Challengers Farnham

Pictures, signing and a soft-play area give Challengers Farnham's inspection account its character: practical ways to help children understand their day and manage difficult emotions. At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, identified support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as a strength and found safeguarding effective.

Challengers Farnham has capacity for 24 children aged 24 to 60 months, at 1 St. James Avenue, Farnham, GU9 9QF. Its opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.

In January 2023, children chose activities that held their interest, working through puzzles and experimenting with paper, glue, sand and foam. These examples show a day with opportunities for concentration as well as creative exploration. Children could pursue their own ideas.

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday parent language, that brings learning and care together: play can involve practising movement, exploring materials and communicating with other people.

In January 2023, the soft-play area offered steps, slopes and opportunities to balance. Children tried different ways of moving, with encouragement from staff. Physical play therefore had a concrete place in the day's activities, alongside puzzles and creative materials.

In January 2023, staff used signing and pictures to explain routines and help children understand what would happen next. For a child who needs more than spoken instructions, that gives changes during the day a more understandable structure.

Relationships also had a practical role in January 2023: children turned to their key worker for comfort, while staff sat beside children and spoke calmly when emotions became difficult. Sensory resources and the soft-play area were used to help children settle back into activities. The approach responded to the individual child rather than relying only on verbal explanations.

At that time, a special educational needs coordinator worked on children's access to the curriculum, and assessment helped staff identify learning gaps and specific needs. These are useful mechanisms for families to understand: the relationship with a familiar adult worked alongside attention to each child's development.

The address is 1 St. James Avenue, Farnham, GU9 9QF. Opening hours run from 9am until 3pm on weekdays during term time, with closure during school holidays. Families planning childcare around work need to account for both the afternoon finish and the holiday breaks.

In January 2023, the nursery received funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. That is a dated account of participation, rather than a promise of a particular funded attendance arrangement today.

• Building on existing learning. In January 2023, activities did not consistently extend what children already knew. On a visit, ask how staff choose the next challenge for a child with your child's interests and needs.
• Dummies and communication. The January 2023 improvement priorities included reducing unnecessary dummy use among younger children so they had more opportunities to practise emerging speech. Discuss how comfort and communication are balanced during settling.
• Term-time routine. The 3pm finish and school-holiday closures shape the childcare commitment. How would your intended attendance and funding arrangement fit that timetable?

Challengers Farnham warrants consideration by families seeking term-time early years care, especially those interested in the practical communication and emotional-support strategies documented in January 2023. Pictures, signing and physical play give that account substance. The questions about extending learning and dummy use deserve attention alongside the positive inspection judgement.