The Barn Childcare Fairfield

Vegetables grown for lunch and a bus trip planned around children's experience give The Barn Childcare Fairfield a practical character. In March 2023, these activities connected learning with things children could handle, grow and discover beyond their usual day.

At its 27 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effective. The nursery has capacity for 45 children aged 3 to 60 months, at 2 Fairfield Road, Stockton On Tees, TS19 7AJ.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care: their day brings learning and everyday care together rather than treating them as separate tasks.

In March 2023, babies investigated pasta and paint, toddlers played with toy animals, and preschool children made dough to use in their play. These activities gave children opportunities to explore textures, animals and dough through play.

Books also featured across the ages. Adults discussed illustrations with children and encouraged careful page-turning, combining conversation with learning how to handle a book. During play, staff repeated children's words clearly and introduced new vocabulary, giving language a place in ordinary exchanges.

That month's vegetable growing included carrots and pumpkins, which were later cooked for lunch. A bus outing responded to children who had not experienced travelling that way. Both examples made unfamiliar experiences concrete; neither needs an elaborate programme name to explain its purpose.

In March 2023, settling sessions were tailored to individual children. Staff gathered information from parents before children started, and children turned to their key person for comfort. That gave settling a personal starting point rather than an identical timetable for every family.

Development reviews took place every six months, following an initial assessment. Staff used sign language with children experiencing delays in speech, planned individual next steps and worked with speech therapists. These mechanisms linked everyday interaction with more targeted help.

Clear explanations and praise shaped behaviour: staff explained what might happen when a toy was thrown and reminded children to treat others gently. Staff supervision included observation, feedback and additional training. Safeguarding knowledge was checked through a question each week, while risk assessments covered indoor and outdoor areas before use. These are March 2023 practices, rather than a description of today's staffing arrangements.

The address is 2 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, Stockton On Tees, TS19 7AJ. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas. This gives families a broad opening window to weigh against their working day.

In March 2023, session times ran from 7am to 6pm, and the nursery provided funded early education for two- and three-year-old children. That dated funding position is separate from the current age range of 3 to 60 months.

• Development plans. In March 2023, further work was required to carry out the nursery's improvement plans fully. A garden intended specifically for babies was one planned development, so completion matters when assessing the outdoor offer.
• Matching attendance to family needs. The nursery opens across the year but closes for bank holidays and Christmas. At a visit, which booking arrangements and funded-hours terms would fit your child's attendance?

The Barn Childcare Fairfield suits families seeking care across the year and a practical approach to early learning. Its March 2023 examples, from dough-making to growing vegetables, show how everyday experiences became learning opportunities. The March 2023 Good judgement gives a dated quality reference; the requirement at that time to implement improvement plans fully also deserves attention.