2NS
- Name on report verified
Newtown Nursery School Childcare
- Safeguarding verified
Met
- URN verified
2855477
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.
- AchievementStrong
- Behaviour, attitudes and routinesStrong
- Children's welfare and wellbeingStrong
- Curriculum and teachingStrong
- InclusionStrong
- Leadership and governanceStrong
Tone of the report
How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.
Reads more warmly than most reports of this type.
How the report reads, start to finish
Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.
Strengths
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- They are excellent role models, demonstrating respectful interactions with children, at all times. p.2
- Staff are excellent role models, responding sensitively and promptly to babies' cues and requests. p.3
- They are supported by skilful staff, who are warm and highly nurturing, forming secure and consistent relationships with all children and their families. p.5
- Leaders and those responsible for governance are committed to sustaining and building on this highly effective practice to secure a transformational impact on the experiences and outcomes for all children. p.4
- Children make excellent progress in their learning and development, progressing rapidly from their individual starting points. p.2
Concerns
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No strong criticism found.
Next steps
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What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,720
- about usual (typical 1698)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 36, typical 43
- Average sentence
- 17 words
- Next steps
- 1
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 0%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Newtown Nursery School Childcare
Unique reference number (URN): 2855477 Address: Newtown Nursery School, Hockley Close, BIRMINGHAM, B19 2NS Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 01/07/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: The Birmingham Federation Of Maintained Nursery Schools
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Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
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How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
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How we evaluate safeguarding
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.
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Achievement Strong standard
Children make excellent progress in their learning and development, progressing rapidly from their individual starting points. They acquire a secure foundation of knowledge and skills that prepares them extremely well for their next stage of learning.
p.2
Achievement Strong standard
Babies show growing confidence in their communication, progressing from babbling to using recognisable words. Children show increasing independence and engagement in early literacy. They confidently handle books, turning pages and showing sustained attention as they listen to stories. Children begin to answer questions, such as 'Who is hiding under the covers?', and show increasingly deep understanding. As a result, children develop solid listening, attention and comprehension skills.
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Achievement Strong standard
Children also make excellent progress in their early mathematical development. They begin to use numbers meaningfully in play, for example, counting cars as they line them up. They confidently identify what comes next in a number sequence, such as knowing that the number 4 comes after 3. This approach ensures that children develop secure early mathematical skills.
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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders and staff demonstrate commitment to all children, families and the wider community. They build highly positive relationships based on mutual respect. Working closely with parents and carers ensures consistency between home and the setting. Leaders are attentive and support all children's and families' individual circumstances. For example, they make thoughtful adaptations to meet individual needs, which promotes regular and sustained attendance. This collaborative approach supports children's wellbeing and ensures they are able to access learning consistently.
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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Staff skilfully embed the nursery's expectations for positive behaviour. They are excellent role models, demonstrating respectful interactions with children, at all times. Children show enjoyment as they play and learn alongside their friends in a harmonious environment. Staff use effective, age-appropriate strategies to teach children how to share, take turns and use good manners. They recognise and praise children's efforts. For example, they say 'good job', when children have a go at activities or manage their own self-care, such as washing their hands. As a result, children develop confidence, independence and positive attitudes to learning.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders and staff have successfully embedded a highly inclusive culture within the nurturing nursery. They work closely together to ensure all children's welfare and wellbeing are central to all aspects of practice. Children form close attachments with their key person, enabling them to feel safe and emotionally secure. They confidently explore their environment, demonstrating independence, while knowing when to seek reassurance from trusted adults. As a result, children show high levels of confidence, resilience and a deep sense of belonging.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Care practices are securely embedded across the setting. Children are supported effectively to develop their independence, including in self-care routines, such as toileting. Staff work closely with parents and carers from the point of admission, to gain an understanding of each child's individual care needs, including, sleep, weaning and toileting routines. This ensures consistency between home and the setting and supports children to feel secure, confident and well-cared for.
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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Leaders ensure that children, including those in receipt of additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, benefit from nutritious and well-balanced meals. For instance, children enjoy freshly prepared dishes, including chickpea curry and naan bread. Children are offered healthy options, including fresh fruit, such as melon, and are encouraged to drink water throughout the day, to support their wellbeing.
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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Leaders and staff have developed a highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum for all children. They carefully consider all children's individual starting points to ensure that learning builds progressively over time. Babies show deep enjoyment of songs and rhymes, particularly those that are familiar to them. They actively participate by independently selecting resources, such as puppets, to indicate which song they would like staff to sing next. Staff are excellent role models, responding sensitively and promptly to babies' cues and requests. These highly responsive interactions support babies communication, confidence and engagement in learning.
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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
There is a sharp focus on developing children's communication and language skills. This enables staff to plan purposeful experiences that support children to make secure progress from their starting points. Children benefit from consistent opportunities throughout the day, to build and extend their vocabulary. Staff model language, such as 'squeeze' and 'splash', as children watch with delight when water is released from a sponge. Through routines, staff use phrases such as 'sticky hands' and 'finished', as children wash their hands. These timely interactions effectively support children to develop their understanding and use of language.
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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard
Children develop early mathematical skills as they begin to recognise numbers and practise counting. Staff support children to count with accuracy, for example as they line up cars and count them one by one. Through play, children begin to understand order of numbers. For instance, staff ask children what number comes after 3, to help deepen their understanding of number sequence.
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Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders and staff create a highly effective, inclusive culture across the nursery. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing, are consistently supported. Staff identify children's individual needs accurately through assessment. Staff make use of consistent, ongoing training opportunities that meet the needs of children, including those with SEND. For example, they apply their training in speech and language, to tailor support for individual children. This enables staff to identify accurate next steps and support for each child's individual needs. Staff use a range of well-embedded strategies, such as visual supports and objects of reference, to ensure all children develop increasing confidence in their communication and language skills.
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Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders ensure that children who are known to social care are effectively supported. They work closely with external agencies, parents and carers to ensure that children receive timely support. Robust monitoring systems are in place to track all children's welfare and development, enabling leaders to respond swiftly to any concerns. As a result, vulnerable children are well supported and their needs are prioritised effectively.
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Leadership and governance Strong standard
The leadership team and the skilful staff are a significant strength of the nursery and have developed an effective culture of reflection that underpins their work. Leaders demonstrate a deep understanding of the needs of the local community and use this insight effectively to shape the nursery. Leaders work closely with all staff to ensure that the early years foundation stage is implemented to a consistently high standard.
p.4
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Highly positive partnerships with parents and carers are firmly established. Parents speak very positively about the nursery, highlighting the professionalism, dedication and genuine care that staff have for their children. They recognise the significant impact this has on the children's confidence, wellbeing and progress, enabling them to thrive in their learning and development. Leaders and those responsible for governance are committed to sustaining and building on this highly effective practice to secure a transformational impact on the experiences and outcomes for all children.
p.4
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders consider the wellbeing of all staff and provide them with excellent, targeted professional development. This equips them with the specialist knowledge and skills needed to support babies and children extremely well and ensures practice is closely aligned to the needs of all children.
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Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders work effectively with external professionals, including the local authority and speech and language therapists, to ensure children receive timely and appropriate support. They prioritise early identification of need, making prompt referrals where required. Through this approach, they ensure that support is precisely targeted to the needs of all children, enabling an inclusive culture across the nursery. As a result, all children receive the help they need at the earliest opportunity to make secure progress from their starting points.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children experience a calm, welcoming and happy environment as they arrive at the nursery. They are supported by skilful staff, who are warm and highly nurturing, forming secure and consistent relationships with all children and their families. Information is shared effectively with parents and carers during handovers, to ensure all children's individual needs are understood and met. As a result, children display positive behaviours, settle quickly and demonstrate a secure sense of safety, security and belonging.
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What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children benefit from a highly stimulating and enriching learning environment, where opportunities to extend their learning from their starting points are purposeful. They demonstrate deep engagement in their learning and develop a genuine love of books. Children eagerly seek out familiar stories, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. They sit closely beside staff, independently turning pages and engaging meaningfully with the story. Staff use effective questioning to support children's understanding and promote their early literacy skills.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children, including those who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing, benefit from rich, outdoor experiences. They show enthusiasm as they prepare for outdoor play, confidently putting on their sun hats. Children develop balance and coordination as they navigate equipment, such as walking across a plank. They also strengthen their motor skills, as they carefully dip brushes into water with control and make purposeful marks. These experiences support children to develop their physical skills effectively.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children show deep levels of concentration and involvement, particularly during well- planned sensory experiences. For example, they respond with enjoyment as they feel water on their feet, while listening to staff clearly model language, such as 'splash,' supporting their vocabulary development. Children watch closely as water is repeatedly squeezed from a sponge, showing attention and curiosity. Staff model language, such as 'squeeze' and 'more'. These experiences are used effectively to support children's communication skills and early understanding of cause and effect.
p.5
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Leaders promote positive habits for learning by working effectively with parents to support children's regular attendance. They monitor attendance closely and work with parents to address any barriers to attendance. As a result, children attend regularly and engage positively in the experiences provided at the nursery.
p.5
Next steps
Leaders should sustain continued improvement in the setting's successful work to remove barriers for children who need extra help and realise a transformational impact on all children's achievement and wellbeing.
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Address:
Newtown Nursery School Hockley Close BIRMINGHAM B19 2NS
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Address:
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
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Address:
Registered person: The Birmingham Federation Of Maintained Nursery Schools
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Address:
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:30 - 15:30
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Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
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About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and children, and took account of the views of parents and carers during the inspection.
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About this inspection
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.
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Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
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Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.
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Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.
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Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.
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Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.
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Urgent improvement
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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Urgent improvement
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Urgent improvement
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Urgent improvement
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Urgent improvement
T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
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