The Nanny Barn

Water play, rural walks and small everyday responsibilities shaped the day at The Nanny Barn in September 2023. At its September 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. It has capacity for 16 children at Messuage Farm in Marton, Macclesfield.

The September 2023 account covered children aged 0 to 4. Its strongest practical details concern children doing things for themselves: helping with meals, managing wet clothing and exploring outdoors. These are useful signs of how independence fitted into the day, rather than simply an ambition for later.

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care: here, the September 2023 examples included learning through conversation, creative activities and outdoor play. Staff planned experiences around children's existing abilities, giving new activities a connection to what they could already do.

In September 2023, the outdoor area supported water exploration with jugs, pipettes and funnels. Filling and pouring gave children practical ways to explore quantity and practise movements useful for writing. Rural walks took learning beyond the nursery, while outdoor play continued in different weather.

Transport was also a theme for creative activities that September. Children made hot-air-balloon crafts, with staff helping some to handle scissors safely. Songs, stories and exchanges with adults introduced vocabulary. Learning generally built towards future skills, but on rare occasions staff missed opportunities to extend it coherently during play. Staff needed support to make this more consistent.

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children well, supported their language development and used individual plans and professional links through a special educational needs coordinator to meet care and learning needs. That gives families a concrete picture of the support arrangements at that date.

Daily parent conversations in September 2023 covered the next steps in children's learning, linking nursery activities with home. Staff also shared learning from training with colleagues, including work on understanding young children and managing behaviour.

Everyday tasks carried a practical purpose that September: children helped clear away activities and prepare tables, and practised dressing and changing after water play. Home-cooked food and nutritious snacks were part of the day. Staff had paediatric first-aid training, checked the environment for hazards and understood procedures for reporting welfare concerns.

The address is Messuage Farm, Messuage Lane, Marton, Macclesfield, SK11 9HS.

In September 2023, the nursery operated on weekdays throughout the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas, with an 8am to 6pm day. It also provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds at that time. These attendance and funding details describe the arrangements in September 2023.

• Attendance arrangements. The September 2023 day ran from 8am to 6pm, with Christmas and bank-holiday closures. Which current booking patterns and funded-hours arrangements would fit your family's week?
• Learning through play. In September 2023, learning generally built towards future skills, but rare lapses during play prompted an improvement action to make this more consistent. This matters alongside the appealing practical activities: a busy day should also move learning forward.

The Nanny Barn's September 2023 account suggests it suited families who value outdoor exploration, everyday independence and regular parent communication. Water play and rural walks provide concrete reasons for that interest. The balance in September 2023 was clear: a Good judgement and generally well-sequenced learning, with rare lapses during play prompting an improvement point about consistency.