Farm Work Play

Tree climbing, den building and digging give Farm Work Play its character. At Monkshill Farm in Hernhill, near Faversham, outdoor play continues through changing weather rather than being reserved for sunny days. This is a nursery for families who want natural surroundings to shape their child's play, with space to explore and room for children to follow their interests.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with very effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There were also two clear priorities: sharper learning intentions for activities and a more consistent response to children's behaviour. Those qualifications matter alongside the grade.

The nursery has 52 places in total, with baby care starting from 8 months and provision for toddlers and preschool children. Attendance includes an 8am to 5pm full day, a shorter 9am to 3pm day and extensions at either end. The practical choice is broader than a single long working day.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: play develops communication, movement and relationships, then extends into early reading, number, creativity and understanding the world. The Farm approach puts children's interests and their own pace into that daily work. It is an approach to delivering the framework, with natural curiosity and play giving activities their starting point.

Younger children's activities emphasise language, physical development and social confidence. As children grow, literacy, mathematics, expressive work and exploration of their surroundings take a greater part. Preschool children can move freely between learning zones, choosing books, toys and imaginative play. That gives them scope to pursue an idea rather than stay with one activity chosen for the whole group.

In September 2024, sensory play included handling rice and sequins, while outdoor play involved shaping mud into pretend food. Language work connected objects with their names for younger children; older children talked with staff about woodlice discovered in a decaying log. These are useful examples of learning attached to something a child can touch, notice or investigate.

At the same time, some activities in September 2024 lacked a sufficiently clear teaching intention, leaving staff uncertain about the next learning step and some children disengaged. Interesting materials alone did not always sustain attention. The improvement priority was to make the purpose of activities clearer and extend children's thinking.

Outdoor and Community Life

Climbing trees, making shelters and digging are central to the outdoor offer. The all-weather approach gives children repeated opportunities to explore the same surroundings under different conditions. Indoors, seasonal ideas and materials from nature continue that connection, so outdoor discoveries can become part of play inside too.

In September 2024, babies practised mobility with crawling and push toys, while older children rode wheeled toys across grass and patio areas. A rope swing and low tree branches supplied different physical challenges. Staff also discussed safe tool use, including taking care around insects: exploration included learning how actions affect living things.

Daily activities in September 2024 introduced countries through food, customs and landmarks. Parents could contribute stories from their home countries, and dressing-up supported this exploration. The value lay in connecting unfamiliar places with stories and family experience rather than treating cultural learning as an isolated topic.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's keyworker provides a continuing point of contact, with parents contributing their knowledge of the child's emotional, physical and developmental needs. Communication works both ways. For families, this makes everyday preferences and routines part of the care arrangement rather than information supplied only at registration.

Baby care follows parental guidance, including approaches to sleep, and the play spaces use equipment suited to children's stage of development. Settling proceeds at the child's pace. This is especially relevant for parents whose baby has an established home routine they want staff to understand.

In September 2024, staff used information about home routines and children's preferred activities when planning care and learning. Children built close relationships with their key person, and parents received ideas for continuing learning at home. Mealtimes also offered practice in independence, with children helping themselves to food, handling suitable cutlery and clearing leftovers.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the September 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that staff identified additional needs through observation, worked with families and external professionals, and used additional funding appropriately to support children with SEND. That gives the positive judgement practical substance: support involved observation, communication and coordinated action.

Behaviour support was less consistent in September 2024. Staff encouraged sharing and friendship, but did not always respond in the same way when children acted unsafely, such as throwing toys. Helping children understand consequences and regulate their behaviour was therefore a specific development priority.

The team numbered 20 in September 2024, with 19 holding an early years qualification at level 2 or above and five having an early years degree. Leaders met staff to discuss wellbeing, practice and training. These are dated staffing details, useful as context for the inspection rather than a description of today's deployment.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Monkshill Farm, Monkshill Road, Hernhill, Faversham, ME13 9EH. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01227 752 777 or by email to play@farmworkplay.co.uk.

The full day runs from 8am to 5pm; the shorter day runs from 9am to 3pm. An early start is offered at 7.30am, with later collection options at 5.30pm or 6pm. Term-time and year-round attendance are both offered through the Enhanced Funding Package. These choices allow families to match attendance to different working and household routines.

Flex Appeal is the ad hoc attendance arrangement for children who have settled at the farm within the preceding 8 weeks. Changes to collection or arrival arrangements should be communicated by 9am, and changes to agreed times depend on staffing arrangements. The main parking area can be used when bringing or collecting children.

The nursery operates for 50 weeks annually. It closes for a week at Christmas and on bank holidays, with those closed sessions uncharged. Year-round children can also take 2 weeks of unpaid holiday when families give thirty days' written notice; term-time children are excluded from that allowance.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes working-parent entitlements from 9 months, Free for 2 Funding, universal funding for children aged 3 and 4, and extended funding for eligible working families. Families can use funding during term time or spread it across the year. Stretched funding covers 48 weeks, so attendance during the other two operating weeks attracts full fees.

The Fully Funded Package offers fixed term-time patterns: Free for 2 and universal funding use one 9-hour day plus one 6-hour day, while the working-parent pattern uses three 9-hour days. Parents supply food, snacks, wipes, nappies and sun cream under this package; food, care and activity packages can be purchased separately. The nursery can alter the fully funded delivery pattern with 4 weeks' written notice.

The Enhanced Funding Package carries an additional session charge and allows families to select sessions to fit their needs. Meals and snacks are cooked from scratch each day, while the package includes nappies, wipes and sun cream; meals are also included with non-funded attendance. Its additional activities are reviewed each term, and past examples include cooking, yoga, rugby, football and music or dance, rather than a fixed promise of those activities today.

A non-refundable registration charge accompanies the registration form. Private attendance requires 31 days' written notice to reduce sessions or end the agreement; funded attendance requires a full school term, with a shorter booking-change notice offered through the enhanced package but excluded from contract termination. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the charging structure.

• Outdoor expectations. Tree climbing, digging and shelter building are central to the all-weather approach. During a visit, discuss how staff introduce physical challenges and adapt outdoor play to your child's confidence.
• Learning and behaviour. In September 2024, clearer activity intentions and more consistent behaviour support were improvement priorities. Ask for examples of how staff now extend an activity and respond when children struggle to manage their actions.
• Funding package choice. Fully funded attendance uses fixed term-time patterns and parent-supplied food and care items; the enhanced package adds a session charge and includes those items. Compare the written quotation against the attendance pattern your family actually needs, including the two weeks outside stretched funding.

Farm Work Play suits families who want outdoor exploration to be a substantial part of nursery life, alongside care shaped by home routines and children's interests. Its shorter 9am to 3pm day and 8am to 5pm full day serve different schedules, with extensions and term-time options broadening the choice.

The September 2024 Good judgement carries useful evidence of relationships and SEND support, but the learning and behaviour priorities deserve attention. The other substantial decision is financial structure: fixed fully funded attendance and the enhanced package make different demands on a family's timetable and what they provide from home.