Highfield Day Nursery

Highfield Day Nursery
Unique reference number (URN): 405361
Address: 3/4 Highfield Rd, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3ED
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 10/07/2001
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: Childbase Partnership Limited
Inspection report: 1 April 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement

Needs attention
Safeguarding standards not met
Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding
that adequately protects children from harm. There are multiple failures in safeguarding
practice, in particular for younger children. Staff do not always fulfil their responsibilities to
promote the safety and wellbeing of all children. At times, safeguarding practice falls short,
particularly for younger children during end-of-day routines. For example, staff are not
always deployed effectively to maintain required staff-to-child ratios, resulting in younger
children not being adequately supervised or supported. This can place children at risk, as
their play choices or the behaviour of others compromise their safety. In addition, leaders
and staff do not always report poor or unsafe practice promptly, which delays action to
reduce risks to children. Although staff respond when children have accidents, they do not
consistently consider children's privacy when administering checks or care. This does not
align with the setting's own policies and procedures.
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.
Achievement Needs attention
Effective interactions are not consistently in place for younger children, particularly during
sleep times and end-of-day routines. As a result, younger children sometimes wander
without purpose and are not engaged in play that supports their readiness for the next stage
in learning. Support required to meet the needs of younger children is not consistently
embedded, which limits their ability to make the consistent effective progress needed in all
areas of their development.
Older children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those who may
face additional barriers to learning, achieve well. They develop confidence, communicate
their needs effectively and participate alongside their peers. Older children make progress
from their starting points across all areas of learning. They often show pride in their
achievements and develop independence, resilience and positive attitudes towards learning.
Older children manage routines well, use a wide range of vocabulary and engage
confidently in meaningful interactions with adults and peers.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Needs attention
Younger children's needs are not always identified or responded to effectively by staff, which
on occasion results in a negative impact on their wellbeing. Leaders and staff are not always

positive role models. Their arrangements for some daily routines are not managed
appropriately to support younger children's understanding of staff expectations for their
behaviour or to meet their individual needs. As a result, children display behaviours that put
themselves or others at risk, and staff do not address and manage these incidents
appropriately.
At times, relationships between staff and children are warm. Generally, staff support children
in developing positive behaviours and to recognise and manage their emotions. For
example, some children use familiar strategies, such as comforters, puppets and simple
language, to express how they feel. Older children understand routines well and learn to
cooperate, share and take turns, developing very secure social skills.
Leaders promote children's attendance. They use systems to monitor attendance through an
app and follow up promptly when children are absent. This includes contacting families by
telephone or email and, where necessary, carrying out wellbeing checks. Leaders work with
parents and carers to remove barriers to attendance and ensure children attend regularly.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Staff do not always prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing effectively in routine tasks, and
children's individual needs are not always considered. Although staff do carry out regular
timed checks on sleeping children and remain nearby, at times, other children have to wait
around if they do not want or need to sleep. For younger children, care practices are
inconsistent and routines are not always well organised, and therefore, the environment is
not always calm, organised or supportive of children's individual needs. Staff's supervision of
younger children is not consistent or effective as staff are not always vigilant during all
routines of the day. In particular, for younger children, this leads to children being involved in
play that puts their safety at risk and can lead to behaviours that have a negative impact on
others.
Staff support healthy eating, positive hygiene and physical health through meaningful
discussions. For instance, children can explain why they wash their hands to remove germs
and independently access resources, such as tissues and mirrors, to manage their personal
hygiene. At mealtimes, children make choices about what and how much to eat, while staff
talk to them about how food supports their energy and growth.
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Staff do not consistently support all children to access purposeful or engaging activities
during routine periods, such as sleep times if they do not want to sleep and at the end of the
day. Younger children, in particular, spend extended periods standing or waiting around with
little meaningful interaction. During these times, some children engage in play that poses
potential risks to their safety due to insufficient supervision or direction from staff. High-
quality interactions and teaching strategies are not consistently embedded for younger
children.
Leaders have developed a curriculum that is appropriately sequenced and aligned with the
requirements of the early years foundation stage. Overall, this is not reflected in the teaching
children receive. However, mostly, staff embed some mathematical concepts, such as

Urgent improvement
counting, comparison and problem-solving, in children's play. Children confidently match,
sort and compare objects by colour, shape and size. Older children benefit from rich
opportunities to think, explore and deepen their understanding through practical
experiences. Staff model language effectively for this age group, introduce new vocabulary
and support children to communicate with confidence.
Staff generally consider children's physical, personal, social and emotional development.
They promote older children's independence through daily routines, including mealtimes and
self-care. Staff use assessment to build on children's starting points and plan activities that
support their progress. Music and movement sessions are used to develop children's
coordination. Practical experiences, such as play dough activities, enable children to explore
ideas and develop their early problem-solving skills.
Inclusion Needs attention
The inclusive culture is not well embedded consistently across the setting at all times.
Weaknesses in staff practice for younger children have an impact on children's wellbeing.
For example, younger children are not always supported through tailored strategies that
have been identified to develop their skills to communicate. As a result, at times, this has an
impact on children's behaviour towards others.
Generally, staff use observation, assessment and information gathered from parents and
carers, including during settling-in processes, to identify children's emerging needs. For
example, they identify children's early communication needs through ongoing assessment
and the progress check for children at age 2. Staff develop support plans, such as one-page
profiles, which are reviewed regularly. Leaders monitor children's progress and work with
other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to ensure coordinated
support.
Staff receive training, including in-house special educational needs and/or disabilities
training and local authority courses. Leaders make adaptations to the environment, such as
using soft furnishings to reduce background noise for children with hearing impairments, and
provide low-level furniture to support children's physical development and independence.
Children who speak English as an additional language are supported through the use of key
words from their home languages, visual cues and effective partnerships with families.
Leadership and governance Urgent improvement
Leaders have not sustained improvements made as the result of previous action taken by
Ofsted. In addition, there have been further breaches to the early years foundation stage
requirements. Some weaknesses in staff supervision arrangements have been responded to
and action taken. This included carrying out a full investigation of an incident. However, not
all weaknesses have been identified, which means poor practice is not tackled effectively or
in a timely manner to assure all children's safety. Staff supervision of children is not always

effective as they are not always vigilant during all routines of the day, in particular with the
younger children.
Leaders work with parents and carers. For example, leaders share information through daily
conversations and the nursery app and work with parents and professionals to agree clear
next steps for children. This helps to ensure consistency between home and the setting.
Staff receive regular supervision sessions, and leaders also prioritise staff wellbeing through
practical support, such as wellbeing sessions and access to advice. Leaders explain they
have clear systems to check the quality of the provision. However, these are not effective as
there are concerns that arise that have not been previously identified, such as staff
deployment with younger children to ensure their safety. In addition, leaders and staff do not
always show an understanding of when to follow whistleblowing policies and procedures to
ensure poor practice can be improved in a timely manner to reduce the risks to children's
safety.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has not met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Although routines generally prioritise children's safety and wellbeing, staff do not remain
highly vigilant and responsive. In particular, for younger children, staff do not always have a
clear oversight of where children are as staff deployment is at times not effective, such as
during end-of-day routines and free-flow play. Children do not consistently receive support to
understand how to keep themselves safe. As a result, at times, risks arise during children's
play from the environment and the behaviour of others. This is due to poor supervision and
engagement from staff, which negatively impacts on children's safety.
Younger children do not consistently benefit from staff interactions or an environment that
provides highly effective teaching. At times, children do experience a warm, welcoming and
purposeful environment. Some children do not achieve well enough to prepare them for the
next stage of their learning. However, generally, they demonstrate an interest and are
curious and independent in their learning. Children can manage daily routines, such as
washing their hands, serving food and clearing away at mealtimes. Older children develop
their communication skills through activities, including music and movement sessions.
For younger children, inclusive practice is not fully embedded in everyday experiences. Staff
are inconsistent in using sign language and visual support. Most children seek out familiar
adults for comfort and reassurance. Staff know children and work closely with parents and
carers to help them generally meet each child's individual needs. At times, staff support
children to express their ideas, extend their thinking and build on what they already know.
Older children explore their ideas through practical experiences. For example, they mix
colours and ingredients during play dough activities to represent concepts, such as the
function of the heart in the human body.

Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the
provider must take the following actions by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
ensure all leaders and staff understand when and how
to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice to
reduce risks for children
21/05/2026
ensure all leaders and staff are confident about their
responsibilities and consistently implement policies and
procedures to keep children safe, including considering
children's privacy at all times
15/05/2026
improve staff's knowledge and understanding of
effective deployment to ensure children are supervised
appropriately at all times, with specific regard to
younger children during routines
15/05/2026
consistently implement identified strategies to support
children with additional needs
21/05/2026
ensure that leaders and staff take all reasonable steps
to identify and minimise children's exposure to risks
15/05/2026
ensure staff implement and teach the curriculum to a
consistently high standard at all times
21/05/2026
improve staff supervision arrangements to ensure
leaders can identify and address issues as they arise.
21/05/2026
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children and parents and carers 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
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.
We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we
received about the provider. The provider will be able to give parents further information
about this.

Inspectors:
Sarah Dukes
Tina Twynham
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 405361
Address:
3/4 Highfield Rd
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 3ED
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 10/07/2001
Registered person: Childbase Partnership Limited
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:30
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 1 April 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
The inspection started on 1 April 2026. Inspectors returned on 29 April 2026 and carried out
a further telephone video call on 7 May 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with
Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

Total number of places
94
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.
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