The Farmhouse Nursery School

A 16th-century house on Church Green gives The Farmhouse Nursery School a recognisable setting in central Witney. The building is Grade II* listed, but the stronger reasons to consider it concern what children do: gardening, cooking, phonics and regular Eco Warrior Litter Picking bring practical experiences into the nursery day.

At its May 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. The current age range is two to five, with capacity for 28 children in total; the nursery's day programme is aimed at children aged two to four. Capacity describes the whole setting, rather than the number sharing an activity or attending on a particular day.

Morning, afternoon and all-day bookings sit alongside breakfast and after-school care, with a minimum of three sessions each week. Term-time attendance is an important part of the offer. Families should pay close attention to the timetable differences discussed below before choosing their pattern.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, its everyday expression includes conversation, stories, movement and opportunities to practise doing things independently. These are useful foundations for children learning to communicate, manage relationships and take part in group activities.

Phonics sessions take place during the week, while cooking introduces measuring, ingredients and their origins. Small-group work and individual sessions provide another format for learning. Children can encounter a task with fewer competing voices, rather than experiencing the whole day as a single large group.

Tales Tool Kit is offered through literacy sessions. Small-group mindfulness and wellbeing sessions also form part of the activity programme. The useful point is the variety of formats: language work, practical tasks and quieter activities each have a place, rather than learning being confined to one kind of adult-led session.

In May 2022, reading took place in comfortable book areas with blankets and cushions, and adults used stories to prompt discussion. Children also practised taking turns through ball games and worked on everyday independence, including putting on shoes. Those examples show how ordinary tasks can become opportunities to listen, persist and cooperate.

At the May 2022 inspection, Ofsted praised the sequence of adult-led learning, but identified weaknesses in teaching pencil grip and letter formation, and in helping children think about healthy food choices. The balance matters: a positive overall judgement came with specific work to do, especially for children beginning to show an interest in writing.

Outdoor and Community Life

Gardening, planting and feeding birds and bugs give children practical contact with living things. Eco Warrior Litter Picking is a regular event that turns care for the surroundings into something children can take part in. It adds a concrete community task to the outdoor experiences.

Cross-generational local visits also appear in the activity programme. Their value is the opportunity to meet people beyond the children's own age group; the programme does not need an invented destination or a weekly timetable to make that useful.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2022, settling involved time for children to get to know both the adults and the setting. Key-person choices took account of children's needs and personalities, and children sought those familiar adults when they needed help. For a child adjusting to time away from home, that relationship was an important part of the settling process.

Regular informal conversations with parents are part of the nursery's approach. Friends of the Farmhouse gives families a separate way to contribute, raising money for resources and family events. Meetings are usually held once a term and can take place on Zoom, with participation possible even for parents who cannot attend every meeting or event.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The staff structure includes a SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles. Special educational needs, safeguarding and equal-opportunities policies can be accessed at the nursery. These are practical points of contact and information for families discussing support for their child, rather than a blanket promise about the outcome of that support.

Health and wellbeing also enter the learning programme through cooking, movement and gardening. Practitioners bring nursing experience to the team, and cooking activities include nutrition as well as measuring and turn-taking. These experiences provide useful opportunities for talking about bodies and food, while the May 2022 healthy-eating improvement point remains relevant to the questions families ask.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is The Hermitage, 5 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4AZ. Attendance follows nursery terms, with holidays and staff training days set out in the term calendar. This matters for families whose working arrangements continue through school holidays.

The all-day booking runs from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Morning sessions finish at 11.30am after an 8.30am start, while afternoons run from 11.30am to 3.30pm. Breakfast care has an 8am to 8.30am booking; after-school bookings run from 3.30pm to either 4pm or 5pm.

The nursery also describes a 9am to 3pm day and wraparound care from 8am until 5.15pm. These timetable differences need resolving when arranging attendance. The minimum booking is three sessions per week, so families considering occasional attendance should weigh that commitment before proceeding.

Applications use a registration form, with the allocation process beginning in the spring term for a September start. A parental agreement follows confirmation of a place. The enquiry email is teamfarmhousenursery@gmail.com.

Funding and Paid Extras

The nursery offers 15 hours Universal Funding from the term after a child's third birthday, and 30 hours extended funding for qualifying parents, within an 8.30am to 2.30pm window. The extended entitlement requires the necessary code. Universal funding excludes breakfast and after-school clubs, so those bookings need to be considered separately from funded nursery time.

Private sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees page sets out the attendance options. Charges are invoiced by term and paid in three instalments; stopping attendance or reducing sessions requires one month's written notice, with four weeks' fees payable in its place.

• Agree the timetable. The all-day and wraparound times differ between the nursery's timetable descriptions, including the core day and afternoon closing time. At a Stay and Play visit, establish which hours apply to the sessions you intend to book.
• Early writing and food choices. In May 2022, teaching pencil grip and letter formation, and making better use of mealtimes to discuss nutritious choices, were improvement priorities. Ask how those two areas now work in everyday practice.
• Term-time commitment. The nursery requires three sessions each week and follows a term calendar. Consider both the weekly pattern and holiday arrangements alongside your work commitments.
• Funded-hours costs. Universal funding excludes breakfast and after-school clubs. Request a written breakdown covering your chosen hours, meals, consumables and any activity charges before signing the parental agreement.

The Farmhouse suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as a longer nursery day, with wraparound options extending the timetable. Its historic Church Green setting, practical outdoor activities and parent fundraising group give it a clear identity.

The May 2022 Good judgement provides a positive assessment, with specific reservations about early writing instruction and healthy-eating conversations. For parents, the decision rests on that educational balance, the three-session commitment and an agreed timetable that fits the family week.