Farmyard Friends Day Nursery

A working farm, Mappleton beach and an outdoor classroom give Farmyard Friends Day Nursery its character. Nature supplies more than a backdrop here: animal care, growing, baking and beach exploration form part of the learning offer. For families who want outdoor experiences woven into nursery life, the setting has a clear identity.

At its October 2021 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Outstanding and found safeguarding effective, with strong support for learning, inclusion and children's next steps. That is a dated judgement. The current setting is at Hill Top Farm, Main Road, Mappleton, Hornsea, HU18 1XR, and has 52 places in total; its accepted age range extends from birth to 132 months, encompassing care beyond the preschool years.

Attendance choices include full days, shorter days and morning or afternoon sessions, alongside a separate set of fixed funded sessions. The practical difference between those funding models deserves close attention before choosing a pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Children have separate bases labelled 0-2's and 2-3's, with a pre school building for 3-5's. That gives the youngest children and those preparing for school different home bases rather than one shared room. Room moves can include supported visits, with placement taking account of children's development and learning needs.

The environment includes low shelves so children can reach resources, beds and comfortable resting areas. Outside, flat surfaces of artificial grass and safety tarmac provide space for play. These are useful details for families weighing how easily a child can choose materials, rest or take part in outdoor activities.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework sets the areas of learning: in everyday terms, children learn through play, conversation, exploration and activities guided by adults. Farmyard Friends builds its curriculum around its surroundings, with the beach, farm, seasons, gardening and baking supplying hands-on experiences. The framework is the common foundation; the farm and coastal setting shape how learning happens here.

Children can choose resources as well as take part in activities organised by staff. Sensory exploration uses materials such as clay, water and play dough, while construction, pretend play, songs and puppets offer different ways to develop ideas. Baking has a tangible finish: children can taste what they have made. The emphasis is on doing and investigating, rather than simply listening.

In October 2021, children tested objects down a chute and used timers to compare their movement; adults helped connect what happened with the objects' shape and size. Others worked out how to thread pasta into bracelets. In those October 2021 activities, ordinary materials gave children opportunities to experiment, solve problems and keep trying.

Outdoor and Community Life

An outdoor classroom, an outdoor kitchen and growing space extend the day beyond indoor rooms. Bikes and scooters support movement, while a tunnel, bridge and balancing equipment offer different physical challenges. Resources change, giving children fresh reasons to use familiar spaces.

Walks take in the village, beach, duck pond, church and surrounding farms; children can also visit cows on the working farm where the nursery is based. Mappleton beach gives coastal exploration a place in the offer. Suitable footwear and weather-appropriate clothing are part of making these outings workable.

In October 2021, local walks included searching for pebbles and shells at the beach, and children helped bottle-feed lambs during lambing season. These were experiences of caring for living things as well as exploring materials and places.

Visitors include Hornsea Inshore Rescue, Guide Dogs and the emergency services. They bring people and organisations from beyond the nursery into children's learning. The activities offer also includes Moo Music sessions; the named sessions are an addition to everyday singing and musical play, rather than a substitute for them.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key worker who works with the family on care and learning and shares information about progress. Individual plans cover sleep and care routines, and families of children under two receive daily diary sheets. That combination gives parents both a continuing point of contact and practical information about their child's day.

Communication extends to parent evenings, termly updates and home learning. Monthly activities reach families through Tapestry, the nursery's account used to share activities and responses, with paper copies also offered. Borrowable Bags of Support provide help with toilet training, healthy eating and preparing for a new baby. These are specific resources families can use at home, rather than a general invitation to support learning.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO works with the key worker and family when a child needs additional support or adaptations. Support plans set specific targets, are reviewed and can change as needs develop. With parental consent, specialists can become involved when nursery interventions have had little effect; links include speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

The building is on one level, with ramps, accessible doors and three accessible toilets, while outdoor surfaces are flat. Physical access sits alongside individual planning: families considering support for mobility or development have concrete arrangements to discuss, rather than only a broad promise of inclusion.

At the October 2021 inspection, Ofsted found that progress monitoring led to early intervention and that information-sharing supported transitions, while staff understood safeguarding procedures. Current arrangements include safeguarding lead roles, regularly updated first-aid training and ongoing professional development. Those arrangements describe how responsibilities are organised; the safeguarding judgement belongs to the inspection date.

Preparation for school includes invitations for Reception teachers to meet children, transition packs and information-sharing about learning and interests. Children with SEND can have additional teacher visits and joint meetings involving parents, the nursery and relevant professionals. The emphasis is on continuity of support as children move on.

Sessions and Attendance

The Full Day runs from 7.45am to 5.30pm, the Short Day from 7.45am to 4pm, and the 8 Hour Day from 8.30am to 4.30pm. For children over two, the morning pattern is 7.45am to noon; afternoon choices run from 12.30pm to either 4.30pm or 5.30pm. Families can therefore match attendance to different lengths of working day.

The fixed funding model has a 9am to 3pm day, a 9am to noon morning and a 12.30pm to 3.30pm afternoon. The minimum weekly booking is one day or two half days. Four full weeks' notice is required to alter, reduce or cancel attendance, and sessions cannot be transferred.

Care runs across the year, with closures for bank holidays and the Christmas and New Year period, plus up to three staff development days annually. Term-time contracts are restricted to families who can demonstrate a term-time job role. School holiday care is also offered, excluding the bank-holiday and Christmas closures.

Getting There

The address is Hill Top Farm, Main Road, Mappleton, Hornsea, HU18 1XR. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01964 534333 or by email at farmyardfriends@aol.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funding is accepted from nine months through the three- and four-year-old stages, including the 30 hours extended entitlement, and Tax Free Childcare payments are accepted. Eligibility and the chosen attendance model are separate questions: accepting funding does not mean every session has the same charge structure.

Under the flexible model, funding can be used within private sessions, with any remaining private attendance charged accordingly. A separate session charge covers enhancements including breakfast, snacks, drinks, snack tea, nappies, wipes and sun cream. Families who choose to avoid that charge use the fixed funded model and supply the relevant items themselves; children are not excluded from activities.

Private sessions include drinks and the breakfast or snacks specified for each pattern; breakfast applies before 8.15am. Parents supply a packed lunch for Full Day, Short Day and 8 Hour Day bookings. Food provision therefore varies by session, and the fixed funded model also requires parents to supply snacks and other relevant food items.

Non-food consumables likewise depend on the funding model: the flexible model's separate charge covers nappies, wipes and sun cream, whereas parents provide these under the fixed model. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Funding choices should be compared as complete arrangements, including supplies and attendance, rather than simply by the number of funded hours used.

• Youngest-room numbers. The nursery's room descriptions give conflicting baby and toddler caps: 12 or 18 babies, and 23 or 24 toddlers. Ask which maximum applies to your child's room and how that relates to the group attending on a typical day.
• Funding model and supplies. Flexible funding carries a separate enhancement charge; the fixed model requires families to provide relevant supplies. Compare both arrangements against the sessions you need before agreeing a contract.
• Outdoor clothing and routines. Beach, village and farm exploration require suitable clothing and footwear. At a visit, discuss how outdoor participation works for your child's age, mobility and care needs.
• Food and allergies. Full Day, Short Day and 8 Hour Day bookings require packed lunches, alongside session-dependent snacks and breakfast. Families affected by allergies should confirm current handling arrangements and how their child's dietary requirements will be managed.

Farmyard Friends suits families seeking farm and coastal experiences alongside nursery care, whether they need a full or shorter day, a morning or an afternoon pattern. The outdoor classroom, working farm and beach give that choice substance; key-worker communication and individual support plans add practical detail on care.

The Outstanding judgement dates to October 2021. For today's decision, the strongest combination is the outdoor offer and the breadth of attendance patterns, weighed against the supplies and charges attached to each funding model. Choosing the right model matters as much as choosing the session length.