The Willows Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Birmingham for children from birth to 8+, open 07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. £68.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 2003, with 88 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Price list dated 9th September 2024.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | Weekly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £68.00 | £48.00Afternoon, 5 hrs £51.00Morning, 5 hrs | £11.00Ad-hoc | £301.50Full Time Place |
Before you start
One-off charges to take a place.
- £12.00 Polo Neck
- £15.00 Sweatshirt
Funded hours
EEE grants to 2 year old 15 hours funded children, as well as 15 and 30 hours funded places for 3 and 4 year olds.
Worth knowing. Meal charges apply separately to care charges. Parents can provide packed meals and these will be served for free. Please note that we are unable to cook or reheat packed food for children due to health and safety reasons.
What childcare usually costs in Birmingham
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Birmingham 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
B38 8PSWhat 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.
- 24 February 2023 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 26 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children happily enter this inviting nursery and quickly settle into the routines of the day. They enjoy daily access to the large garden. Children climb on board the pirate ship and giggle with friends as they pretend to set sail. Children patiently wait their turn to use the slide. They balance on logs and delight in taking risks as they jump off. This helps to build children's confidence, strengthen their large muscles and get their heart rates up.
There are exciting opportunities for mark making. Children squeeze water-spray bottles and watch intently as they make marks of the fence. They use large chalks on the floor to practise writing the letters in their name. This helps children to build the small hand muscles needed for their future writing.
Staff have high expectations for all children. Staff skilfully manage challenging behaviour and are calm and kind in their demeanour. They fully explain to children the impact their behaviour has on others. This gives children a good understanding of how to behave, show respect and follow rules. This prepares them well for their next stage in learning, including the move on to school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the already good teaching practice, and support staff to fully challenge children to the highest level to help them make the very best progress.
- 26 May 2023Good
- 19 January 2023Inadequate
- 29 April 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Willows Day Nursery
- Youngest age taken
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £68.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.