Fees and Frequently Asked Questions
Opening times and fees at Cuckoo Down Farm and Burrow Farm
All day sessions: 8am-5.30pm £75 (includes breakfast, snack, lunch and tea as well as nappies). We offer all day sessions only and minimum attendance is two days per week. Children aged nine months-five years
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What age do you take children from?
We take children from the age of nine months.
How many weeks a year are you open?
We are open 51 weeks a year, closed between Christmas and New Year (during which time there are no fees charged). We are closed on Bank Holidays, for which no fees are charged.
How many childcare places do you have?
We have up to 12 daily child places at each setting
What is a micro-nursery?
We offer small childcare settings on family farms, run by childminders working together.
Do you offer termtime only places?
We are open 51 weeks of the year and we do not offer termtime only places.
What ratio of children to adults do you have?
We have a ratio of three or four children to one adult, in accordance with Ofsted requirements. Our ratios are different to nursery ratios, with more adults and fewer children.
What does child-led learning mean and what will my child learn at Little Farmers?
We follow the national Early Years Foundation Stage recommendations, which are in force in all British childcare for the under-5s. The EYFS sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. It recommends child-led learning because we now know that young children learn better when we pay careful attention to their interests and readiness to try academic activities and other skills.
So rather than sitting down and saying: “Children, today we are studying the number 3” (no matter what the children want or hope to do!) we look for opportunities to talk about numbers in our fun activities. We count eggs when we visit the chickens and tomatoes growing in the greenhouse. With our daily storytime and wide range of lovely children’s books, we encourage a love of reading and stories with daily storytime. When we talk about filling up buckets with water in the stream, we are exploring the mathematical concepts of capacity and volume as well as strengthening our arms and hands to hold a pencil and ultimately learn to write when we are at school. Every day is a learning day here at Little Farmers.
What clothing do children need?
We believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We provide a full kit list for new starters. Children will need warm neoprene wellies and waterproof clothing. In winter they will need lots of warm layers, waterproof gloves, trousers and a warm woolly hat. In summer we ask for sun hats, light, long-sleeved tops, Crocs or similar beach shoes and a good coating of sun cream. We love this video which shows how to dress for Forest School.
Are the children outdoors all the time?
We aim to be outside as much as possible. But we also have a purpose-built wooden cabin (Cuckoo Down Farm) and converted barn (Burrow Farm) on the farm for bad weather, naps, indoor play and mealtimes. We have a kitchen and toilet facilities and a separate quiet sleep space for naptime. We also have lots of indoor toys, books and activities so there is always plenty to do, indoors and out.
How does Little Farmers communicate with parents?
We use a software package called Famly to communicate daily with parents. We will send you pictures and updates on your child’s day and you can send pictures in from home to show important moments, such as what they did at the weekend, for us to talk about with them. When you check in with Famly, you will see what your child has eaten at mealtimes, when they fell asleep and woke up and when they had a nappy change. About twice a month we will do a formal observation of your child which will be recorded on Famly and shared with you to let you know what their next steps will be in terms of progress and learning.
What is Forest School?
According to the Forest School Association, “Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.” In a nutshell, it’s all about being outside in nature, learning and having fun.
What Health and Safety policies do you have?
We are all trained in Safeguarding, Paediatric First Aid and have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced certification. We risk assess all activities in advance and during the activity and are fully insured. We have a full handbook which parents/guardians can read with full details of all our policies.
Can we visit to look around?
Yes, by appointment. Please contact us to book a visit.
Do you accept Government funding for places?
We do. Please contact us to discuss your funding options.
Do you accept workplace childcare vouchers ?
We do. Let us know your company’s scheme and we will work with them.
Are you registered for the Government’s tax-free childcare scheme?
Yes we are. We highly recommend this scheme as it can save you up to £2000 a year on your childcare costs.