James Farm Day Nursery

Fields for exploring, a baby room capped at six and a daily rhythm that includes rest, stories and outdoor play give James Farm Day Nursery its character. This rural Hartley Wintney setting combines small age-based rooms with opportunities to get muddy, move freely and choose activities. The outdoors is part of ordinary nursery life here.

At its November 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children were progressing well, with language development a strength. Two practical improvements matter alongside that judgement: more consistent help with understanding how behaviour affects other children, and better organisation of mealtimes to reduce waiting.

Children are accepted from three months to five years. The nursery has 31 places in total. Care is organised across Baby Room, Tweenie Room and Pre-School Room, giving families a clear picture of the stages through which their child will move.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room accommodates up to six babies, from three months to two years, in a softly coloured space with tactile materials and opportunities for exploration at the child's pace. That published cap is useful for parents weighing the scale of their baby's first childcare setting. It describes the room's maximum, rather than the number attending on a particular day.

Tweenie Room serves children aged two to three, with a stated room size of eight; open shelving and activities children select themselves support growing independence. Its published staffing ratio is one adult to four children, better than the legal minimum of one to five for two-year-olds. The practical difference is additional adult support at a stage when children are learning to make choices and manage social situations.

Pre-School Room takes children aged three and over, with capacity for 16; its emphasis is on developing connections with nature, other people and ideas as children prepare for their next stage. Outdoor Classroom, Cosy Cabin and Nursery Garden are also part of the setting's physical provision.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for care and learning, covering children's development through play, communication, movement and exploration. It is the shared foundation for early-years provision, rather than an extra programme unique to James Farm. Activities respond to children's interests, with observations used to decide what support or challenge comes next.

Hygge adds a more recognisable approach: calm surroundings, close relationships and nature-inspired spaces. Here, that translates into tactile exploration for babies and accessible resources that older children can choose independently.

The daily routine mixes activities chosen by children with those led by practitioners. Stories precede lunch, while the afternoon includes singing, movement and action songs before later opportunities for construction and making dens. This gives the day a predictable shape while leaving room for children's interests.

In November 2024, staff extended conversations through play and introduced unfamiliar words, while some signing helped children understand what would happen next. Younger children shared familiar stories; older children talked about experiences beyond nursery. These examples put communication into everyday exchanges rather than a separate lesson.

Outdoor and Community Life

Access to outdoor activities runs through both parts of the day, and surrounding fields are used for nature walks, exploration and occasional tree climbing. Afternoon activities can include a walk around the fields. This is a countryside setting whose surroundings have a direct role in children's experiences, rather than serving simply as a backdrop.

In November 2024, children spent sustained periods exploring mud, sand and water. Garden play involved balancing, climbing steps and crawling beneath slides, while indoor climbing frames and slides added further opportunities for large movements. These were varied physical challenges, including for younger children beginning to walk.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person in their room, with daily feedback to parents about their child's experiences. Observations include learning, interests and small personal milestones, and a Memory book brings those experiences together. This gives families both immediate feedback and a longer account of their child's time at nursery.

Parents can contribute photographs, observations and interests from home, helping practitioners connect nursery activities with the child's wider life. Parents' evenings take place at least twice a year, alongside opportunities such as stay-and-play sessions and a parents' forum. A monthly newsletter carries the interactive parent noticeboard, keeping information and procedures together.

At the November 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff knew children's individual personalities well and that close relationships helped children settle, while regular feedback supported parents' involvement in learning. One example involved families growing sunflowers at home and sending photographs that staff shared with older children. Sharing photographs connected learning at home with nursery activities.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role and designated safeguarding lead role form part of the staff structure. Practitioners observe children's development and use their interests and needs when planning activities; the nursery also has a safer-recruitment process. These are specific arrangements, rather than a promise that every child's needs will be met in the same way. Continuing professional development supports staff in observation, planning and identifying additional needs.

Rest is built into the routine after lunch, with either sleep or a quiet period, and babies can nap during the morning when needed. Nappies are checked frequently as well as changed through the room routines. For younger children, the day therefore includes care tasks and rest alongside play, rather than treating activities as the only measure of a successful day.

Zebedees supplies the nursery's seasonal menus, and monthly newsletters link to the weekly menus. Fruit snacks, milk and water also feature in the daily routine.

In November 2024, conversations about food, dentist visits and toothbrushing information supported healthy habits. The same dated findings identified occasions when children waited too long at mealtimes and became distracted. Emotional support also needed greater consistency: staff acknowledged children's feelings, but did not always explain the effect of unwanted behaviour on others.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is James Farm Nursery, West Green Road, Hartley Wintney, Hook, RG27 8JL. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing on bank holidays and for two weeks at Christmas. Those closures matter for families arranging continuous childcare around work.

An enquiry form provides a contact route, and visits are welcomed. Parents also have access to nursery policies and procedures, with contract documents covering relevant terms. The parent noticeboard attached to the monthly newsletter provides a continuing route to information once a child attends.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with the funding information addressing eligible families whose children are over nine months old. The nursery contacts families during the preceding term to gather the paperwork needed before funding begins. Eligibility remains a condition of the offer, rather than something attendance alone establishes.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation for the intended attendance. The arrangement needs to fit the nursery's opening window and annual closures.

• Behaviour and waiting. November 2024 findings called for more consistent explanations of how behaviour affects others and shorter waits at meals. On a visit, ask how staff now handle turn-taking and organise lunch.
• The first room. Baby Room accommodates up to six babies aged three months to two years. Discuss how settling and the move to Tweenie Room work for your child.
• Funding and the full bill. Eligible families can use funding, with paperwork gathered in advance. What attendance arrangements apply, and how are meals, consumables and additional hours treated in the written quotation?
• Christmas cover. The nursery closes for two weeks at Christmas as well as bank holidays. Families needing childcare through that period will need to plan around the closure.

James Farm suits families seeking year-round weekday childcare with a rural setting, a small baby room and outdoor exploration woven into the day. Its key-person system, daily feedback and opportunities for parents to contribute give the relationship with home a clear structure.

The Good judgement from November 2024 provides a positive inspection position, with concrete reservations about behaviour guidance and mealtime organisation. For a family drawn to field walks, calm rooms and child-selected activities, those practical points deserve as much attention as the setting's appealing surroundings.