windmill hill city farm

We are holding an Open Afternoon on Friday 31 May from 2:00 - 3:30pm. Do drop in to see us.

All the Children and Family Services are at the heart of the Farm providing many opportunities for the children to enjoy the animals, plant life and strong communal spirit. In this environment we provide opportunities for children to learn, develop, gain a variety of life skills and have fun through a variety of play opportunities and experiences within these natural surroundings.

The Children and Family Services consists of:

• A purpose built Nursery which has three rooms:
  • Cherry Blossom (9 months – 2 years)
  • Pear Blossom (2 – 3 years)
  • Apple Blossom (3 – 5 years)
• Parent and Toddlers Group for families with children aged up to 5 years
• Services for young people, including an adventure playground
• A play centre and indoor activity centre which are available to hire for children's parties etc.

Please note from 26 April 2013 we are no longer able to run the crèche service (Tue, Thu, Fri) due to economic circumstances.

Over the past few years we have had many new developments take place within our services including further development of the Nursery outdoor environment, more ICT resources, a variety of new resources in the Nursery, the Playcentre roof being replaced and the Playcentre being painted.

All our staff are trained in childcare and/or play and are consistently partaking in continual professional development to further develop their knowledge and understanding of early years and play. All our staff and students are CRB checked.

We believe that every child is an individual and are committed to ensuring that their cultural and social requirements are encouraged and supported in every way possible. We maintain an absolute commitment to equality of opportunity and access to services.

Over the past year two years the setting has been working towards achieving the Bristol Standard Quality Improvement for Birth to Five; as a setting we are proud to announce that we have successfully achieved this and the feedback obtained from the validation group states that there is good evidence of leadership and a whole team approach, that there is a strong commitment to training allowing all staff to continue in further developing the children and that the submission showed that the environment we have is an amazing place for the children to be in.

In June 2012 the Nursery was inspected by Ofsted and the overall judgement received was 'Good'. Within the feedback received it was outlined that there were elements of excellent practice in particular areas. Comments in the report included 'the nursery is warm and inviting', 'the rooms are well organised and reflective of children's diverse backgrounds' and 'the outdoor environments are stimulating and mean children explore them confidently'. As a team we are extremely proud of all the developments and our achievements that have taken place over the past few years.

If you wish to join our waiting list please complete and return this application form (Word doc 187KB)

If you would like to make a general enquiry or arrange a visit please telephone 0117 963 3299. 

For your information please see below some of our policies and procedures:

Allocations Policy (pdf 80KB)
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy (pdf 86KB)
Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy (pdf 164KB)
Play Policy (pdf 337KB)
Behaviour Management Policy (pdf 127KB)

Please note that these are reviewed regularly therefore may change with revised information.

We work with the following aims, values and vision:

Farm vision

"A place where people grow"

Children & Family Services statement

We value each child as being unique and we place children at the centre of everything that we do.

Children & Family Services Aims

• To provide a safe, secure and happy environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive.
• To develop an inclusive environment in which every child and adult feels valued and respected.
• To acknowledge that the parent/carer is a child's first educator and from this to work in partnership with the family to support and continue to develop the child.
• To create a stimulating environment which follows children's interests allowing each child the opportunity to develop into an independent and confident learner.
• To embrace and celebrate our special surroundings using the opportunity it provides for a rich and stimulating learning resource.
• To work in partnership with professionals and community providers and services to enhance the benefits to the children.