Springfield Nursery

A working farm gives Springfield Nursery its character: outdoor space, a pets corner and a vegetable garden make the countryside part of the setting rather than a backdrop. Based at Springfield Farm in Marwood, near Barnstaple, it takes children from 3 months through the preschool years. The practical attraction is clear. Children have outdoor access from each main building, with younger children and those approaching school accommodated in separate parts of the nursery.

At its February 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Springfield Good and found safeguarding effective, while identifying improvements needed in teaching clarity, guidance on behaviour and staff deployment. Those qualifications matter, especially for families choosing the older rooms. The farm setting is a strong reason to consider Springfield, but the consistency of adult support deserves equal attention.

Opening hours run from 7.45am to 6pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room, Cosy Coop and Toddler Room sit within the part of the nursery serving children aged 3 months to 2 years. Springfield Barn accommodates rising 3-year-olds, while Annexe Pre-School serves children in their final preschool year. These are useful distinctions for parents: the setting separates stages of development rather than treating the whole preschool age range as one group.

Outdoor areas are accessible from all three main buildings. The playground includes covered space and a gazebo, alongside the pets corner and vegetable garden. This gives outdoor play several different settings, from open space for movement to places associated with animals and growing. The covered area also makes the outdoor provision more than an exposed playground.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing those strands together through play and everyday experiences. Springfield's emphasis on nature and outdoor learning gives that framework a concrete setting. Farm life supplies subjects children can investigate rather than simply hear about.

In February 2025, children visited the neighbouring farm regularly and learnt about animals, including what sheep eat, how they are shorn and the uses of wool. Windows positioned at children's height in the boundary fences allowed them to watch farm work. Older children recognised different agricultural machines. These observations connected new vocabulary with things children could see happening nearby.

Practical tasks were part of that learning too. In February 2025, preschool children moved sand in wheelbarrows to refill the sandpit, combining physical effort with a shared job. Younger children received help with outdoor clothing, while older children dressed themselves. Everyday preparation therefore offered opportunities to practise independence as well as get ready to play.

Babies had their own hands-on experiences. In February 2025, they mixed baking ingredients, handled dough and used cutters to make biscuits; singing and dancing also formed part of group activities. The important point is the active role given to very young children. They took part in making and moving, rather than only watching adults demonstrate.

Relationships were a strength alongside the outdoor emphasis. In February 2025, a key-person arrangement helped staff get to know babies and toddlers closely, and moves between rooms were planned to give children time to settle into their next space. Familiar adults and gradual room changes are relevant considerations for families starting childcare or approaching a move to an older group.

Communication had a practical dimension. In February 2025, parents received photographs of activities and advice about personal care and healthier packed lunches. This linked nursery experiences with decisions made at home, especially important here because families provide substantial parts of the day's food.

The registration package can include stay-and-play and settling sessions through the optional registration charge. That gives joining families a defined opportunity to spend time getting used to the setting. It is a paid option, so it belongs in the decision about the whole joining package rather than being assumed to come with every booking.

Health arrangements include paediatric first-aid certificates for staff and a toilet-training approach that takes account of family requests and each child's development. Parents provide nappies. If a child becomes ill or distressed during attendance, staff contact a parent to arrange collection; the nursery also uses its Spotty Handbook to guide exclusions for contagious illness.

The older rooms need closer scrutiny. In February 2025, some activities for three-year-olds and preschool children lacked a clear learning purpose, and new children sometimes watched while adults supported more confident children. Staff movement between rooms also reduced interaction at mealtimes. These were specific weaknesses in how support was organised, rather than a reason to overlook the relationships evident elsewhere.

Sessions and Attendance

Springfield opens Monday to Friday, from 7.45am until 6pm, for 51 weeks each year. Closures include public bank holidays and a Christmas-to-New-Year week. Funded day sessions and funded afternoon sessions have separate arrangements for chargeable extras, so the attendance pattern affects the extras package as well as the hours used.

Registration requires a completed form, and enquiries can be submitted through Famly, the nursery's management software. Springfield advises early applications. At booking, a month's fees must be paid in advance; that payment is credited towards the first month of attendance. The optional registration charge includes settling sessions, stay-and-play and an ice pack for packed lunches.

A month's notice is required to withdraw a child or reduce attendance, with fees payable if that notice is not given. This matters for families whose working pattern may change: reducing sessions has a notice requirement as well as leaving altogether.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered on a stretched basis over 51 weeks. Depending on eligibility, families can claim either 22 or 11 funded hours each week. Funding and paid extras are separate: the extras package has food, activities and consumables components, with a discounted package when all three are selected for a funded day or funded afternoon session.

Families supply packed lunches, breakfast and any requested meal for attendance after 5pm; morning snacks and afternoon High Tea sit within the chargeable extras, and the nursery operates a nut-free policy. Non-food consumables form a separate chargeable component, while nappies come from home, so both food and consumables involve a mixture of nursery charges and family provision.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The useful comparison is the complete arrangement: private attendance charges, the funded hours applied, selected extras and the food or nappies supplied from home. Looking at funded hours alone would miss part of the practical cost and preparation involved.

Getting There

The address is Springfield Farm, Marwood, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4DU. Springfield warns that satnav may not take families directly to the nursery and provides directions from Barnstaple, Braunton and Ilfracombe, making route planning worthwhile before a first visit.

• Support in the older rooms. February 2025 findings included unclear learning intentions and uneven adult deployment, with some newcomers remaining on the sidelines. At a visit, ask how staff now involve newcomers and organise support during meals.
• Behaviour and emotions. In February 2025, adults did not consistently help children understand the effect of their actions or manage feelings around sharing and taking turns. Ask how those moments are handled in the room your child would join.
• Food and funded extras. Packed meals and nappies come from home, while snacks, High Tea and consumables involve chargeable arrangements. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice under the nut-free policy and review the extras selected for their attendance pattern.
• Settling and commitment. The optional registration package includes settling opportunities, booking requires advance payment and attendance reductions need a month's notice. Discuss the settling sequence, payment and notice terms together before committing.

Springfield suits families attracted to farm surroundings and outdoor learning, including those considering funded day sessions or funded afternoon sessions. Its playground, animal connections and practical activities give children concrete things to explore, while the younger rooms benefited from familiar relationships at the February 2025 visit.

The decision is more qualified for older preschool children. Teaching purpose, emotional guidance and adult deployment were the important improvement points. Families who value the rural setting should give those everyday interactions as much weight as the outdoor facilities when choosing a room.