The Manor Farm Nursery

Ponies, egg collecting and vegetables grown for the lunch table give The Manor Farm Nursery a character that extends well beyond its converted farm buildings. In Lechlade, the farm supplies both space for energetic play and real things to investigate: animals, growing food and changing seasons. This is the strongest reason to consider it. Outdoor experiences run through the nursery day rather than sitting apart as an occasional outing.

Children attend from 3 months to 5 years, progressing through Ducklings, Hoglets, Owlets and Kits before the preschool rooms, Cubs and Fawns. At its 3 November 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and praised the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. That judgement is dated; the current appeal rests on the detailed room arrangements, home-linked routines and farm-based play.

Full-day, morning and afternoon attendance are offered, alongside later-start options. The choice matters for families combining childcare with work or seeking shorter periods of nursery experience.

Rooms and Ages

Ducklings, for babies aged 3–12 months, combines sensory resources, soft play and sleep spaces with immediate access to outdoor decking, while tummy time, songs and stories introduce movement and communication gently. Hoglets, for children aged 12–24 months, adds climbing and messy play, with weekly themed activities encouraging increasingly controlled hand movements. Owlets serves the same 12–24-month age band in a separate room, sharing that developmental emphasis through creative play, early language and farm exploration.

Kits, for ages 24–36 months, has outdoor decking and space for construction, role play and creative activities, with communication and increasing independence central to its day. Cubs takes younger preschool children from 30 months, using books, construction and role play alongside early phonics and number activities; its upstairs room gives each child a peg and drawer. Fawns, for the final preschool year, also sits upstairs, with early writing, maths and collaborative activities preparing children for the practical demands of Reception.

These are stages rather than a single broad preschool group. Movement between the youngest rooms is gradual, with familiar adults and routines helping children adjust as their mobility and interests change.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework: children develop language, physical skills, relationships and early understanding through play and guided activities. At Manor Farm, children can pursue their own interests while practitioners plan experiences across the areas of learning. Online journals make observations accessible to parents, connecting the nursery day with conversations at home.

Farm life supplies useful teaching material. Kits children count eggs, sort vegetables and encounter letters in their names, bringing early maths and literacy into recognisable activities. Singing, movement and stories sit alongside painting and experiments with different textures. The point is concrete experience: a vegetable can be planted, counted, washed and eaten, rather than appearing only in a picture.

In November 2022, babies explored sensory bags while adults supplied words for their actions; toddlers copied movements during rhymes, and older children encountered vocabulary through experiments. Group activities were less consistent: some became too large, leaving children waiting long enough to lose interest. Better planning to sustain participation and extend learning was the improvement priority. It remains a useful question for a visit, especially alongside the current emphasis on short group times in Kits.

Outdoor and Community Life

The bikes-and-trikes field gives children room to pedal, while climbing equipment, mud kitchens and sandpits offer different kinds of movement and construction. A sensory garden adds another outdoor space, and the vegetable patch makes growing food part of ordinary nursery life. These facilities support different interests rather than requiring every child to choose the same activity.

Forest school sessions use woodland for den building and exploring nature. Animal encounters also have a practical element: children feed chickens, collect eggs and care for rabbits. In Kits, outdoor walks include visits to the animals, with adults drawing attention to sounds and seasonal changes. Outdoor clothing is therefore part of the everyday kit, not something reserved for special trips.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with parents staying alongside their child and completing an All About Me form about routines, preferences, allergies and early development. Later stay-and-play sessions introduce short separations. That sequence gives staff useful information before a child is expected to manage a longer period away from home.

For babies in Ducklings, the key person follows home patterns for feeds, sleep and play, and the parent app carries photographs, messages and developmental updates. Kits also combines a daily handover with an online journal. Families have both immediate information about the day and a longer view of their child’s learning.

Sleep arrangements respond to the child rather than imposing one timetable. Younger children may need more than one sleep, while Kits children can have a post-lunch nap or quiet rest. Toilet training is coordinated with parents and the child’s readiness, with spare clothing and consistent approaches helping the transition between home and nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The SENCo works with practitioners and families to understand additional needs, involving external health or education specialists where appropriate. In Kits, the Two-Year Progress Check around 30 months provides a point to discuss development and agree next steps. The practical mechanism matters more than a broad promise: observation, discussion with parents and access to outside expertise are the stated routes to support.

The terms also contain a significant qualification. Where additional staffing, resources or funding need arranging, the full requested attendance hours may temporarily be unsupported. Families whose child needs extra assistance should understand that possibility before committing to a pattern.

Lunch is prepared on site by a chef, with menus rotating over three weeks and displayed through Famly; the food arrangements include individual care plans for dietary requirements and allergies. Families supply formula or breast milk, which can be stored in labelled containers, together with their own labelled bottles.

Moving on to school has a defined sequence. Once a school place is confirmed, the nursery invites the Reception teacher to meet the child; with parental consent, a School Transition Report goes out in early July across the seven areas of learning. This supports continuity after the school place has been decided.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Manor Farm, Burford Road, Lechlade, GL7 3EX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with closures on bank holidays and during the week between Christmas and New Year. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone or by email.

Full Day runs from 7.30am to 6pm, Morning from 7.30am to 1pm, and Afternoon from 1pm to 6pm. Late Day is 8am to 6pm, while Late Morning starts at 8am and finishes at 1pm. Term-time-only attendance is also offered, subject to demand for year-round attendance; it is usually associated with the final preschool years.

Attendance is agreed on set days. The nursery strongly encourages two sessions on separate days, which can be two half days; this is a recommendation, not a compulsory minimum. Preschool arrangements also involve an annual application process for the following September, so families should distinguish their current booking from the next preschool stage.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, and up to 30 hours for eligible working families from the term after a child turns 9 months. Funding operates over 38 weeks, with additional hours and non-funded weeks charged privately. Eligibility must be established before funding can be applied.

Food, nappies and wipes are included during non-funded sessions, but charged separately during funded sessions; families may opt out of those consumable charges. Parents also supply sun cream and any required formula or breast milk. The distinction matters: funded educational hours and the total childcare bill are separate questions. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the charging categories.

A deposit secures a position on the New Starter list and is credited against the first monthly invoice; families unable to afford it can discuss an alternative without affecting that position. Reducing regular attendance or ending a place requires eight weeks’ written notice, with fees payable throughout that period.

• Group participation. In November 2022, some larger activities lost children’s attention while they waited. During a booked visit, ask how group size and turn-taking are now managed in the room your child would join.
• Additional support and hours. The terms allow a period of reduced supported hours while extra provision is arranged. Discuss the practical plan, staffing and attendance expectations if your child needs additional help.
• The total bill. Funded sessions carry separate food, nappy and wipe charges, with an opt-out, while the notice period carries continuing fees. Review the written quotation against your chosen sessions and ask how opting out would work for your child.
• Allergies and farm life. Individual dietary care plans sit alongside animal visits and food-growing activities. If allergies affect your child, confirm current practice for meals and activities, and use the visit to discuss their needs.

The Manor Farm Nursery suits families who want outdoor exploration woven into childcare, whether through full days, shorter mornings or afternoon sessions. Its converted buildings, woodland activities and animal care give children plenty of concrete material for play and conversation. The progression from baby rooms to Fawns is equally useful: care routines gradually give way to greater independence and school preparation.

The November 2022 Good judgement provides a dated quality reference, with group-activity planning the reservation to explore. For families needing additional support, the possible effect on attendance hours deserves equal attention. The strongest fit is with parents who value farm experiences and home-linked care, and whose chosen booking works with the charging and notice terms.