Street Farm Day Nursery

Woodland exploration at Lukeswood and a separate sleeping room for babies give Street Farm Day Nursery two useful points of difference: space for preschool children to investigate nature, and somewhere quieter for the youngest children to rest. This Elmswell setting combines outdoor learning with practical attention to children's routines. The details matter more than the slogans.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that children benefited from attentive interactions and carefully managed settling, while identifying inconsistent delivery of some vocabulary-building methods. That gives parents a positive overall judgement with a specific teaching question to pursue.

The nursery has capacity for 52 children aged 3 to 60 months. Full-time and part-time attendance are offered, with the detailed arrangements sitting alongside an opening window of 8am to 6pm.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Bunnies has distinct spaces for eating, play, nappy changing and sleep, with sensory exploration forming part of the youngest children's day. Separating those routines is useful for babies whose need for rest does not match the pace of the play area.

Little Ducklings combines activities encouraging independence with creative and imaginative spaces, a quieter room and outdoor planting and exploration beneath a sail shade. Farmyard Friends, the preschool room, brings together creative play, a natural area and a cosy space, with a covered deck outside that can be used for writing or storytelling.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play, covering communication, physical development, relationships and later learning such as literacy and mathematics. Staff observe children's interests and development, then plan activities that offer an achievable next challenge.

Makaton signing adds a communication tool in Baby Bunnies: staff have training in signs that help children express needs and feelings alongside songs and play. Weekly Yoga sessions, led by a trained nursery yoga teacher, introduce relaxation and body awareness. These additions sit alongside the early-years framework; neither replaces it.

In August 2024, older children investigated movement by sending a balloon along a string through a straw attachment, while staff used prompts to extend their reasoning. Story choices also became a small exercise in fairness: children voted for a book, with an opportunity to hear the other choice later. Both examples show how ordinary play can carry a clear learning purpose.

The teaching caveat concerns consistency. In August 2024, staff introduced new vocabulary through conversation, but sign language and some other planned methods were used less frequently than intended. Parents interested in the baby-signing offer should keep that finding in mind when considering how it works across the day.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School takes preschool children to Lukeswood, the community woodland on Church Road, to learn through direct exploration of nature. Activities include searching for small creatures, building dens and using tools, with opportunities to tackle problems together. The programme runs weekly across six weeks, with sessions lasting approximately two hours; the day changes each term so that more children can participate.

Little Ducklings also receives Forest School activities within the nursery, introducing younger children to the approach before the woodland sessions. At Lukeswood, toileting and handwashing facilities support the practical side of being outdoors. A rolling snack arrangement lets children pause to eat when they are ready rather than bringing everyone's activity to a simultaneous stop.

Back at the nursery, a climbing frame and obstacle courses provide opportunities for larger movements, while playdough, mark making and finger activities exercise smaller movements. Children also grow fruit and vegetables and help prepare the produce for meals. That connects the garden with everyday experience: food is something to grow and handle as well as eat.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a key person, supported by a buddy who takes over that responsibility during their absence. This gives families a clear relationship for sharing routines, discussing development and receiving ideas for learning at home. Continuity has a practical structure behind it.

Tapestry is the nursery's online learning journal, holding photographs, observations and assessments; parents can add their own photographs and accounts of activities at home. Baby Bunnies also uses a daily diary covering feeds, sleep, nappy changes and activities, while Little Ducklings records similar daily information and sends a monthly account of activities. The different formats serve different purposes: immediate care details alongside a longer view of development.

For babies, staff aim to mirror home routines, and breastfeeding arrangements can include a private area. Expressed milk can be kept in the nursery's milk fridge or brought frozen. Two baby-room team members have additional training in advanced baby practice, adding relevant expertise to this stage of care.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes SENCO roles, giving additional-needs discussions a defined staff responsibility. Between ages two and three, a written progress summary highlights achievements and areas where more support may be needed, and parents can share it with their health visitor. These are mechanisms for identifying and discussing needs, rather than a blanket promise about support.

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that leaders had strengthened supervision and risk assessment following a significant incident that had been reported to parents and relevant agencies.

Health learning includes handwashing, food preparation and visits from a local Oral Health Educator, who brings activities about caring for teeth. The Colour Monster series provides stories for talking about emotions. This gives wellbeing a place in children's activities as well as their care routines.

A nursery cook prepares food on site using seasonal ingredients, and the menu changes termly. Children help with snacks and clearing away, and serving dishes encourage them to serve themselves while staff eat alongside them.

Sessions and Attendance

Street Farm Day Nursery is on Station Road, Elmswell, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9HD. It opens Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm, across the year, closing for bank holidays and Christmas. Full-time and part-time attendance provide different ways to use that opening window; the hours are opening hours rather than separately timed morning or afternoon sessions.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01359 245999 or by email to streetfarmdaynursery@gmail.com. After registration, families receive a Welcome Pack containing policies, wellbeing information and details of what to provide. That gives the practical preparation for starting nursery a written reference.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for two-year-olds through the 15-hour entitlement, and for three- and four-year-olds through the 15- and 30-hour entitlements, subject to terms and conditions. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation.

Moving towards school, Farmyard Friends staff build links with the schools children will attend and plan transitions. The nursery also gives families ideas such as photo books, school stories and role play to make the change easier to discuss. This preparation concerns familiarity with school life, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Starting in Baby Bunnies. A free two-hour trial allows a parent to stay or leave, with the key person available if the child stays independently; a home visit can also be requested. Use a visit to discuss how these arrangements would fit your baby's feeding and sleeping routines.
• Vocabulary teaching. The August 2024 improvement point concerned consistent use of planned language methods, including signing. Ask how Makaton is now used through everyday activities, alongside conversation and stories.
• Woodland clothing. Forest School expects suitable outdoor clothing, including long sleeves and trousers in summer, and unsuitable clothing can prevent participation. Consider the spare clothing and footwear this adds to the nursery routine.
• The complete childcare cost. Funded hours and paid attendance need to be considered together. What would your written quotation include for meals, nappies and other consumables, and how would funded hours fit your attendance pattern?

Street Farm suits families considering either full-time or part-time attendance who value woodland learning, separate baby-care spaces and regular information about their child's day. Lukeswood gives the preschool offer a recognisable setting, while the key-person buddy system and baby diaries address everyday parental concerns.

The Good judgement from August 2024 supports that choice, with consistency in vocabulary teaching the clearest point to explore. The strongest fit is for parents who want outdoor experiences alongside a nursery that makes feeding, sleep and communication part of the practical conversation from the start.