Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery

Cows at milking time, animals in the paddock and regular walks around a working farm give Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery a recognisable character. This is countryside childcare with real things to watch, name and explore, rather than nature confined to a classroom theme. Converted farm buildings provide the indoor setting; outdoor experiences form part of the daily offer.

At its 19 May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement, rather than a description of every aspect of care today. The current age range is 3 to 60 months, with capacity for 72 children in total.

Full Day, Short Day, School Day, Morning Session and Afternoon Session bookings sit alongside year-round and term-time places.

Rooms and Ages

Babies has a published room age band of 0–2 years and an emphasis on sensory exploration, while the nursery's accepted age range starts at 3 months. Its resources include natural materials and objects suited to open-ended play, and the baby room has a sleeping area and space for developing mobility. Rest and movement both have a place in the room's design.

Toddlers combines child-chosen play with activities led by adults, using resources aimed at communication and language alongside personal, social and emotional development. That balance gives children opportunities to explore for themselves as well as participate with staff.

Pre School emphasises independence, self-help and confidence, with free-flow access to two gardens. The physical arrangement is useful here: outdoor play connects directly with the room's day rather than depending entirely on a separate outing. Preparing for the next stage includes learning to do more for oneself.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning, development and care: children learn through play, with attention to communication, social relationships and growing independence. Farm life supplies the nursery's own setting for those experiences. It adds something concrete to talk about, investigate and revisit.

From the play areas, children can watch cows in the fields or being brought in for milking. Donkeys, chickens, sheep and goats can be seen in the paddock, while regular farm walks take learning beyond the play areas. Familiar animals and changing farm activity provide material for conversations that starts with what children can actually see.

In May 2022, staff used animal sounds with younger children and conversations about a tractor to connect farm observations with transport. Stories, rhymes and songs featured across the rooms, while a minibeast theme in the pre-school room brought together language, creative activities and hand-to-eye coordination. These are examples from that period, rather than a promise that the same themes run now.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor learning takes place daily, including in wet weather. Feeding animals, planting seeds in the garden and woodland walks give that offer substance: children encounter living things, changing seasons and the practical beginnings of growing food. Families choosing the nursery are choosing regular contact with the working farm, not simply a countryside address.

In May 2022, outdoor activities included balancing on beams, climbing structures, riding scooters and bikes, and planting vegetables. Babies reached for objects and toddlers chased bubbles. The examples show how outdoor experiences accommodated different stages, from early movement to more demanding physical challenges.

Relationships and Communication

The baby room's sleeping area gives rest a defined place alongside play. In May 2022, babies and toddlers received physical reassurance, and staff took time to learn about children and their families when they started. Parents knew their child's key person, received written updates and exchanged information with staff. Those observations describe the arrangements at that date.

Today, the Parents' Area brings together newsletters, menus, policies and registration documents, while a portal and contact with a key worker provide routes for communication. Home-learning resources include nature-based sensory activities and farm-inspired crafts. This gives families something practical to use between nursery days, rather than limiting communication to administrative messages.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that targeted support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities helped address gaps in learning, but also called for more precise training for newer staff and better-sequenced learning in the younger rooms. The improvement points matter alongside the positive judgement: activities needed to take closer account of what younger children could already do before moving their learning on.

A designated safeguarding lead role forms part of the current team structure, and the Parents' Area includes safeguarding and health and safety policies. These are arrangements families can discuss, rather than a fresh safeguarding judgement.

Meals and snacks are freshly prepared by a kitchen assistant, with individual dietary requirements considered; Black Bean and Lentil Koftas is one named menu example. Children eat with staff and practise using cutlery, while open cups, drinking water and milk at snack times support the everyday routines around food.

In May 2022, personal care also offered opportunities for interaction: staff talked and sang during nappy changes, while older children practised toileting, dressing and dealing with their plates after eating. These small tasks show what independence meant in the nursery day at that time.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Napley Farm, Mucklestone Road, Norton-in-Hales, Market Drayton, TF9 4AL. It opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm. A contact form, telephone and email provide direct enquiry routes.

There are several ways to use that opening window. Full Day runs from 07:30 to 18:00; Short Day from 08:00 to 16:00; and School Day from 09:00 to 15:00. Morning Session runs from 08:00 to 13:00, while Afternoon Session runs from 13:00 to 18:00. The distinction is useful for families matching childcare to work, other caring responsibilities or the length of day they want for their child.

Attendance can cover 51 weeks or 38 term-time weeks, with closures on bank holidays and between Christmas and New Year.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 30 hours for eligible working families with children aged between 9 months and 4 years, 15 hours for two-year-olds receiving support, and 15 hours for all families with children aged 3–4 years. Funding can be used over 38 term-time weeks or stretched across 51 weeks. Eligibility conditions remain part of the offer; participation does not mean every family qualifies for every entitlement.

Funded-only sessions carry a separate charge covering meals, snacks and drinks, together with non-food consumables including wipes, tissues, gloves, aprons and paper towels.

Private session prices are available through a current written quotation. Invoices are issued a month ahead, with payment due two weeks after the invoice date. The fees and funding page sets out the session choices and funded-session charge structure.

• Learning in the younger rooms. The May 2022 improvement points concerned activity sequencing and training for newer staff, including apprentices. During a visit, ask how practitioners now use a younger child's existing abilities to plan their next experiences.
• The annual attendance pattern. The nursery offers both 38-week term-time places and attendance across 51 weeks, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Decide which calendar fits your household before choosing the daily session length.
• Funding and the final bill. Meals and specified consumables are covered by a separate funded-session charge. A written quotation should make clear how your chosen sessions, funded hours and any private hours fit together.
• Daily life on a working farm. Outdoor learning continues in wet weather, and regular farm walks are part of the offer. A visit is an opportunity to discuss clothing, animal contact and how outdoor activity works for your child's stage.

Napley Lodge Farm Day Nursery suits families who want farm life to be part of early childhood: animals within view, regular farm walks and daily outdoor experiences give its learning offer a clear identity. The baby sleeping area and pre-school gardens add useful detail to that picture.

Its attendance choices also deserve weight. Families seeking morning or afternoon sessions, a School Day or a longer Full Day have genuinely different patterns to consider, with term-time and year-round attendance alongside them. The Good judgement dates to May 2022; the questions about younger-room learning are a sensible starting point for a visit.