Blossoms on the Reservoir

Blossoms on the Reservoir
Unique reference number (URN): 2847447
Address: 32 Reservoir Road, Edgbaston, BIRMINGHAM, B16 9EG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 25/06/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Blossoms on the Common Limited
Inspection report: 19 August 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.

Strong standard
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders have established a highly effective and embedded approach to inclusion.
Practitioners know children and their families very well and use this knowledge to identify
barriers to children's learning, development and participation. This extends beyond children
with identified special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those eligible for
additional funding. Leaders understand the challenges experienced by some families and
adapt provision accordingly. For example, when leaders identified that a child's home
circumstances limited opportunities for physical play, they increased access to outdoor
experiences. This helped the child settle and successfully engage with nursery routines.
Leaders use early years pupil premium funding purposefully, identifying barriers experienced
by eligible children and matching support to their needs. They evaluate children's progress
and the impact of support to inform what happens next. Children with SEND benefit from
individualised approaches and effective partnership working with parents and external
professionals. Practitioners use targeted plans and adapt strategies according to children's
responses. For example, when visual boards were less effective for a child with
communication and interaction needs, practitioners introduced objects of reference, sensory
resources and visual cues. This has helped the child manage transitions, become more
focused and increasingly communicate their needs.
Partnerships with families are highly effective. Translation tools and meaningful use of
children's home languages help families communicate with practitioners and support
children's sense of belonging.
Leadership and governance Strong standard
Leaders are highly reflective and have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths
and areas for development. They evaluate practice through learning walks, peer
observations, supervision and professional discussion. Improvement plans identify priorities
for each room and are regularly reviewed. Leaders set clear expectations, model effective
practice and monitor whether improvements are having the intended impact.
Professional development has a significant impact on practitioners' knowledge and practice.
Leaders tailor coaching, modelling, training and opportunities to shadow experienced
colleagues to individual needs. For example, where leaders identify weakness in staff
practice, they role model effective interactions and implement and closely monitor support
plans for staff. This results in improved interactions, stronger relationships with children and
increased practitioner confidence. Leaders ensure less experienced staff receive dedicated
support to develop their professional skills. Leaders invest in specialist development and
further training for staff who hold extra responsibilities.
Leaders make thoughtful decisions based on their detailed knowledge of children, families
and the local community. They work closely with families, external professionals and
community services to secure appropriate support for children experiencing disadvantage,
special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers. They adapt provision in

Expected standard
response to children's individual circumstances and consider the impact of these decisions
on children's experiences.
Staff's wellbeing and workload are prioritised. Regular supervision provides opportunities to
discuss professional needs and wellbeing. Practitioners describe leaders as approachable
and supportive and feel valued in their roles.
Achievement Expected standard
Children make appropriate progress from their individual starting points across the
curriculum. Children develop their communication and language skills through frequent
interactions with adults. Babies increasingly imitate sounds, attempt single words and
respond to familiar songs and actions. Older children confidently communicate their ideas,
use an increasing range of vocabulary and apply their language to think through and solve
simple problems.
Children develop important foundational knowledge and skills for later learning. They count
objects, use mathematical language and solve simple problems during their play. Children
enjoy carefully chosen books and rhymes that help them explore themes such as friendship,
safety and the world around them. They become increasingly independent, serving their
own food and drinks, putting on coats and shoes, making choices and managing aspects of
their personal care.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those experiencing disadvantage
and those experiencing other barriers make appropriate progress from their starting points.
Children who initially find communication, interaction or routines more difficult become
increasingly settled and engaged. They begin to use single words, communicate their needs
and participate alongside other children. Children develop the confidence, independence,
communication and understanding of routines and expectations that prepare them
appropriately for their next stage of learning.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Leaders have established a positive and nurturing environment where children understand
familiar routines and expectations. Practitioners form warm relationships with children and
model kindness, care and respect. Children respond positively to adults and are increasingly
confident to make choices and engage in their learning. Songs, visual prompts and familiar
routines help children understand what is happening next and support smooth transitions
throughout the day.
Children learn to play alongside others, share resources and develop positive relationships.
Practitioners model simple expectations, such as using 'kind hands', and offer praise and
reassurance to reinforce positive behaviour. This helps children, including those who initially
find social interaction difficult, to increasingly engage alongside their peers and participate in

shared experiences. Practitioners recognise that children's ability to manage their behaviour
varies according to their age, stage of development and individual needs. Appropriate
adaptations help children with additional needs to understand expectations and participate
successfully in routines.
Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality with families and monitor children's
attendance carefully. They contact parents when absences are unexplained and consider
children's individual circumstances and known vulnerabilities when deciding what further
action is required.
Children generally demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. However, during some adult-
led group experiences, practitioners do not always adapt their approach quickly enough
when children lose focus. As a result, some children do not sustain attention or remain
actively engaged.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children receive responsive care that reflects their individual needs and circumstances.
Practitioners work closely with parents to understand children's routines, preferences and
needs. Key persons establish secure and trusting relationships with children. Babies seek
reassurance from familiar adults and benefit from sensitive interactions that help them feel
secure. Settling-in arrangements are tailored to individual children. Parents initially stay with
their baby and share detailed information about sleep, feeding and weaning routines. Where
children need longer to settle, attendance is gradually increased, helping them develop
secure relationships at their own pace.
Leaders prioritise children's health and wellbeing and ensure that practitioners understand
how care practices should meet individual needs. Children enjoy nutritious, freshly prepared
meals and opportunities to be physically active. Babies develop early movement and
physical confidence, while older children practise increasingly challenging physical skills.
Leaders' awareness of local oral health concerns informs the provision of books, dental role
play and planned experiences that help children learn how to care for their teeth.
Care routines are adapted to children's individual development. Practitioners work with
families to ensure that dietary and health requirements are understood and consistently
followed. Babies' feeding, weaning and sleep routines reflect information from parents and
change as their needs develop. Mealtimes are positive, sociable experiences where children
develop independence by serving food and accessing drinks.
Leaders ensure that children's emotional wellbeing remains central to practice, with
practitioners offering reassurance and helping children recognise, express and begin to
manage their feelings. Consequently, children develop confidence, emotional security and
an increasing understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have developed an appropriate and broad curriculum that reflects the early years
foundation stage and prepares children for their next stage. They understand the quality of
curriculum and teaching and use observations, professional discussion and assessment to

identify where improvements can be made to planned learning. Communication and
language, independence and children's personal, social and emotional development are
clear priorities throughout the nursery. However, not all practitioners, as yet, understand how
specific knowledge and skills build progressively over time, so learning does not always
build as precisely on what children already know and can do.
Practitioners use children's interests effectively to make learning meaningful. For example,
practitioners build on a child's interest in cars in the pre-school room to develop counting
and problem-solving. They extend this interest using ramps and model positional language
such as 'top' and 'bottom', alongside words such as 'fast' and 'slow'. Cars are also used for
mark making. As a result, the child confidently counts with support, uses new vocabulary
and suggests solutions to problems.
The curriculum for babies prioritises their earliest development. Practitioners use eye
contact, gestures, sounds, songs and simple language to promote communication. The
environment enables babies to roll, crawl and cruise, developing physical confidence, while
care routines promote relationships and independence.
Practitioners use assessment to tailor teaching to children's starting points. For children
experiencing barriers, teaching is adapted through approaches such as objects of reference,
sensory experiences and visual cues. These adaptations help children manage transitions,
sustain engagement and increasingly communicate their needs.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children are happy, secure and valued in this nurturing and inclusive setting. They form
warm, trusting relationships with practitioners who know them and their families extremely
well. Children feel understood from the very start because adults take time to learn about
their routines, interests, experiences and home lives. Settling-in arrangements are carefully
adapted when needed, helping even the youngest children to develop confidence and a
strong sense of belonging.
Children enjoy engaging experiences that build on their interests and encourage them to
explore and investigate. Children deepen their learning through play as adults skilfully build
on their interests. For example, a fascination with cars helps children develop counting,
problem-solving, new vocabulary and creative skills. Children develop a love of books,
songs and rhymes and enjoy plentiful opportunities to be physically active outdoors.
Experiences beyond the setting, including visits to museums, libraries and the aquarium,
broaden children's knowledge of the world around them.

Inspector:
Lauren Stringfellow
About this setting
Children become increasingly confident and independent. They learn to make choices,
serve their own food, access drinks and manage aspects of their personal care. Babies are
sensitively encouraged to develop early communication, physical skills and independence
through everyday routines and play. Children are supported to understand expectations and
begin to recognise and communicate their emotions.
Children who experience barriers to their learning and development benefit from highly
individualised support. Children benefit from communication strategies, resources and an
environment that are thoughtfully adapted according to what works best for them. Children's
home languages and cultures are valued and used meaningfully to support communication
and belonging. As a result, children, including those with additional needs, become
increasingly engaged, communicate more effectively and participate fully in nursery life.
Children make progress from their individual starting points and develop important skills for
their future learning.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen practitioners' understanding of curriculum progression so that
they are consistently clear about how specific knowledge and skills build on what children
already know and can do.
Leaders should strengthen adult-led group experiences so that practitioners respond
promptly to children's levels of attention and consistently promote their active
engagement and participation in learning.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with the area manager, the manager, the deputy manager/special
educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads, the practitioners and the
parents.
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.

Unique reference number (URN): 2847447
Address:
32 Reservoir Road
Edgbaston
BIRMINGHAM
B16 9EG
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 25/06/2025
Registered person: Blossoms on the Common Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:00 - 18:00
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 19 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 3
Total number of places
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.
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