Freedom Day Care Nursery

Gardens used as an outdoor classroom, babies exploring fields by buggy, and preschool children spreading their activities across upstairs rooms give Freedom Day Care Nursery a recognisable countryside character. Based at Ford Farm in Great Dunmow, it takes children from birth to five and has capacity for 66 children. Outdoor play is a substantial part of the offer, rather than a single activity squeezed into the timetable.

At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found that teaching supported confident communication, with activities shaped around children's interests and their next steps in learning. That assessment came with two clear improvement priorities: more precisely targeted staff development and better access to resources for imaginative play. Both matter when judging the everyday experience behind the grade.

The age-group names are Turtles, Starfish and Dolphin. Parents can choose attendance across 50 or 38 weeks, giving this rural nursery a practical role for both families needing care across much of the year and those choosing a shorter annual pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Turtles serves babies from birth to two, with an additional play room introduced in January 2024, messy materials, musical play, a natural exploration table and garden equipment suited to early movement. The expansion is a useful physical detail for parents considering baby care: the youngest children have more space organised around their needs. Buggy outings take babies to the park and around the fields, extending their experience beyond the nursery's gardens.

For children aged two to three, Starfish combines construction and puzzles with freely accessible drawing materials, regular cooking and a dining area within the room. Toys change weekly, while the drawing table remains available for children to return to an idea in their own time. This gives toddlers both familiar resources and changing invitations to play.

Dolphin, for children aged three to five, occupies the first floor, with four rooms covering dining, numeracy and literacy, messy and construction play, and role play with a quiet book area. Preschool children therefore have separate spaces for different kinds of activity. The upstairs position is also a practical detail to keep in mind when considering how a child moves between indoor and outdoor parts of the day.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play, conversation and practical experiences support their developing skills. Freedom combines activities led by adults with opportunities for children to choose their own play, using topics such as food, changing light and people who help us to give those experiences a shared thread.

Within Dolphin, phonics introduces letter sounds, while games and visual materials introduce foreign languages. Programmable toys, cameras and radios add opportunities to investigate how things work.

In July 2023, children explored weight by comparing pine cones and sponges on scales, discussed skeletons and x-rays, and used magnetic letters to attempt words they wanted to spell. Those examples show how an interest can become a conversation about language, science or number. Staff also talked through activities, adding vocabulary as children played.

Outdoor and Community Life

The gardens accommodate painting and drawing as well as energetic play. A smooth playground surface supports wheeled toys, alongside chalkboards and a playhouse; toddlers also use tricycles and trampolines. Different surfaces and equipment give children reasons to move, create and experiment outdoors.

Seasonal topics bring people and celebrations into the programme. People Who Help Us includes visits from the local Fire Service and Essex Police, connecting a familiar theme with people children can meet and question. The annual topic sequence also includes an Easter Egg Hunt in the gardens, Halloween dressing-up that children may choose to join, and a Christmas Play. Topics can change to reflect events, so the programme has room to respond rather than following an entirely fixed calendar.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for personal care, progress records and conversations with parents. For babies, the Turtle Baby Settling-In Record captures the routine followed at home so that staff can work with it at nursery. Flexible settling sessions and a free taster session give families an introduction before the child starts their usual attendance.

Daily Diary records activities, sleep, nappy changes or toileting, snacks and meals. A spoken handover adds context to the written care details.

Learning Journey is a scrapbook of photographs, observations and children's artwork, available for parents to look through and contribute to. It builds a longer account than the daily diary. Family experiences can become part of that account, linking what interests a child at home with what they do at nursery.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and reported that children needing additional support made good progress, supported by an experienced special educational needs coordinator and links with outside agencies. This is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a guarantee about an individual child's future experience.

In July 2023, babies' routines were respected, and staff offered reassurance through close key-person relationships. Current baby arrangements retain a clear mechanism for sharing routines through the settling-in record. Potty training is also planned with parents, with potties and toilet seats available for toddlers and an individual approach agreed with the team.

Meals are prepared by an in-house cook, with menus changing over a four-week cycle. Dietary arrangements include alternative menus for individual requirements, including vegetarian, dairy-free and wheat-free options; allergy-affected families should discuss current practice before attendance.

Sessions and Attendance

Freedom is at Ford Farm, Braintree Road, Dunmow, CM6 1HU. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and families choose between attendance over 50 weeks and attendance over 38 weeks. The shorter annual pattern is a meaningful alternative for families whose childcare needs follow a different rhythm from year-round work.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01371 873663 or by email to office@freedomnursery.co.uk. The location has road access towards the A120 and Stansted Airport, which may be relevant for families whose work or childcare arrangements involve those routes.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15 hours per week during term time for three-year-olds from the term after their third birthday, and 15 hours per week during term time for qualifying two-year-olds from the term after their second birthday. The funding value is divided across monthly discounts, separately from the term-time entitlement. The discount ends on 31 July at the end of the child's final term before starting school. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Parents supply nappies and their chosen formula milk for babies; nappies also come from home for toddlers who use them. Nappy cream and sun cream are supplied by the nursery. Indoor shoes, spare clothing and named Wellington boots form part of the practical kit, supporting a day that includes water, sand and garden play.

• Annual attendance pattern. Freedom offers 50-week and 38-week attendance within weekday opening hours of 8am to 6pm. Which pattern best matches your working year, and how would your chosen days be booked?
• Baby routines and settling. The Turtle Baby Settling-In Record records the routine used at home, and settling includes a free taster. Use that introduction to discuss baby group sizes alongside sleep, feeding and comfort arrangements.
• Upstairs preschool and imaginative play. Dolphin occupies the first floor, while improving access to role-play resources was a July 2023 priority. A visit is an opportunity to see how children reach the gardens and choose materials for their own play.
• Funding and the total bill. Term-time funding is applied through monthly discounts, while families supply nappies and formula. Ask for a written breakdown covering your attendance pattern, meals, other consumables and any additional charges.

Freedom suits families who want a countryside nursery with substantial garden use, recognisable age-group spaces and written information about their child's day. It serves both those choosing 50-week attendance and those preferring the 38-week pattern. The baby settling record and Learning Journey give parents specific ways to share routines and follow development.

The July 2023 priorities around staff development and imaginative-play resources remain sensible points to explore alongside those strengths.