Merryvale Day Nursery
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Halesowen for children from birth to 5, open 07:15 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2024. Open since 2017, with 50 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Dudley
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Dudley from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
B62 9RLWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 19 July 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children enjoy seeing staff and meeting their friends. They separate well from their parents and quickly settle into their play. Resources are plentiful, accessible and well maintained. Staff plan for children's individual learning needs using the information they gain from parents at the start of their child's placement. They share details of the curriculum with parents and ways that parents can build on their child's learning at home. This helps to establish and maintain good partnerships between home and nursery and ensures consistent learning for children.
Children develop dexterity using a range of small tools and equipment. They confidently manipulate dough to make various shapes. Children chop, pinch and mould the dough into different shapes. They use various patterned rolling pins to add texture to their models. This helps children to build their small-muscle skills well. Children explore the texture of sand, watching the way that it runs through their fingers when they try to pick it up.
Staff support children as they learn about their emotions. They recognise the achievements of children and give lots of praise and encouragement. Children learn to respect each other. They take turns and share resources well. Children show through their behaviour that they feel safe and secure in the nursery. Staff provide comfort and reassurance to children who are just settling into the nursery and those who are wary of visitors to the nursery. This supports their emotional wellbeing and encourages their feeling of security.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that books that are freely available to children are well maintained so that they can gain the most from them n consider the provision of activities for the younger children to ensure that they provide enough challenge and maintain children's attention.
- 19 July 2024Good
- 29 September 2022Good
- 15 December 2021Needs improvement
- 28 January 2019Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 4 graded inspections.
Still missing for Merryvale Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.