Willows Farm Day Nursery

Pony grooming, vegetable growing and animal-feed weighing give Willows Farm Day Nursery a character that ordinary garden play cannot replicate. Set within Willows Activity Farm, it makes the farm part of children's learning, rather than an occasional destination. For parents who want outdoor experiences woven into nursery life, that is the main attraction.

The nursery is at Coursers Road, Colney Heath, St. Albans, AL4 0PF, with capacity for 245 children and a current age range of two months to five years. At its October 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good and judged safeguarding effective. That dated judgement sits alongside specific improvement priorities around teaching skills, vocabulary and helping parents continue learning at home.

Full days, half days and term-time sessions for older children give families several attendance patterns. The practical detail matters here: funded attendance carries an enrichment charge, and early or late attendance is sold separately from the standard day.

Rooms and Ages

Babies and Pre-Toddler Rooms combine exploration through touch, sound and movement with a dedicated outdoor baby area and farm visits suited to younger children, with the rooms serving children up to 24 months according to individual needs.

For children aged 24 to 36 months, the Toddler Rooms bring together weekly movement and music, early number work, stories and creative play, with a quiet area for resting and access to the farm's covered and outdoor play spaces.

Mini Farmers, the preschool stage for three- to five-year-olds, adds practical farm work such as weighing feed, tending vegetables and grooming ponies to preparation for school, alongside Forest School sessions and outdoor exploration.

Movement between stages takes account of the individual child. That makes the sequence more than a set of birthdays: families can discuss readiness for the next room alongside the routines and activities their child already enjoys.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care through play and everyday experiences. Planning in the Moment is the nursery's additional teaching approach: staff use a child's discussion, discovery or chosen activity as the starting point for further learning. The interest comes first, then the teaching opportunity.

Mini Farmers makes that approach concrete. Filling animal-feed bags gives children something real to measure; growing vegetables connects care and patience with visible change. Grooming ponies and helping with stable jobs also give cooperation a practical purpose. These are activities children can understand through doing, rather than simply hearing an explanation.

Forest School sessions add learning outdoors through nature-based activity. They sit alongside daily outdoor play, gardening and caring for animals, rather than replacing the wider early-years framework. The gardens allow children to move between indoor and outdoor spaces, while outdoor classrooms give learning another setting beyond the room.

In October 2023, children linked letters written in chalk with lettering spotted during farm outings. Younger children explored cereal and pasta with scooping tools, while older children twisted pipe cleaners before using them to make bubbles. Those examples show how early literacy and hand control were built into play at the time.

Outdoor and Community Life

Willows Activity Farm supplies the setting's most recognisable learning resources: animals, trails, fields and gardens. Daily supervised animal visits create repeated opportunities to notice behaviour and changes, rather than relying on a single memorable trip. The farm is part of the routine.

Seasonal possibilities include the A-maize-ing Maze in summer and the pumpkin patch in autumn. These give the outdoor offer a changing shape across the year; they are seasonal experiences, not a promise that every child follows the same itinerary.

The Mini Farmers day also balances activity with recovery. After the morning's farm experiences, some children sleep while others take part in restful activities; later experiences can include plant discoveries, bug hunts and time with guinea pigs. A story from the Book of the Week brings a shared reading thread into the day. Outdoor activity does not occupy every waking moment.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, with daily conversations and regular parent evenings supporting the relationship with home. Updates include photographs, observations and developmental milestones. A parents' coffee lounge offers a physical space for families to pause and talk, rather than making every conversation a hurried exchange.

Settling follows four stages: a parent or carer joins the first, hour-long session, followed by sessions lasting two, three and four hours. A home visit may be offered according to the child's needs, and the settling period can be extended or attendance shortened when a child needs more time. The progression is adjustable.

For babies, staff work with parents to match home feeding, sleep and nappy routines; toddler support includes working together on potty training. This gives families a practical way to carry familiar habits between home and nursery. Room changes and the eventual move to school are also part of the support offered to parents.

In October 2023, families received daily care information, including babies' sleep and bottles, but guidance on extending children's learning at home was less consistent. The improvement priorities also included more precise staff development in teaching and broader vocabulary during interactions. These are useful points to revisit alongside the current communication arrangements.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Support for children with special educational needs includes adapting activities and teaching methods, providing individual resources and setting aside learning time with key persons. For more complex needs, the offer includes tailored curriculum work, targeted activities and access to specialists. The practical question is how those mechanisms would be organised for a particular child.

Meals are prepared by the on-site kitchen team on a three-week menu cycle, while the allergy policy includes recording dietary needs, sharing them with relevant staff and using colour-coded systems in rooms and the kitchen. The nursery supplies a standard formula brand within fees and supports alternatives where a baby needs them.

In October 2023, safety procedures for farm outings had been strengthened after an incident, using nursery vests, wristbands, a walking rope and repeated headcounts. In its April 2024 compliance outcome, Ofsted recorded that requirements had not been met following a significant incident, but that corrective action had been taken through revised procedures for staff moving between rooms so children remained accounted for and within sight or hearing. Both dated events make supervision a material consideration, even though the later outcome records action to put matters right.

Moving on is marked by a graduation celebration with caps and gowns, a concert, family barbecue and children's entertainment. It gives families a shared ending to the preschool stage, alongside the everyday work of preparing children for school.

Sessions and Attendance

The standard Full Day runs from 8am to 6pm. Half Day options run from 8am to 1pm or from 1pm to 6pm, so families can choose a morning or afternoon pattern as well as a full day. For children over three, term-time options include a Full Day from 8am to 6pm and a School Session from 9am to 3pm.

Monday-to-Friday opening extends to 7.30am and 6.30pm through separately charged Early Club and Late Club additions. These run from 7.30am to 8am and from 6pm to 6.30pm respectively. The distinction matters when comparing a booked day with the overall opening window.

Booked sessions cannot be swapped, although additional sessions can be booked on an ad hoc basis, subject to availability in the child's room. Holidays taken by families and bank holidays remain chargeable. This is a relatively fixed attendance arrangement, so parents whose working days change frequently should weigh the session-swap rule carefully.

The nursery operates across the year, including the Christmas and New Year period apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. On a weekday Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, closing time is 4pm and full fees apply. Those shorter days need to fit the family's work calendar.

Getting There

The address is Willows Activity Farm, Coursers Road, Colney Heath, St. Albans, AL4 0PF, near junction 22 of the M25. Parking includes the wider farm parking area and a smaller car park directly in front of the nursery.

Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the enquiry form. Personal weekday show-arounds are bookable, alongside monthly Saturday Open Days and Enrolment Week every three months. These provide different ways to fit a visit around family commitments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government-funded childcare is accepted for eligible children aged nine months, two, three and four years, including 15-hour and 30-hour funding. Delivery includes stretched attendance, with term-time funding options for children over three; parents must establish eligibility and obtain their funding code before accessing funded sessions.

Private fees include meals, snacks, formula, nappies, wipes and nappy cream; funded days for children aged nine months and above carry an enrichment charge covering meals, activities and resources. Additional private sessions or hours use the standard charging structure, while Early Club and Late Club have their own charge.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page sets out the attendance and charging structure, including the distinction between private hours and funded days.

• Supervision during outings and room changes. Farm-outing procedures had been strengthened by the October 2023 inspection; the April 2024 compliance outcome recorded corrective action addressing supervision during room changes. During a weekday show-around, ask how children are counted and responsibility is handed between staff today.
• Funding across the year. Funding terms describe a 51-week stretch with the final December week chargeable, while the calculator uses 52 weeks. This conflict needs resolving in the written quotation so families understand the annual attendance and payment pattern.
• Fixed bookings. Sessions cannot be swapped, and booked bank holidays and family holidays remain chargeable. Families with changing work schedules should assess that rule against the Full Day, Half Day and term-time choices.
• Individual care arrangements. The allergy policy uses recorded dietary needs and colour-coded systems, while SEND support includes adapted activities and specialist access. At a visit, confirm current allergy practice and discuss how any individual support would work for your child.

Willows suits families who want animal care and outdoor learning to shape the nursery day, with Full Day, Half Day and older children's term-time patterns serving different schedules. Mini Farmers gives preschool learning a clear practical identity, while younger children have their own outdoor provision and support for home routines.

The balance is important. The Good judgement dates to October 2023, teaching and home-learning communication had improvement priorities, and dated supervision concerns warrant direct discussion. For families comfortable with the fixed booking rules and funded-day charge structure, the farm setting offers a substantial reason to consider it.