Krazy Dayz Oak Tree Farm

Chickens, sheep and a garden reserved for the youngest children give Krazy Dayz Oak Tree Farm its character. This rural nursery in Walpole St Andrew puts outdoor exploration alongside play in bright rooms, with a covered deck, sand pit and mud kitchen providing concrete reasons to look beyond the countryside address.

At its April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective, while identifying that assessment needed to identify developmental gaps more promptly. That is a positive dated judgement with a specific improvement point, rather than an unqualified endorsement of every aspect of practice.

The nursery accepts children from three months to five years and has capacity for 35 children in total. Its current opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday. Monday closure is an important practical distinction for working families.

Rooms and Ages

Ducklings is the baby room, Little Lambs accommodates toddlers, and Butterflies is for preschool children. Under-twos have dedicated indoor and outdoor space, including a garden with a covered deck and sand pit, giving the youngest children their own space for exploration.

Natural light reaches the play rooms, and all rooms lead out into the garden. Outdoor access is part of the nursery's layout. For parents comparing baby provision, the separation of the youngest children's spaces is as relevant as the size of the outdoor area.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the early years foundation stage, the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday terms, learning happens through play, conversation and opportunities to practise growing independence. Oak Tree adds in the moment planning: staff respond to children's interests as play develops and help them take the next step, rather than making the finished product the main aim.

Authentic objects and repurposed equipment support that approach. Children can experiment with materials and make choices about how to use them; much of the equipment is handmade. The emphasis is on the experience of trying something, with adult guidance where needed, rather than concentrating on the finished product.

In April 2022, imaginative play included pretending to fish from a slide, while storytelling used a puppet to hold children's attention. Reused cardboard became material for building a castle. These examples show how ordinary resources supported language, imagination and shared play at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

The veggie patch, construction area and mud kitchen give the garden several different uses. Growing, building and messy play sit alongside the smallholding's chickens and sheep, so the outdoor setting offers more than space to run around. Animals also live in neighbouring fields.

In April 2022, children helped care for farm animals, grew vegetables and gathered eggs that were used in cooking. Those experiences connected the garden with food and everyday responsibility. They are dated examples of how the farm setting contributed to the nursery day, rather than a promise that each activity follows a fixed timetable today.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who observes their development. Staff work with parents and try to preserve individual routines as far as possible, an important consideration for babies whose feeding, rest and comfort patterns differ. The relationship begins with information about the child, rather than an expectation that every child will immediately follow an identical day.

The FAMLY App supports communication with staff and the child's key person. Progress folders and parent meetings provide further ways to discuss development, and families can use a home communication book. App messages are not checked continuously, so urgent matters need a telephone call. This is a useful distinction between routine updates and information staff need straight away.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The branch has a safeguarding lead role and SENCO training within its leadership. Staff receive training in first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene. These are arrangements for care and support; the dated inspection judgement above is the assessment of safeguarding effectiveness.

Registration gathers information about medical conditions, allergies, dietary requirements and outside professionals supporting a child. Families are asked to supply relevant professional letters, helping staff understand needs before care begins. Collection by an unfamiliar adult requires advance information, a pickup password and photographic identification.

In April 2022, school preparation included children practising dressing, pouring drinks, cutting and writing their names. Social play also gave them practice in cooperating with others. The assessment weakness matters alongside these examples: observations alone were not identifying developmental gaps quickly enough, so families should understand how progress is assessed now.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Oaktree Farm, Wisbech Road, Wisbech, PE14 7HW, within Walpole St Andrew. Full-day nursery care operates Tuesday to Friday, and the opening window is 8am to 6pm. Meals and snacks accompany that provision.

Attendance runs across the year, with closure on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas. The Oak Tree enquiry form provides a direct contact route. Registration asks for the child's birth certificate and identification showing the parent's or guardian's address, so there is paperwork to prepare alongside the child's personal and medical information.

Written notice of four weeks is required to end a booking, with fees payable during that period. Changes to booked sessions also require four weeks' notice and depend on staffing and space. The deposit is retained during attendance and credited against the final invoice when notice is given; it is non-refundable if the booking is cancelled before attendance begins. A separate administration charge accompanies registration. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Getting There

Off-road parking serves collections and drop-offs at the countryside site. For families travelling by car, that is a practical benefit of the farm location.

Funding and Paid Extras

In April 2022, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Funding should be considered separately from privately paid attendance and the deposit arrangements, rather than treating the presence of meals and snacks as a statement about what a funded booking includes.

• A Tuesday-to-Friday week. Monday closure rules this nursery out as a sole solution for families needing care every weekday. Match its operating days to your working week before arranging a visit.
• Assessment after April 2022. Developmental gaps were not being picked up promptly through ongoing assessment. During a visit, ask how staff now identify a child who needs additional help and explain the next steps to parents.
• The youngest children's spaces. Under-twos have their own indoor and outdoor areas. Ask to see how those spaces and individual routines would work for your baby during settling in.
• Funding and the complete quotation. Ask which funded entitlements Oak Tree currently accepts, how funded hours are scheduled, and what the quotation covers for meals and consumables. Include the deposit and notice arrangements in that discussion.

Oak Tree suits families seeking full-day nursery attendance from Tuesday to Friday who value a farm setting and dedicated space for younger children. The garden has substance: animals, growing space and construction play provide different ways to explore, while in the moment planning gives children's interests a clear role in the day.

The April 2022 Good judgement supports that picture, but its assessment concern deserves a direct discussion. Monday closure and the written booking terms are equally important to the decision. This is a nursery to consider for its particular environment and approach, with the practical fit assessed just as carefully.