Farm Friends Day Nursery

Cows, sheep and turkeys are part of daily life at Farm Friends Day Nursery, rather than an occasional outing. Based at Home Farm in Condover, near Shrewsbury, this family-run setting uses its farm surroundings for animal visits, planting and walks along a nature trail. Each room has an outdoor area of its own. For children who enjoy exploring outside, the countryside is a working part of the nursery day.

At its July 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated Farm Friends Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The detail behind that judgement matters: children experimented with water and dough, practised conversation through imaginative play and developed independence through familiar routines. Outdoor learning connected these experiences rather than sitting apart from them.

The overall age range is birth to eight years, although the day-nursery age information needs clarification before joining. Attendance includes full days and, for older children, shorter days and half days, with an early-start option.

Rooms and Ages

Charlie Chicks, the toddler group, occupies two main rooms with their own play areas; painting, sensory treasure baskets and water play sit alongside access to a sensory room and a separate sleep room. That separation gives naps a dedicated space, while the outdoor provision includes a small climbing frame, a slide and a mud kitchen. Children can move between hands-on exploration and more physical play.

Daffy Ducks introduces a more structured routine while keeping children’s choices central, with creative stations, an indoor slide, soft play, a quiet corner and role-play resources supporting different kinds of activity. Its garden allows free-flow play between inside and outside. Looking after plants gives children something to revisit and care for, rather than an activity that ends when the materials are put away.

Percy Piglets combines child-chosen play with adult-led activities and mealtime responsibilities, while Percy Pigs places greater emphasis on preparation for school; both preschool rooms share a large outdoor area and take daily walks through the farmyard and along the nature trail. Clearing plates and waiting for others at the table make independence part of an ordinary routine. School preparation here includes managing everyday tasks, as well as taking part in planned learning.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning through play and planned activities, including language, physical development and growing independence. Farm Friends plans preschool activities within it, balancing adult-led learning with opportunities for children to choose and explore. The farm environment adds concrete experiences: caring for vegetables, observing animals and seeing crops grow and harvesting take place.

Maths Champions, the NDNA programme for developing practitioners’ confidence and knowledge in early mathematics, adds staff training, resources and tools for reviewing practice. Participation began in April 2025, followed by accreditation in March 2026. Its value is in strengthening the adults’ approach to mathematical learning.

In July 2025, dough-making illustrated how one activity could work differently for different ages. Visual instructions were adapted to children’s development, and preschool children measured ingredients, tried colours and scents, and completed the mixture. Babies explored transferring water between containers. These were practical opportunities to investigate materials and practise coordination.

Language also ran through ordinary play in July 2025. Toddlers used words while rolling dough, staff extended conversations with questions, and children joined songs and storytelling. Learning was woven into what children were doing, rather than confined to a group activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

Daily visits to the cows, sheep and turkeys give children repeated contact with the natural world. The grounds also include a sensory garden, with planting and care of flowers and vegetables adding another way to explore outside. Shropshire Wildlife Trust provides outdoor activity sessions, bringing an external organisation into this part of nursery life; no weekly timetable is implied.

Community experiences have included a preschool visit to Condover Church in August 2025, linked to learning about the local community. Children explored objects inside the building and heard the organ. That was a dated outing, rather than a promise of a recurring trip, but it shows how learning has extended beyond the farm.

Diddi Dance provides dance and movement activities intended to encourage physical activity. It sits among the enhanced experiences covered by voluntary funded-hours charges, so families need to distinguish the learning offer from the way additional costs are arranged.

Relationships and Communication

Quiet spaces are a practical strength of the room arrangements. Charlie Chicks has a separate sleep room, while Daffy Ducks has a corner for calmer time. The sensory room offers another change of pace: bubble tubes, fibre optics and a projector create visual and tactile experiences, with the projector allowing the backdrop to change. It is a space for relaxation and exploration, rather than simply another busy play area.

In July 2025, parents received daily conversations alongside updates through an online system covering learning, development and opportunities to continue activities at home. This combination connected the immediate nursery day with children’s next steps. Parents could hear about everyday experiences as well as planned learning.

Familiar routines supported social development in July 2025. Adults used calm encouragement and visual prompts, and children practised sharing, taking turns and manners. These small interactions matter for children learning to manage their feelings and play alongside others.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2025 inspection, Ofsted found exceptional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with staff, families and external professionals identifying needs early and developing individual strategies. That is a dated judgement about support in practice, grounded in collaboration rather than a general promise that every need can be met.

Daily toothbrushing was part of the routine in July 2025, supported by songs and playful reminders. Dance and outdoor activity also contributed to physical wellbeing. These examples show how self-care was practised through participation, giving children opportunities to do things for themselves.

Food is prepared fresh each day, with local sourcing where possible, including potatoes and turkey from the farm. The nursery caters for vegetarian diets, intolerances and allergies; families affected by allergies should discuss current arrangements as part of their visit.

Sessions and Attendance

Farm Friends is at Home Farm, Condover, Shrewsbury, SY5 7BT. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year. Bank holidays and a week at Christmas are closures, with no fees charged for those days.

Full-day bookings run from 8am to 6pm. For children aged two to four, the choices also include a short day from 9am to 3pm and half days from 8am to 1pm or 1pm to 6pm. Children under two have full-day sessions only. Early Bird Sessions begin at 7.30am, allowing an earlier start than the standard full day.

The minimum booking is two sessions each week, and attendance is across the year rather than term-time only. Additional hours can be used to extend sessions and are charged separately. Sickness and holidays do not attract refunds, so families should account for those terms when comparing the attendance pattern with their working year.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form. Tours are arranged by appointment, making a visit an opportunity to discuss the room and attendance pattern relevant to a particular child.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, with entitlement stretched across 50 weeks. The funding information covers the working parent entitlement, the universal 15-hour entitlement for three- and four-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, and a separate 15-hour early-learning scheme for eligible two-year-olds. Eligibility conditions apply; these are different routes to funding, rather than a promise that every family qualifies for every offer.

During funded hours, meals and snacks are charged separately, as are consumables such as art and craft resources. These additional charges are voluntary, and families may provide their own. Enhanced activities are also included within the voluntary charges, so the distinction between funded hours and extras matters when reading a quotation.

Private hours beyond a child’s funded entitlement are charged at the standard rate. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation; the fees page explains the session choices and funding structure.

• Age and room arrangements. Day-nursery information gives an age range of 12 months to four years, while the overall range extends from birth to eight. Ask which provision and room would apply to your child.
• Preschool collection time. Short days are listed as ending at 3pm, but the terms also refer to 3.30pm preschool collections from the term after a child’s third birthday. Confirm the applicable collection time before booking.
• Funding and extras. Funding is stretched across 50 weeks, and meals, snacks and consumables carry voluntary separate charges. Request a quotation that distinguishes entitlement, private hours and the extras you choose.
• Seeing the care arrangements. Tours are by appointment. Use the visit to discuss the sensory room and sleep arrangements for your child, and current dietary practice if allergies affect your family.

Farm Friends suits families who want farm-based outdoor experiences alongside clearly differentiated toddler and preschool spaces. Daily animal visits, planting and the nature trail give the setting a recognisable character; the July 2025 Outstanding judgement adds weight to the account of learning and care.

Its attendance choices serve families seeking full days as well as those wanting short days or half days for older children. Across-year attendance and the two-session minimum are central to that fit. The strongest reasons to consider it are the outdoor day, practical independence and spaces that allow activity, rest and quieter exploration.