Havelock House Day Nursery
Havelock House Day Nursery is a day nursery in Birmingham for children aged 2 to 4, with 36 registered places. Ofsted report card, 20 November 2025: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met.
54 Highfield Road, Saltley, Birmingham, B8 3QU
Key facts
- Type
- Day nursery (Full day care) (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Ages
- 2 to 4 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered places
- 36 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
- Registered
- 27 March 2024 (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
Opening hours
Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 15:00
Source: Ofsted report, inspection on 20 November 2025
Who runs it
Havelock House Day Nursery is run by Little Leaders Day Nursery Limited (Ofsted register).
Latest inspection
- Inclusion: Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
- Achievement: Expected standard
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
- Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
- Leadership and governance: Expected standard
- Safeguarding standards met
Source: Ofsted, inspection on 20 November 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children enjoy attending this nursery. Staff create a warm and welcoming environment where children arrive with enthusiasm for their day. Staff demonstrate meaningful relationships with children, which contribute to children feeling a sense of belonging at the nursery. For example, during morning group sessions, children and staff greet each other and select their name and photo from a selection. This enables children, even from a very young age, to feel part of the nursery community.
Children make typical progress from their starting points in development. Staff know their key children extremely well, which allows them to plan relevant learning experiences. Children who are displaying high-ability skills are given time to participate in experiences appropriate to their stage of development. Children who speak English as an additional language or who are from more disadvantaged backgrounds receive support to achieve their potential. Children work on skills that prepare them for their next stages of learning, including being independent in routines and self-care. Leaders recognise the importance of children's attendance in their future achievement and have made efforts to increase the number of hours children are attending.
Staff keep children safe. Leaders ensure that staff follow procedures sufficiently. Staff respond to children's individual requirements and make adaptations to routines or experiences to meet their needs. Children hold each other's hands and walk sensibly when moving to and from the outdoor area.
Mealtimes are sociable experiences, and children become involved in lively conversations. Staff support children to increase their independence during this time. For example, children rinse their own plates and cups after snack time. Leaders and staff are working towards children also scraping their own plates and collecting their dessert at lunchtime.
What Ofsted found in each area
Inclusion: Strong standard
Through strong relationships with children, leaders and staff work hard to identify any potential gaps in development and any barriers children may face to progress. Staff consistently make a difference to the outcomes for children. For example, children who were previously struggling with sitting and eating can now sit at the table with others at mealtimes and eat some food. Staff ensure that monitoring takes place so that they can measure the impact any adaptations have on children's development.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress extremely well. Staff meet with parents and carers regularly to agree targets and assess learning. Staff work collaboratively with external agencies, taking into account their expertise and guidance on supporting children. Leaders pinpoint areas where additional funding can be spent to improve outcomes for the most disadvantaged children. For example, staff have spent money on imaginative play resources that help to develop children's confidence and self-esteem. Children engage in role-play experiences, brushing each other's hair and applying face paint.
Leaders swiftly identify long-term plans for children. Staff have high expectations of what they want children to learn, and they develop an understanding of what children may need in the future.
Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard
Staff provide a curriculum that is carefully thought out and appropriate for all children. Staff know if they need to adapt a learning experience so all children can participate. Interactions between staff and children are positive and children enjoy back-and-forth conversations, which keep their interests piqued. For example, staff allow children time to respond to questions without repeating or jumping in. However, on occasion, staff do not recognise when good opportunities arise to use their skills and knowledge to interact with children to extend their learning further.
Children engage in independent learning in the outdoor area. They use magnifying glasses to search for animals and keep the learning moving by talking to each other and asking questions. Staff provide opportunities for children to engage in active play. For example, children exercise to music and run around together purposefully. Leaders and staff are currently working together to further strengthen the curriculum for children's physical development.
Staff teach mathematical skills appropriately through play. Children play in a sand tray with scooping and pouring resources, along with treasure. As children dig and scoop, staff count out loud and children join in. Parents and carers confirm that their children count correctly at home since attending the nursery.
Achievement: Expected standard
All children develop skills and build on their knowledge from their starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress particularly well.
Children become motivated learners and concentrate well on their chosen play and during adult-led activities. They communicate well and use their developing language to engage in interesting conversations, share news from home and express their views.
All children eat lunch together, which gives younger children opportunities to mix with older children and take part in daily routines. Children develop a range of useful skills to help them to become independent in their self-care, such as handwashing and scraping their plates clean after meals. All children enjoy joining in with music and movement activities, and they sing and dance with enthusiasm. They interact warmly with their friends and learn to form good relationships. These skills combine to prepare children well for their future move to school.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard
Leaders and staff create a welcoming and positive environment for children. Staff introduce the nursery's rules with all children, encouraging them to use their 'kind hands' and wait their turn, especially when taking turns to speak in the group. Children behave well.
Relationships between staff and children are wholesome and nurturing. Children feel safe, which helps to build their self-esteem in the nursery. They display consistently positive attitudes towards their learning and are eager to join in with experiences. For example, children excitedly join in with a leaf painting activity, where staff discuss their previous learning about autumn. Children know the routines of the nursery and follow instructions. Children move from the classroom to the bathroom to wash their hands, where staff carefully tailor their support depending on the age and stage of the children.
Leaders and staff are proactive when addressing low attendance. They promote a gradual approach to the length of time children spend at the nursery, which has a positive impact on children's experiences. For example, children who were once only attending for a couple of hours now attend all morning. This helps to increase their progress.
Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard
Staff demonstrate strong knowledge of individual children and how their needs should be met. Staff talk confidently about children's home lives, backgrounds and their preferences. They can also talk about children's individual learning requirements. An effective key-person system is in place, with a secondary key-person assigned to each child for when staff are absent. Children rely on staff to support their emotional wellbeing. They seek out their familiar adult when arriving at the nursery and need a cuddle before settling into their chosen learning. Children receive support to identify and talk about their emotions during circle time.
Staff teach children the importance of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, with a particular focus on choosing healthy food options. Recently, the nursery has moved from children bringing in packed lunches to providing them with nutritionally balanced, freshly cooked lunches for all children. During mealtimes, staff talk to the children about their food and develop their understanding of appropriate healthy options.
Children's oral health and the significance of brushing their teeth are a priority for the nursery. Staff access training and work with external companies to ensure that they can support children and families with this. This has led to improvements in children's understanding.
Leadership and governance: Expected standard
Leaders provide support to members of staff so they can be successful in their roles. Leaders consider staff's workload regularly and offer opportunities to discuss this at supervision meetings. Staff are encouraged to share areas of practice they are particularly interested in, so that leaders can seek training for them.
Leaders have a thorough oversight of the nursery's strengths and the areas that they are working on next. They make decisions about the governance of the nursery, with children's progress and development at the forefront of their minds. For example, the nursery provides lunches for all children at no extra cost to parents and carers. This ensures that children receive a healthy, balanced and hot meal.
Leaders acknowledge that they are more successful at engaging with some parents than others with regards to their child's individual learning. Although leaders are aware of this, they have not implemented effective enough strategies to ensure that their communication with all parents is equally successful.
What the setting must and should do next
The provider should:
- Leaders should support staff to use their high-quality interactions more consistently to extend children's learning.
- Leaders should further enhance the arrangements to involve parents in their child's learning.
Ofsted's words, from the report on the inspection on 20 November 2025. Read the full report on the Ofsted website. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Inspection history
- 20 November 2025: Full inspection, report card: Strong standard in 3, Expected standard in 3
Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)
Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.
The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.
Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.
Source: Ofsted reports
Funded childcare hours in England
All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.
Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.
Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.
The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.
Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)
Other nurseries nearby
- Hamd House Nursery - Alum Rock - Pre-school, Alum Rock B8 1NS, ages 2 to 4, 72 places, 0.1 milesOfsted, 25 September 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Highfield Nursery School Daycare - Pre-school, Birmingham B8 3QF, 7 places, 0.2 miles
- Booster Learning - Pre-school, Birmingham B8 3BL, 0.3 miles
- Bright Star Day Nursery England Ltd - Day nursery, Birmingham B8 1RS, ages 1 to 4, 100 places, 0.3 milesOfsted, 2 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Norton Hall Children and Family Centre - Day nursery, Birmingham B8 1NA, ages 2 to 4, 40 places, 0.3 milesOfsted, 13 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Schools nearby
- Highfield Junior and Infant School - Primary, 0.1 miles
- Highfield Nursery School - Nursery, 0.1 miles
- Nansen Primary School - Primary, 0.2 miles
- Rockwood Academy - Secondary, 0.2 miles
- St Saviour's C of E Primary School - Primary, 0.3 miles