Growing Wild Outdoor Nursery

A farm, a huge sandpit and shelter in two polytunnels give Growing Wild Outdoor Nursery its character. At Wigfield Farm in Barnsley, outdoor play is the main setting for learning, rather than a break between indoor activities. Children can investigate water, construct with planks and crates, or find a quieter spot for stories and art. The practical appeal is clear: space for energetic play alongside places to pause.

Children aged two to five attend. Ofsted rated the setting Good at its January 2022 inspection and found safeguarding effective; the improvement priority was helping staff extend children's vocabulary more consistently during play. That balance matters. The outdoor setting offers plenty to talk about, but adult conversation needs to develop those experiences into learning.

Full Day Care and a breakfast club serve different starting routines, with the detailed opening arrangements below.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning and care, with play supporting language, movement and social development. Alongside it, the nursery follows Forest School Principles: an approach to learning through practical experiences outdoors. Here, children follow their interests and explore at their own pace, using the farm setting and outdoor materials rather than relying solely on activities chosen by adults.

A huge sandpit, water play zones and a mud kitchen give children different materials to investigate. Ladders, swings, planks and crates add opportunities to balance, build and invent games. These resources allow a child to move between sensory exploration and bigger physical challenges. Quiet areas accommodate storytelling and art, so the offer includes more than climbing and getting muddy.

In January 2022, children tackled wooden structures and trees, practised balancing and swinging, and discovered that heavy branches and pans could be easier to move together. The examples connect physical challenge with cooperation: children had reasons to work alongside one another, as well as opportunities to play independently.

Stories also had a place outdoors in January 2022. Books were accessible around the grounds, while bear hunts, Gruffalo trails, puppets and role play brought stories into children's activities. This gave reading a practical context, linking a story's events with movement and imaginative play rather than keeping books apart from the outdoor day.

Outdoor and Community Life

Wigfield Farm is more than the nursery's address. Children have unlimited access to the farm, bringing animals into their learning experiences. Group outings extend to the nearby country park and the Trans Pennine Trail, offering changes of setting and opportunities to practise walking together and following instructions. The outings complement the nursery grounds rather than replacing their daily use.

Mixed-age play is another part of the approach. Younger children can observe older children, while older children have opportunities to help them. For families, that means the social experience includes interaction across ages rather than only with children at the same developmental stage.

Two polytunnels and a summerhouse provide sheltered spaces when children need them. This is a substantial practical feature for outdoor provision: energetic play and exploration sit alongside somewhere protected from the weather. Families still need to be comfortable with an outdoor day as the central offer.

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that staff used information about children's interests and individual needs to support settling and plan learning, while children formed close relationships with the adults caring for them. The useful detail is the connection between home information and nursery routines: settling involved learning about the child, rather than expecting every child to adjust in the same way.

In January 2022, staff met weekly to plan activities together and used training days to discuss provision. Safeguarding discussions were also part of weekly meetings. Those arrangements belong to that period, but they illustrate the organisational work behind the outdoor activities.

The Barnsley team includes a SENDCo role. This gives families a specific support role alongside the practitioners working outdoors. Families considering additional support should discuss how that role connects with their child's daily experience, especially where communication or participation needs careful planning.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are Monday to Thursday, from 8.10am to 4.30pm. The main opening window runs from 9am to 4.30pm, with breakfast club starting at 8.10am; Full Day Care is also offered. The earlier start provides a different morning routine from joining at the main opening time.

The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays, one week in summer and two weeks at Christmas. Those closure periods belong in a family's childcare planning, alongside the Monday-to-Thursday operating week. Friday playgroup is a separate activity, rather than an additional nursery day.

Getting There

The address is Wigfield Farm, Haverlands Lane, Worsbrough, Barnsley, S70 5NQ. Vehicle access uses the farm car park.

Enquiries can be made through the nursery's enquiry form, by telephone on 07852 660 144 or by email at enquiries@growingwildoutdoornursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded hours are accepted. Families should obtain current prices in a written quotation from the nursery.

The Barnsley playgroup runs on Fridays from 10am to 11.30am and can be booked by families whose children do not attend the nursery. It provides time for children and their accompanying adults to play outdoors together, with climbing, mud and exploration forming part of the activity.

• An outdoor day. The sandpit, water play and climbing resources make outdoor activity central, with polytunnels and a summerhouse providing shelter. On a visit, discuss how your child would use the sheltered and quiet spaces during difficult weather.
• Language during play. In January 2022, staff did not consistently extend children's vocabulary, and some play continued too long without adult input to develop thinking. Ask how practitioners now build conversation into child-led exploration.
• Your weekly routine. Nursery opening is Monday to Thursday, with an earlier breakfast-club start and seasonal closures. Compare those arrangements with the days and hours your family needs.
• Support in practice. A SENDCo role is part of the Barnsley team. Discuss how support would work within the outdoor day for your child's particular needs.

Growing Wild suits families seeking farm-based outdoor learning, whether they want Full Day Care or an earlier start through breakfast club. The farm access, Trans Pennine Trail outings and sheltered polytunnels give that choice substance. The January 2022 vocabulary improvement priority deserves a specific conversation, while the four-day operating week needs to fit family routines. For children who enjoy investigating, building and moving outdoors, the setting offers a clear and coherent daily experience.