URN 2867724 · Inspected 2026-07-16 · Published 2026-09-17 · Inspector: Vicki Clowes
Sammy Snail Day Care Unique reference number (URN): 2867724 Address: Church Of Our Lady Help Of Christians, Parish Hall 57 East Meadway, Birmingham, B33 0AU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/10/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Sammy Snail 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. Strong standard Achievement Strong standard All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to their learning, are well prepared for school due to their participation in a wide range of skills and knowledge across the curriculum. Children confidently engage in conversations with staff and play alongside others, showing high levels of concentration and engagement. For example, they sit and wait patiently to choose a yoga character that they pretend to be. Younger children engage socially at mealtimes and join in with conversations. This promotes inclusivity and a sense of belonging. Children are developing and progressing well, and they are effectively prepared for the next stage of their journey on to school. From their initial starting points, their achievement is excellent. Children are also provided with ample opportunities for exploration, cooperation and engagement in the outdoor environment. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard Children thrive in the warm, relaxed, engaging environment. Leaders promote high expectations for behaviour, and children know what is expected of them due to the explanations given. Children are taught how to be kind to each other and why using their manners is important. This has a positive impact on how children treat one another. Children understand the daily routines and respond to cues extremely well. For example, children know that when the bell is rung, it is snack time and they need to wash their hands. Staff use animated voices during the changeover of activities. This helps the children to transition seamlessly from one task to another. Children use characters they are familiar with from a healthy lifestyles programme. They introduce '2 Snacks Max', who helps them to make healthy choices from fruit and vegetables. Children share this with their parents, through repeating at home the songs that they have learned in the setting. Children build positive relationships and secure attachments, and seek staff out for comfort. Children's attendance is encouraged and parents understand the importance of this. All parents speak extremely highly of all staff and how well their children have settled. Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard Leaders and staff know children and their families well and are responsive to their needs. Children's emotional wellbeing is supported through comprehensive transitions and the strong bonds formed with key persons. Children manage risks independently as they navigate confidently through their environment. For example, they climb onto the slide and balance on the wooden planks. Children have daily opportunities for fresh air, supporting their physical development and mental wellbeing. Children demonstrate independence in their self-care skills, confidently using cutlery during mealtimes. Leaders and staff are respectful and manage personal care in a way that respects privacy. Children are confident to make choices, such as choosing songs or their own resources. Staff know their children well and are consistently supporting their needs, for example by wiping noses, giving cuddles and interacting and engaging in conversation. Staff respond sympathetically to children's individual needs, working closely with parents for consistency. To help children develop their love of books and to enhance their speech at home, books are loaned to parents. Leaders place great emphasis on safety through supervision and clear risk assessments, enabling children to become capable and self-assured learners. Curriculum and teaching Strong standard Leaders implement a consistently broad, well-sequenced curriculum, engaging and motivating children in meaningful learning and encouraging them to become active learners. The inclusive curriculum is superbly designed to build on children's interests and next steps in their learning. For example, activities are specially adapted for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff build on what children can do and what they need to progress to, enabling them to be curious about their learning. Staff enthusiastically engage with all children. Staff place a significant focus on children's physical development. Planned learning opportunities are incredibly well thought through by the staff working with the children. Children are expertly shown how to use their core bodies to balance, increasing their accuracy and control. Staff skilfully and confidently implement a curriculum rich with communication and language. They role model language and repeatedly extend children's vocabulary. Staff use mathematical language with the children throughout. For example, they ask questions about how many more they need and what comes next when counting in numerical order, 1 to 5. Children positively interact with stories, singing and taking turns. They recall information and enthusiastically make choices about what and who they would like to play with. The teaching of the curriculum is responsive and purposeful, and children's interests are consistently included and embedded in the planning. Inclusion Strong standard Leaders implement highly efficient ways to evaluate and closely monitor children's development, and any emerging gaps in children's learning are swiftly identified. Leaders have high aspirations for all children, and routines and learning experiences are adapted to meet children's individual needs. For example, to gain a holistic understanding of the children and their families, individual, shorter timetables are offered. This helps to support children who struggle with their transition into the setting. This quickly reduces any barriers to children's learning, ensuring that all have access to an inclusive learning environment. Leaders have effective strategies in place and they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families. Leaders use additional funding to provide staff training, specialist resources and support for children. This quickly closes gaps in children's learning and is highly impactful. Staff skilfully support children with SEND, and there are consistently proactive measures in place. For example, staff engage and play alongside them, to ensure that children stay regulated and have maximum opportunities to learn. Staff prioritise clear communication through targeted support, especially for children with SEND. This approach removes any barriers, minimises frustrations and enables all children to make meaningful progress, at their own pace. Leadership and governance Strong standard Leaders are passionate about the development of the setting and their role in the local community, leading to an accurate understanding of their areas for development. Communication and language has been identified as an area for development. Therefore, staff consistently focus on expanding conversations and vocabulary skills. Staff have received specific training to support any gaps in children's learning. Leaders prioritise the emotional wellbeing of staff and children by continually reflecting and adapting the provision. Staff receive support to identify and access relevant training that will enhance their knowledge and skills. Leaders have secured close relationships with the staff who work directly with the children. They continually liaise with and assist each other, and staff retention is excellent. Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers to help children to make progress towards their next steps in their learning, most of the time. For example, they share their knowledge of children's achievements to further support learning at home. However, not all parents are aware of their child's key person or specific next steps. This could potentially impact on the information shared and progress they make. Staff attend multi-agency meetings and effectively support children who need additional support, especially during their transitions to school. What it's like to be a child at this setting Children flourish in this safe, nurturing environment. Practitioners offer high-quality interactions to support relationships, which enhances children's communication skills. Inspector: Vicki Clowes About this setting Unique reference number (URN): 2867724 Children are happy and settled, resulting in high levels of engagement and concentration. Children develop secure attachments and emotional security, as they are welcomed into the setting by attentive leaders and staff. They engage with activities in a well-resourced environment and have a real sense of belonging. Children show focus, enthusiasm and engagement with activities, which enables them to flourish and have a positive attitude to learning. Barriers to learning are reduced through targeted interventions tailored to each child's individual need. Children's behaviour is excellent, and all are well supported to learn from their mistakes through meaningful conversations and experienced staff. Children's social skills are supported through activities and warm staff interactions. Children learn to be independent and make choices throughout their play. For example, they choose which song to sing and where to sit at mealtimes. Children serve themselves and chat to one another and visitors to the setting. Staff effectively supervise mealtimes and promote safer eating. Next steps Leaders should continue to strengthen the key-person system to ensure that all parents are aware of their child's current key person. Leaders should strengthen the communication with parents to ensure that children's next steps are frequently shared so that parents can support their children's learning at home. About this inspection The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, the manager, practitioners, children and 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 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. Address: Church Of Our Lady Help Of Christians Parish Hall 57 East Meadway Birmingham B33 0AU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 21/10/2025 Registered person: Sammy Snail Ltd Register(s): EYR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 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 16 July 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 3 to 4 Total number of places 38 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? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted © Crown copyright 2026 © Crown copyright