URN 2860991 · Inspected 2026-07-16 · Published 2026-08-17 · Inspector: Sarah Dukes
Supernova Nursery and Early Years Learning Unique reference number (URN): 2860991 Address: 340-342 Cherrywood Road, Birmingham, B9 4UU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 19/01/2026 Registers: EYR Registered person: Supernova Nursery and Early Years Learning Ltd Inspection report: 16 July 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement 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. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: 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. Expected standard Achievement Expected standard Children make appropriate progress from their individual starting points and develop the knowledge and skills they will need in the future. Younger children become increasingly confident communicators through stories, songs and familiar routines. Older children use a growing vocabulary to share ideas, solve simple problems and enjoy conversations with adults and their friends. Children develop early mathematical skills as they count, compare, sort and recognise shapes during play. They enjoy books, mark making and creative activities that help prepare them for later reading and writing. Regular opportunities to be active indoors and outdoors help children develop their physical skills. Children become increasingly independent, resilient and confident. They develop the skills and attitudes that prepare them well for moving on to school or the next stage in their learning. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard Children behave well because leaders ensure that staff have clear and consistent expectations. Children are kind to one another, learn to share and take turns, and typically develop positive friendships. As they grow in confidence, children increasingly manage their own behaviour. Staff support children to understand their feelings, use kind hands and listen to others during group activities. As they grow in confidence, children increasingly manage their own behaviour and begin to resolve any minor disagreements with support from adults. Children enjoy learning and show curiosity about the world around them. They stay engaged in activities, keep trying when things become difficult and take pride in what they achieve. Children typically demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and participate willingly in the experiences on offer. Staff encourage children to make choices, express their ideas and become confident learners. Daily routines are well established and generally help children know what to expect throughout the day. Children respond positively to familiar routines, such as handwashing and transitions between activities. Waiting times are typically minimised and children move confidently between activities, becoming increasingly independent in managing their own needs, tidying away resources and following expectations. Leaders promote regular attendance and work closely with families to help ensure children can benefit from the experiences the nursery offers. Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard Leaders have established appropriate systems and expectations that help staff promote children's safety, health and emotional security. Children's health and well-being are promoted effectively because staff know them and their families well. Staff understand children's individual care, medical and dietary needs and respond sensitively to their emotional and physical well-being needs. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children receive consistent support. This helps children feel safe, secure and cared for. Children typically develop healthy habits through everyday routines. They wash their hands before meals, learn about good hygiene practices and are encouraged to make healthy choices. Staff talk with children about healthy foods, oral health and the importance of physical activity. Children have regular opportunities to play outdoors, develop their physical skills and access fresh air. Mealtimes are generally calm and well organised, helping children learn independence skills such as using cutlery, clearing away plates and managing personal care routines. Staff are attentive to children's emotional well-being and generally support them to recognise and manage their feelings. Children receive reassurance when needed, benefit from warm and nurturing relationships with staff, and become increasingly resilient and emotionally secure. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who may face additional barriers are typically well supported to access the provision alongside their peers through appropriate adaptations and individualised support. Staff work closely with parents and, where needed, other professionals to provide consistent care and support. Leaders also generally maintain effective oversight of safeguarding, staffing and welfare arrangements to help ensure children's needs are met. As a result, children feel safe, enjoy coming to nursery and are ready to learn. Curriculum and teaching Expected standard Leaders have planned a broad curriculum that reflects children's interests, experiences and the local community. Staff know children well and use what they know about each child to plan what they need to learn next. Children enjoy a wide range of activities that help them develop their communication, physical skills, early mathematics and understanding of the world. Children take part enthusiastically in their learning. Staff encourage them with plenty of praise and modelling, while everyday routines help children become increasingly independent and develop healthy habits. Activities are adapted so children with different needs can join in successfully. Teaching is generally effective but is not of the same quality across the nursery. Staff do not consistently build on children's own ideas or ask questions that encourage them to think more deeply. This means that opportunities to further deepen children's thinking and maximise learning are not always fully realised. Inclusion Expected standard Leaders have created a welcoming nursery where children and their families feel valued. Staff work closely with parents from the beginning to understand each child's needs and identify anything that could affect their learning or well-being. This generally helps staff provide the right support from an early stage. Children who need extra help with their learning or development are generally identified quickly. Leaders work with parents and other professionals to plan support, review children's progress and adapt this as children's needs change. Staff understand how to help individual children take part in everyday nursery life and learning, and generally make appropriate adaptations to support children's participation. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are typically supported well to access activities alongside their peers and develop increasing confidence and independence. Leaders also take positive steps to support families facing disadvantage. They typically help parents access any available funding and use additional funding to improve children's communication, early literacy and wider learning experiences. For example, children benefit from access to books, lending libraries and experiences that help broaden their understanding of the world. Children who speak English as an additional language receive effective support to help them settle, communicate and build confidence. Staff make use of home languages, visual prompts and close partnership working with families to support children's engagement and learning. As a result, children who face barriers to their learning are fully included in all aspects of nursery life ,and make progress from their starting points. Leaders are realistic in their evaluation of this relatively new provision and are are continuing to develop their systems to demonstrate the longer-term impact of their work on children's outcomes over time. Leadership and governance Expected standard Leaders have established effective systems to support the day-to-day running of the nursery. They understand what the nursery does well and have correctly identified that improving the consistency of teaching is the next step in its development. They have created a welcoming, inclusive environment where positive relationships with families and other professionals help support children's learning and wellbeing. Leaders have appropriate arrangements in place for safeguarding, recruitment, staff supervision and professional development. Staff say they feel supported and have regular opportunities to discuss their work. Leaders monitor practice through observations, supervision and day-to-day discussions. They have started to strengthen teaching through coaching and ongoing professional development for all staff. Leaders' monitoring systems are not yet precise enough to check that this support is leading to consistently high-quality teaching across the nursery. As a result, children do not always benefit from the same quality of learning experiences. Leaders meet their statutory responsibilities. Children attend a safe, welcoming nursery where leaders continue to build on secure foundations to improve the quality of education. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children arrive happily and quickly settle into nursery because they are greeted warmly by staff who know them well. They build trusting relationships with adults who help them feel safe, cared for and confident. Children separate from their parents with increasing ease and quickly become involved in their chosen play. They enjoy exploring the wide range of activities on offer and happily choose what they would like to do. Throughout the day, children move confidently between indoor and outdoor experiences and show that they are familiar with the nursery's routines and expectations. Children are eager to learn. They enjoy listening to stories, singing songs, exploring creative materials and finding out how things work through play. Staff encourage children to make choices, keep trying when things are difficult and celebrate what they achieve. Children take pride in their successes and are pleased to share their achievements with adults and their friends. This helps children become increasingly confident and independent learners. Children from all backgrounds are welcomed and included. Those who need extra help with their learning or development receive the support they need to take part alongside their friends. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to make sure children receive consistent support. Children learn to look after themselves through everyday routines. They wash their hands, serve themselves at snack time, clear away after themselves and take on small responsibilities around the nursery. They also learn about healthy lifestyles through daily routines, conversations and opportunities for physical play. By the time children leave, they are happy, confident and developing the key skills they need for their next stage of learning. While children's experiences are generally positive, leaders remain focused on further strengthening the quality of interactions so that children can benefit from even richer learning opportunities. Children play alongside their friends cooperatively and are learning to share, take turns and listen to one another. They are generally kind and respectful and respond positively to staff's expectations and guidance. Children from all backgrounds are welcomed and included. Those who need extra help with their learning or development receive the support they need to take part alongside their friends. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to help ensure children receive consistent support and are able to participate fully in nursery life. Next steps Leaders should strengthen monitoring of teaching so they can evaluate the impact of professional development and secure consistently high-quality interactions that extend children's learning. Leaders should ensure that staff consistently build on children's ideas and deepen their thinking through skilled questioning and purposeful interactions across the curriculum. About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and children, and reviewed comments from parents during the 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 Inspector: Sarah Dukes About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2860991 Address: 340-342 Cherrywood Road Birmingham B9 4UU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 19/01/2026 Registered person: Supernova Nursery and Early Years Learning Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 05:30 Local authority: Birmingham Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 16 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 1 to 4 Total number of places 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. 75 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. 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. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Interested in our work? 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