Curious Explorers Day Nursery and Pre-School Farnham

A garden with a vegetable patch and an upstairs space for active play give Curious Explorers Farnham a clear practical character: children have room to move, grow things and explore indoors as well as outside. The purpose-built nursery on St. Cross Road caters for children from 3 months to five years, with 67 places in total. That is whole-nursery capacity, rather than the size of an individual room.

At its 1 March 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and judged that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) received effective support through tailored goals and adapted activities. The improvement point was specific: staff needed to make better use of spontaneous opportunities to deepen learning. Warm relationships were a strength, but everyday conversation could sometimes go further.

Forest School brings hands-on exploration in natural surroundings, while Letters and Sounds Phase 1 develops early reading skills through play with sounds and language. Attendance choices include longer days and morning or afternoon sessions, giving families several ways to fit childcare around their routines.

Rooms and Ages

Babies receive care organised around their individual needs, with a personal-care area and resources for early development; daily updates help parents keep track of their experience. For a family starting childcare with a young baby, the useful combination is attention to care routines and a continuing connection with home.

Toddlers have resources and activities shaped around their interests and development, alongside a personal-care area and digital communication with parents. Pre-school children move towards greater independence through planned activities built around their interests, with a toilet area supporting everyday self-care and verbal feedback keeping parents involved.

Each of these stages has a room lead. That gives the room structure a clear point of responsibility, alongside the child's individual key person. The nursery's light rooms are complemented by shared spaces, so the child's experience extends beyond the resources within their own room.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for learning, development and care: children build skills through play, conversation, movement and everyday routines. The additions here give that framework concrete shape. Letters and Sounds Phase 1 introduces listening, rhyme and the sounds within words through playful activity rather than formal lessons. Books, stories and rhymes are part of the daily routine.

Reading materials extend into outdoor spaces. Story props support children in acting out familiar tales, while picture-and-word labels help connect objects with language. Small groups also visit the local library for weekly rhyme time. This takes shared reading beyond the nursery and makes books part of a recurring community experience.

Maths is taught through play, with number, shape, position and measurement explored through practical experiences. The accompanying guidance gives parents examples such as matching socks and counting objects, creating straightforward ways to continue related learning at home. These are ordinary household activities with a clear educational purpose.

In March 2024, children practised managing coats and feeding themselves, with learning arranged to build on earlier skills as they moved between rooms and towards school. The same visit identified missed chances to explain the reasons behind instructions, including prompts about drinking water or cooling food. The distinction matters: completing a routine and understanding it are different steps in learning.

Outdoor and Community Life

The garden has a mud kitchen, climbing frame and large trampoline, with sand and water play in a dedicated area. Bikes and cars use an astro-turf space; trees provide shade, and the vegetable patch gives children a place to explore growing food. Children across the nursery can use the garden, with activities and equipment suited to their ages.

Forest School sessions run at least twice a week for toddlers and preschool children. The Farnham parent guide describes den making, woodland crafts, insect exploration and forest games, with room for children to develop their own play. This is an addition to the EYFS day, bringing learning into woodland or other natural surroundings with trees.

Outdoor sessions continue in different weather unless conditions raise safety concerns. Waterproof clothing, boots and seasonal layers therefore belong in the family routine. The practical value is sustained outdoor experience, rather than an activity reserved for fine days.

Upstairs, a large open play space supports physical activity and provides an indoor option during wet weather. In March 2024, outdoor play included balancing on stepping stones and trying stilts with adult guidance. Those examples show how movement was used to introduce manageable challenges, rather than simply giving children space to run.

Relationships and Communication

The Key Carer System assigns responsibility for getting to know a child's needs, planning their next steps and sharing progress with parents. A buddy provides cover when the key carer is absent, and information passes to a new key carer when a child changes rooms. Continuity has a practical structure here.

Settling is planned with families. Usually, three to five short sessions are recommended, lasting an hour or two, with parents staying initially before agreeing a period apart with the key person. The plan can take longer or move more quickly according to the child. If a stronger bond develops with another practitioner, the allocated key person can change.

Tapestry is an online learning journal that lets parents follow developmental progress, while Daily Connect supports day-to-day updates and messages. These serve different purposes: one builds a longer account of learning, while the other keeps families connected to the immediate nursery day. Preschool parents also receive spoken feedback.

In March 2024, staff used information from parents to shape children's learning and shared ideas for activities at home. Mealtime routines included games, handwashing and clear directions about what would happen next. These details help explain the calm transitions observed between play and eating.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2024 inspection, Ofsted found that the SENCo worked with families and practitioners on individual goals, with changes to activities and the environment helping children make progress according to their abilities. This is useful detail for parents seeking support: the finding concerned specific planning and adaptation, rather than a general statement about inclusion.

The Farnham care policy provides for individual intimate-care plans where children need additional support. It also states that children are not excluded because they have yet to become toilet trained, and that staff work with parents on consistent care. Toilet and nappy-changing facilities support these arrangements.

Safeguarding procedures include designated lead and deputy roles, recruitment checks and restrictions on unsupervised access before checks are complete. These are arrangements for managing concerns and staff access; the dated safeguarding judgement remains the separate assessment of effectiveness.

An in-house cook prepares meals, with summer and winter menus planned around varied foods and seasonal considerations. The food offer therefore has both a dedicated preparation role and changing menus, rather than a single fixed selection.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Curious Explorers, St. Cross Road, Farnham, GU9 7JZ. Opening hours are 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Families needing regular cover should account for those breaks alongside their chosen daily pattern.

Day options run from 7am to 6pm, 7am to 5pm, 8am to 6pm or 9am to 3pm. Shorter windows are 8am to 1pm and 1pm to 6pm. These choices make a meaningful difference to the shape of a working day: early starts, later collection and shorter attendance are all represented.

Additional sessions require agreement with the manager or deputy. Agreed days cannot simply be exchanged on an ad hoc basis, and fees are not reduced for holidays or sickness. An enquiry form, telephone contact and email provide routes for contacting the Farnham nursery.

Funding and Paid Extras

Supported Two-year-old funding, Universal Three-and-Four-year-old Funding and Working Families Funding are offered subject to the relevant eligibility conditions. Funding is stretched across 51 weeks, with offers of 11 or 22 hours per week. Hours beyond the funded entitlement are paid privately, so the daily booking and the funded allocation need to be considered separately.

Meals and snacks are included in fees until a child qualifies for funding or a discount; for funded attendance they are charged separately through a non-mandatory additional charge, with packed food governed by the Packed Lunch policy and delivery arrangements. Parents supply nappies, sun cream and wipes for both private and funded attendance.

Funded bookings using 11 or 22 hours require a 12-month commitment. Permanent booking changes cannot take place within a term, and at least a month's notice is required before the next term begins. The terms also make parents liable for outstanding fees at standard rates if eligibility is lost during that commitment. This is a substantial condition for families whose working circumstances may change.

A deposit is credited to the first invoice when childcare begins, alongside a non-refundable registration charge. Monthly fees are paid in advance, with annual charges spread into equal monthly payments; current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees and funding terms set out the charge structure.

• Learning beyond instructions. The March 2024 improvement point concerned missed opportunities to extend understanding. During a visit, ask how staff turn a child's question or an everyday care routine into further conversation and learning.
• Funding commitment. The stretched offer requires a 12-month booking, with liability if eligibility changes and restrictions on altering patterns within a term. Discuss how those terms would apply to your proposed attendance before signing.
• Outdoor preparation. Forest School continues in different weather, subject to safety conditions, and requires suitable kit. Families should be ready for waterproofs, boots and changes of clothing as part of the regular childcare routine.

Curious Explorers Farnham suits families choosing longer days, a shorter daytime window or morning and afternoon attendance who also want outdoor exploration and active play. The garden, upstairs play space and recurring Forest School sessions give those priorities tangible form. Playful early reading and weekly library rhyme time add another clear strand.

The March 2024 judgement supports a positive assessment, with individual SEND planning and effective safeguarding among its findings. The learning improvement point deserves attention, and the funded booking conditions need careful consideration. For parents comfortable with those terms, the combination of practical attendance choices, structured communication and substantial spaces for movement makes a convincing offer.