Laurel Farm Steiner Kindergarten

A seven-acre smallholding, a mixed-age group and a day built around making, growing and playing give Laurel Farm Steiner Kindergarten its character. Animals, a vegetable patch and developing woodland make practical activity central to this educational choice.

At its May 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, and inclusion to be Strong standard, with achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance at Expected standard; safeguarding standards were met. That is a positive but differentiated assessment, rather than a single overall grade. The important reservation concerns extending older children's learning and evaluating teaching more precisely.

There are 30 places in total for children aged two to five, while the daily group is capped at 13 children. Those are different measures: total capacity does not describe the number sharing a day. Admission generally begins after a child's third birthday, reflecting the physical demands and length of the kindergarten day.

Learning and Activities

Children learn together across ages. Younger children watch older companions tackle tasks; older children model cooperation and take responsibility.

The EYFS provides the basis for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play and everyday experiences. Alongside it, the Steiner Early Years approach emphasises practical involvement, natural materials and time for children to develop through play. Formal reading, writing and number work begin when children are considered ready, typically at six to seven years old. Songs, stories, conversation, counting games and exploration of shapes give language and mathematics a place in the day.

Children bake, weave, sew and paint, prepare food and use tools, balancing guided activities with freely chosen play. Wooden vehicles, a dolls' house and a play kitchen support imaginative games. Making and handling materials give children something concrete to discuss.

In May 2026, children chopped vegetables, made boats using small nails and explored books independently. Adults developed conversations about boat construction, bringing in ideas about weight as children considered a sail. These examples show how hand skills, language and mathematical thinking could meet within one activity. They also make the reservation about older children's next steps more important: engaging tasks need to keep becoming more demanding.

The curriculum explanation includes progression and differentiation for older children, relevant to the timing of a move to school.

Outdoor and Community Life

Feeding animals and exploring ponds, fields and woodland give children practical jobs and direct experience of seasonal change.

Daily Forest School opportunities add outdoor learning. Natural resources carry that emphasis into indoor play, while the physical demands of the day help explain the usual starting age.

Greensprouts is a separate parent-and-child group combining crafts, free play and storytelling. Its route includes feeding chickens and visiting the Magic Glade, where a puppet story and circle time bring families together. This is an accompanied family activity, distinct from the kindergarten's childcare day. It gives parents and children a way to share the setting's outdoor character together.

Relationships and Communication

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that home visits and adaptable settling arrangements helped staff understand individual care needs, while targeted plans shared with parents and specialist speech and language support helped children overcome barriers to learning. The inclusion assessment came with an important qualification: no children with special educational needs or disabilities were attending at that time. The findings therefore describe the support observed and leaders' preparedness, rather than an observed caseload of children with SEND.

In May 2026, adults used a sung countdown to help children move between activities. Children negotiated turns and resolved small disagreements, including finding another wooden log when a preferred seat was occupied. These are useful examples of the kindergarten's social emphasis: predictable routines and adult modelling gave children ways to manage ordinary frustrations.

Parents receive updates on developmental progress during their child's time at the kindergarten. In May 2026, a parent representative gathered families' views and helped arrange community picnics; questionnaires and everyday conversations also contributed feedback. That gives parent partnership a practical shape, with routes for discussing both an individual child and the wider setting.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A safeguarding lead and deputy officer provide defined points of responsibility. The safeguarding procedure normally involves discussing concerns with parents, with an exception where doing so could expose a child to immediate harm. In that situation, contact with the relevant authorities comes first.

In May 2026, children practised dressing, toileting and using cutlery, and adults protected privacy during personal care. Children also asked for protective goggles during stone-grinding activities. Independence here included learning when help or protection was needed, rather than simply being left to manage alone.

School preparation is part of the transition work. In May 2026, links with local schools had recently been strengthened to support children's next stage. This is transition support; it carries no claim of an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 17 Carlingcott, Peasedown St John, Bath, BA2 8AN. Kindergarten opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time, with school-holiday closures. Term dates closely follow Bath and North East Somerset's pattern, so the annual calendar matters as much as the daily finishing time for working families.

September and February are the regular intake points. Applications follow an open day or an individual meeting with a teacher, and a Sustainable Joining Donation accompanies the application. The teacher consults the trustees before a decision is made, taking account of capacity and ratios. Once a child turns five, continuation is reviewed and subject to availability; only a small number of places are permitted for children over five.

Greensprouts runs on Fridays during term time, from 9.30am to noon, with either drop-in attendance or booking for a half-term block. Parents attend with their children. Kindergarten enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07561521597.

Getting There

A car park is reached along the farm track, and a lift-sharing scheme encourages families travelling from Bath and Frome to share journeys. Sat nav can direct drivers to the house rather than the kindergarten, so the farm-access directions matter for a first visit.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both 15 and 30 funded hours are offered, delivered within the term-time calendar, and privately paid childcare is also offered. There are no restrictions on which hours or days families use for their funded entitlement, although eligibility remains a separate matter.

For funded hours, meals and non-food consumables are charged separately through the requested daily Sustainability Donation, which also supports additional services and resources. This contribution is invoiced monthly and applies to funded attendance; it does not apply to families paying the daily fee. Organic lunch is among the items it supports. Current prices come in the kindergarten's written quotation; the fees and finance information explains the charging structure.

For families who qualify for Early Years Pupil Premium, the kindergarten uses that support towards free lunches, reduced additional charges and play resources. The distinction matters: support depends on qualification, rather than being a general discount for every funded place.

• Challenge for older children. In May 2026, opportunities to extend older children's knowledge were inconsistent, and curriculum evaluation needed greater precision. At a visit, ask how activities now build on what an older child can already do.
• Starting and staying. Admission generally starts after three, with September and February intakes. Continuation at five is reviewed and subject to availability, with only a small number of places permitted for children over five. Discuss the intended starting point and transition plan together, rather than assuming continuation follows automatically.
• Term-time family logistics. The 3pm close and school-holiday breaks shape the childcare arrangement. Consider these alongside the physical outdoor day and the separate, accompanied Greensprouts group.
• Funded-place costs. The Sustainability Donation supports food, consumables and additional provision for funded attendance. Request a written breakdown of that contribution and its terms alongside the proposed attendance arrangement.

Laurel Farm suits families seeking term-time childcare with mixed ages, practical making and sustained contact with nature. Greensprouts serves a different need: accompanied time for parents and children to share crafts, stories and outdoor activity. The strongest case for the kindergarten lies in its social routines, small daily group and tangible learning experiences. Families of older children should give equal weight to the next level of challenge and the timing of the move to school.