The Old Station Nursery Bromsgrove

My son has been at nursery for nearly a year and has been really well cared for right from the start. The staff are always friendly, welcoming and caring. My son obviously feels safe and happy there which is so reassuring as a parent. He loves the activities they do and the staff have been supportive of his development. They also offer term time-only places which helps us as a family.

On the face of this nursery, it seems to be an exceptionally good one. However, my son started in January and every day he attended there was an accident form to sign. It turned out there was another child constantly hitting my son. I had conversations with the Area Manager as well and the Manager and Deputy Manager. They separated the children for a week and the hitting stopped but as soon as that week was over the hitting started again. I asked the staff to have a conversation with the other child’s parents but they were hesitant about that but eventually did it, to find out that child needed to be safeguarded. The nursery staff didn’t think to do this themself which in itself is concerning and it took me, a new parent to the nursery to say this is what needs to be done. The staff there strike me as unbothered and only really there to get an income. I would say if you don’t genuinely have an interest in this area, simply get a different job!

My daughter has been attending this nursery for over 2 years. The management and staff have always been welcoming and approachable. Communication with the nursery is excellent; they regularly send out newsletters, the app provides info on my child's daily activities, including what she eats and a picture. Staff take the time to get to know the children. My daughter engages in a variety of fun activities and messy play, which she absolutely loves. As a parent, I've also appreciated being able to participate in workshops at the nursery alongside my daughter for occasions like Mother's Day. My daughter has formed a strong bond with her key worker who she refers to as her best friend. This speaks volumes about the nurturing environment. I have watched my daughter grow into a chatty, confident and caring little girl during her time here. Choosing this nursery has been one of the best decisions I've made for my daughter. I couldn't be happier with the experience.

Outstanding nursery. They really go above and beyond to help and support you and your children. Highly recommend. No problem is too big, and I feel my child is safe and well looked after. I feel my son has come on so much being here - couldn’t be happier

The activities are great and the newly refurbished garden, and I can tell they do lots of reading, as he always talks about the new ones he learned. Great location too in the town centre. Highly recommended.

My First Friends Nursery is fantastic. My son has been going there full-time since he was 9 months old and loves attending. All of the teachers are so kind, and friendly & give their full attention to every child. They also bring in 3rd party entertainment, such as singers and dancers which my son loves. They have a great outdoor space and an app that keeps you up to date throughout to day including photos, which as a working parent, really appreciate knowing that your child is enjoying themselves.

The team are always friendly, listens to us as parents and provides good feedback about our son’s development. Most importantly, our 10-month-old enjoys it and has made great connections with all of the team there.

The staff have worked exceptionally hard to get to know our little boy and help him settle in, learning his interests and always providing engaging activities. He was very apprehensive about being ‘left’ but we know the staff make him feel safe and cared for. We have had a great experience with my First Friends- thanks for all you do!

Staff are amazing with helping my child to settle in, and I love that the app shows you what they have been doing and eating throughout the day. Staff are always friendly and smiley at pick up and drop off and have been so helpful with his dietary needs.

Very friendly and caring staff. My son started the nursery at 12 months and then he would always cry around people because I had never left him alone before, but he’s such a social butterfly now, he’s always happy always eager to go to nursery. He got better with his feeding and sleep routine. They are so much more than a nursery, it’s a family. Only good things to say here.

My child absolutely loves all the teachers in these groups. It’s good the team is relatively stable and children have a chance to bond with their teachers and feel loved.

I am so happy we managed to get a place here, it is like extended family.

However, since the nursery was taken over a year later, we found the quality of care reduced. There was a huge staff turnover, and communication became a big issue. The staff are generally really friendly and the manager is approachable, but the standard of care is unfortunately different to when he first joined. The general cost of childcare is a problem for everyone, but I also find the additional service charge we have to pay on a daily basis for my child’s funded days is extortionate at this nursery. I have friends with children at different nurseries and they don’t have to pay even close to it

This an outstanding nursery, this is my second child and both of my daughters have attended here. We have tried four nurseries in total and this is by far the best. The nursery manager is incredible and such an asset. When they had a big change over of staff earlier this year, I was tempted to move my daughter but the manager was very reassuring and offered lots of support throughout this period. The app is brilliant, whilst I use it less now as the updates are behind what happens eg after my daughter has left the setting - it's very useful. The nursery are very flexible with adding hours/days at short notice, which we always appreciate. Our daughter signs British Sign language (or at least we try to get her to) and the nursery have been great at introducing this into her setting and are very deaf-aware. Her key worker is a delight, very caring and my daughter adores her.

My child has now moved into discovers and is really enjoying it. One member of the team has also been wonderful and I can see my child is quite happy with her. The manager has been brilliant with organising changes of days etc.

Have always been happy with nursery however have noticed recently that updates on app have not been accurate. Also, the nursery haven’t been able to offer extra hours/change in days to children's attendance so haven’t been as flexible as before (I think this may be due to staffing issues)

Retention of staff there has been lots leaving recently and that’s very said to see as they were amazing.

This is an outstanding nursery. Staff greet the children each morning with a warm and welcoming smile. The facilities are fantastic. Everything is included in the fee so I don't have to worry about providing supplies of anything such as nappies. My child's development has flourished in the nurturing and stimulating environment provided by My First Friends nursery. He has all of the necessary skills required to give him a headstart at school in September, I can only thank nursery for this. I can't thank this nursery enough for the dedication they have committed to my child's development. It's fantastic.

Overall I would recommend this nursery to all.

It would be nice to be allowed in the building now Covid restrictions are down as it's hard to comment on facilities etc when I haven't seen them. The only downside is how the nursery raises costs annually - buck the trend and stay reasonable for parents.