Stand Farm Nursery

Lunch trays, numbered insects and conversation prompts give Stand Farm Nursery’s May 2022 account a practical character: everyday routines became opportunities to build independence, language and confidence. At its 20 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, with effective safeguarding, good teaching and progress, and strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

On Fir Tree Drive South in Liverpool, the nursery has capacity for 113 children, accepting ages from birth to five. The inspection provides a dated picture of care and learning rather than a description of today’s daily activities.

The early years foundation stage sets requirements for children’s learning, development and care; here, the May 2022 examples included conversation, number games and learning through outdoor play. Photographs of children and conversation prompts in reception gave adults starting points for discussion, helping children practise vocabulary beyond their classroom activities.

In May 2022, preschool children searched for numbered insects between reception and their room. This made number recognition and estimation part of an engaging game. Outdoors, children climbed substantial play equipment, chased one another and looked for insects, combining movement with exploration of the natural world.

The May 2022 account also described children absorbed in their activities, with staff using play materials to sustain their interest and imagination. Children shared experiences with adults and other children, followed familiar routines and treated one another considerately. These examples give parents a picture of the social side of nursery life at that time: taking part, talking together and understanding what happens next were woven into the day alongside specific learning activities.

Behind those activities, in May 2022 the manager used reminders, observations of staff working with children and regular supervision to communicate the learning priorities for each room. Staff training and supervision schemes supported practitioners’ knowledge. For families, this adds an important dimension to the activity examples: the account described how staff were supported to plan and deliver the children’s learning, rather than simply listing things children could do.

In May 2022, children sought cuddles from staff and showed affection towards them. Babies and younger children settled despite having spent substantial parts of their lives in lockdown, while practitioners worked to help them feel comfortable and secure.

Staff attentiveness was another part of that May 2022 picture. Children wanted to share their experiences with practitioners, and younger children showed confidence in their interactions with the inspector. Taken together with the affectionate exchanges, these observations described relationships through children’s behaviour, giving families concrete examples of how comfortable children were with adults at the time.

The safeguarding account in May 2022 described staff understanding the steps to take over concerns about a child’s welfare or an adult’s conduct. Most staff had paediatric first-aid training to help them respond to accidents. These were specific elements of the arrangements assessed at that inspection. They sit alongside the separate improvement request about identifying small hazards promptly, which matters when considering how safety checks worked across the premises.

Targeted support in May 2022 began with identifying gaps in development and planning individual interventions. Staff also used lunchtime to prepare preschool children for primary school: carrying trays and collecting food from a hatch gave them practice with practical tasks they would encounter later. Independence had a concrete place in the day.

The address is Fir Tree Drive South, Liverpool, L12 0JE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, with year-round opening and closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

In May 2022, funded early education was offered for children aged two, three and four. That dated participation should be kept separate from decisions about a current funded booking.

• Hazard checks. In May 2022, Ofsted identified minor hazards that had escaped routine checks and asked for quicker identification and correction; these did not present a significant risk to children. Discuss how checks now work during a visit.
• Attendance and funding. Year-round opening includes bank holiday and Christmas closures. What booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would apply to your child?

Stand Farm Nursery suits families seeking year-round weekday care for children from birth to five. Its May 2022 account offers useful examples of language practice, outdoor exploration and preparation for school routines. The judgement is dated, and the hazard-checking improvement point deserves attention alongside those strengths.