Old Macdonald's Day Nursery Bovingdon

Farm walks give Old Macdonald's Day Nursery Bovingdon a character that extends well beyond its playrooms. Donkeys, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and cows inhabit the surrounding farmland, and children take walks to see them when the weather allows. This is a setting where animals can become part of a child's ordinary nursery day, rather than an occasional special outing.

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found that teaching helped children develop their language rapidly. The detail behind that judgement matters: staff extended children's learning through conversations, books and experiences outdoors.

There are 74 places in total for children aged three months to five years. Younger children use the main building, while a separate Pre-school unit serves children aged three and over. Morning sessions, afternoon sessions and full days provide different ways to attend.

Rooms and Ages

The main building accommodates children from three months to three and a half years; the separate Pre-school unit is for those aged three and above, who are requested to wear uniform. For families, the important distinction is the move between buildings as children grow, rather than a single space serving the whole age range.

The age bands overlap. That makes the timing of a child's move into preschool a useful point to discuss during a visit, alongside how familiar relationships are maintained through the change. The total capacity describes the nursery as a whole, rather than the number of children sharing any particular room.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets out children's learning, development and care, including communication and maths developed through play and practical experiences. Art, messy play, stories and singing recur through the day. Children also choose their own play, so the routine combines planned opportunities with room for individual interests.

Challenge Sport & Education provides sport sessions, while Dinky Dancers brings music and dance classes during the year. These additions give children further opportunities for movement alongside the nursery's everyday activities. Their value is concrete: sport, music and dance broaden the ways children can participate beyond sitting with a book or working at a table.

In January 2023, learning often grew out of something children had experienced. Toddlers recreated a hairdresser visit by cutting spaghetti with scissors. Preschool children discussed a postcard from Paddington Bear in Madagascar and connected the destination with Africa. These examples show how familiar experiences and imaginative stories could open up conversation, practical skills and knowledge of the wider world.

Mathematics also appeared in ordinary moments that January. Adults paired babies' number songs with finger gestures; toddlers compared vegetable sizes at mealtimes; older children explored where people stood in relation to one another. The examples span different developmental stages, rather than treating early mathematics as a single activity for every age.

Outdoor and Community Life

Walks to the farm feature in the example routine's outdoor periods, subject to the weather. The surrounding fields and farm offer animals to observe, giving children something real to talk about when they return indoors. The example day also alternates active periods with stories and quieter activities.

In January 2023, babies gathered leaves during farm visits and watched animals, then continued the experience indoors with toy animals, animal names and songs. Younger children experimented with mud using pots and pans in the garden, while bicycles offered another physical challenge. Outdoor experiences were connected with what happened afterwards, rather than ending when children returned inside.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described prompt identification of speech and language needs, tailored staff training led by the SENCo and deputy SENCo, and effective work with families to support children's progress. This was a judgement about practice at that date, supported by specific mechanisms for recognising needs and responding to them.

During January 2023, staff met weekly to discuss children's next learning steps. Meetings with parents provided opportunities to share achievements, and home visits offered another route for supporting families. For a parent, the useful thread is the connection between what staff noticed, what they planned next and what happened at home.

Emotional support also drew on children's circumstances that January. Preparations for a new sibling became opportunities to explore caring for babies, and staff helped children express feelings and manage them. This linked support to an actual change in a child's life.

The current example routine includes a period for sleep or quiet activity after lunch, with nappy care at other points in the day. The nursery's cook prepares homemade food, with breakfast, snacks, lunch and dessert, and tea served according to the child's attendance period. The routine is a guide that can change with children's ages and needs, rather than a timetable every child must follow identically.

Sessions and Attendance

Bovingdon opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, throughout the year except public bank holidays. Families can book morning or afternoon sessions, full days or a full week.

Full-day options run from 7.30am to either 6.30pm or 7pm. Morning options start at 8am or 8.30am and finish at 1pm; afternoon options start at 1pm or 1.30pm and finish at 6pm. These are separate attendance choices, so the start and finish attached to the chosen session matter when planning work and collection arrangements.

Initial enquiries use the enquiry form. The enrolment form is completed after a family has been offered and accepted a place, keeping the initial request separate from the acceptance stage.

Getting There

The address is Darley Ash Farm, Chipperfield Road, Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 0JW. Branch enquiries can be made by telephone on 01442 834118 or by email to bovingdon@oldmacdonaldsdaynursery.co.uk.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery accepts funding codes for up to 15 or 30 hours of free childcare. Families should obtain a current written quotation for their proposed attendance pattern, with funded hours distinguished from privately paid time.

• Later collection. The 7pm full-day option extends beyond the nursery's stated 6.30pm closing time. Confirm which finish applies to the booking before arranging collection.
• Funding and everyday costs. For a proposed funded pattern, ask how the hours are spread across the year and who pays for meals, nappies and other consumables. Have the answers included in the written quotation.
• The preschool move. A separate Pre-school unit serves children from three, and uniform is requested there. During a visit, discuss when your child would move and how the change between buildings would be handled.

Bovingdon suits families seeking farm walks and animal encounters alongside art, stories, sport, music and dance. Its attendance choices serve parents wanting morning or afternoon sessions as well as those booking full days or a full week.

The January 2023 Outstanding judgement adds weight, while the practical appeal rests on the setting's farm surroundings and its separate preschool building. Collection planning hinges on the agreed full-day finish; for funded attendance, the agreed pattern and treatment of everyday costs shape the family's quotation.