Lodge Farm Nursery School

Lodge Farm Nursery School
Unique reference number (URN): 2840860
Address: Lodge Farm Nursery, Malmesbury Road, Kington Langley, Chippenham, SN15 5PY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 27/03/2025
Registers: EYR
Registered person: Lodge Farm Nursery School Limited
Inspection report: 24 February 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Leaders have created a highly positive environment where expectations for children's
behaviour are clear, consistent and understood by all. As a result, children behave well
across the setting. They show kindness, cooperation and respect, often helping one another
without prompting. For example, they spray water so friends can rinse their hands or pass
cutlery around the table. These everyday moments reflect an overall culture of care and
collaboration shaped by leaders' focus on emotional understanding and shared routines.
Staff use tailored approaches, such as personalised emotional support resources to help
children understand and manage their feelings effectively.
Children form warm, trusting relationships with staff, which helps them feel secure and
confident. They work together successfully, learning to take turns in the baby room,
experimenting with water play as a team, and supporting each other during mealtimes. Their
growing independence is evident as they serve themselves food and use their cutlery with
increasing skill. The children wait patiently for others, demonstrating their developing
manners and consideration.
Leaders promote attendance and punctuality well, working closely with families to establish
consistent routines. This ensures that all children, regardless of needs or circumstances, are
able to participate fully and thrive in the setting's calm, purposeful atmosphere.
Inclusion Strong standard
Leaders take comprehensive action to identify potential barriers early, drawing on whole
family support and strong partnerships with local charities and specialist agencies. Leaders
work consistently to explore every possible avenue of support, ensuring that children's
needs, whether linked to disadvantage, special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
or involvement with social care, are met swiftly and effectively.
Staff know children very well as individuals. They quickly spot changes, such as when a
child adjusts to a change at home, and put tailored support in place that makes a tangible
difference. Leaders track these children's progress meticulously. They review interventions
regularly to ensure that they remain purposeful. For example, targeted physical
development support led to rapid improvements within 6 weeks. This reflects leaders'
commitment to early identification and action, ensuring children are well prepared for their
next steps.
Leaders prioritise high-quality professional development and SEND training for all, including
staff development opportunities with specialist providers. This empowers staff to meet
children's needs confidently and consistently. Leaders provide extensive, effective support
for families. They help with attendance, provide essential items, such as food bank tokens,
and work closely with external partners to secure additional help. This approach ensures
that children facing potential barriers to learning experience stability and sustain progress.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Children show secure, age-appropriate skills across the 7 areas of learning. They
communicate with growing confidence, making eye contact and sharing their thoughts with
one another. Their early language development is evident as babies babble purposefully
and older children describe what they notice. Children demonstrate curiosity and interest in
the world around them. They look closely at what they see, such as when using binoculars
to hunt for birds in forest school. They experiment confidently with physical play, ranging
from sliding in different ways to building sandcastles and filling moulds.
Those who experience disadvantage or face barriers to learning make appropriate progress
from their starting points. They develop increasing independence as they move through the
setting, selecting resources and managing tasks for themselves, such as cutting their food.
Children are suitably prepared for their next stage of learning, including school. They
understand their emotions, express their ideas and approach new experiences with
confidence.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders typically have a clear understanding of the curriculum and how well it is taught.
They monitor practice closely and use this insight to prioritise staff development. Staff plan a
broad range of experiences that meet all areas of learning and respond to children's
interests. They adapt provision to ensure fair access for all children, including those with
special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face additional barriers.
Leaders generally ensure that teaching is purposeful. Babies show an emerging love of
literacy as they choose books and share them with staff, who model key words and build
early communication. Staff narrate children's play confidently, but they do not always use
enough open questioning. This limits opportunities for children to deepen their thinking and
develop richer language.
Staff weave mathematical learning naturally through activities, such as matching wooden
shapes or comparing quantities in forest school. They prioritise physical development, with
children strengthening fine motor skills using small pipettes and water-spraying activities.
Staff use observations to inform planning and respond to children's starting points. They use
assessment information to identify what children know and can do, although this is not
always used consistently to deepen learning. At times, children move quickly between
activities, which means they do not always develop depth in their learning.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders demonstrate a commitment to providing high-quality education and care, and they
have taken prompt, effective action to meet the requirements from the previous inspection.
As a result, safeguarding practice is now secure, with staff and leaders showing confident,
comprehensive knowledge of their responsibilities. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing, and

Needs attention
staff consistently report feeling valued and well supported. This reflects leaders' thoughtful
approach to workload and team culture.
Leaders place significant emphasis on professional development. Staff benefit from a
comprehensive training programme that strengthens their practices, and many speak
positively about the impact of this support. Leaders identify areas for improvement and take
appropriate action. However, monitoring is not yet fully effective in ensuring that policies and
procedures are consistently embedded in practice. For example, expectations for
supervision at mealtimes are not applied consistently, which impacts on children's safety
and wellbeing. The nominated individual provides clear oversight and drives the wider vision
for the setting. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing, which contributes to a
positive and supportive team culture.
Leaders engage closely with parents and professionals, helping children settle quickly and
preparing them well for transitions. Initiatives such as developing a lending library
demonstrate leaders' commitment to enriching children's experiences and strengthening
home learning. Parents value the support that they receive from the setting and feel well
informed about their children's progress.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Needs attention
Children form secure, trusting attachments with their key persons. Staff take time to
understand each child's routines, preferences and home lives. Babies settle well because
induction arrangements are thoughtful and responsive, and they consistently seek comfort
and interaction from familiar adults. This reflects leaders' commitment to supporting
children's early emotional wellbeing.
Children benefit from healthy meals and snacks and show enjoyment at mealtimes. As they
move through the setting, they develop increasing independence, such as serving
themselves food, using cutlery with growing skill and showing positive social behaviours at
the table. They also gain an understanding of healthy lifestyles through regular outdoor play
and familiar routines such as washing hands before lunch. Staff teach the children how to
stay safe. For example, staff remind children to walk when indoors. Children sleep well in
safe, comfortable sleep rooms where they are closely supervised.
However, some care practices need more attention. Children's personal needs are not
always met promptly. For example, runny noses sometimes go unnoticed, and handwashing
is not consistently thorough. This means children do not always learn to manage their self-
care as well as they could. In addition, leaders' expectations for safe supervision at
mealtimes are not yet applied consistently, which affects how well children are kept safe
while eating.

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive eager to explore, quickly settling because of the warm, secure relationships
they share with staff. Even the younger children show confidence as they explore in forest
school, clutching clipboards and binoculars to search for birds and greeting the alpacas.
Staff gently encourage them to try new things, helping them feel safe and ready to learn.
Children's curiosity is nurtured through rich outdoor experiences. They delight in potion
making, smelling lavender and mixing ingredients, or squelching through mud as they learn
about the working farm around them. They explore different grains grown on site and create
their own games, such as drawing hopscotch grids and testing out their ideas. These
experiences build children's independence, problem-solving and early thinking skills. When
water stops coming through a pump, staff prompt children to work it out for themselves, and
ask, 'What shall we do?' Children persevere until they succeed.
Children form strong friendships and communicate confidently with one another. They
negotiate roles and collaborate, for example, when working out how to move water to the
top of a water station. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those
who face additional barriers to learning are very well supported. They make progress
alongside their peers and benefit from consistent, sensitive adaptations.
Behaviour is consistently positive. Children learn to identify and manage their emotions
effectively. However, children's personal care needs are not always identified quickly
enough, and supervision during mealtimes does not yet ensure their safety. This is an
important area for improvement.
Families feel welcomed and valued. Stay and play sessions, picnics and practical support,
such as oral health and potty training resource bags, help parents feel part of the community
and strengthen children's sense of belonging.
Next steps
To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage the provider must take the
following action by the assigned date:
Action Completion Date
ensure that all staff apply personal care routines and
mealtime supervision consistently so that children's
welfare needs are met promptly and safely
11/03/2026

Inspector:
Alanda Phillips
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2840860
Address:
Lodge Farm Nursery
Malmesbury Road, Kington Langley
Chippenham
SN15 5PY
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 27/03/2025
Registered person: Lodge Farm Nursery School Limited
Register(s): EYR
Operating hours:
Local authority: Wiltshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
Leaders should ensure that staff give children sufficient time to explore activities in depth
and use more open questioning to strengthen their thinking, communication and
understanding across the curriculum.
Leaders should ensure that staff deployment is effective during mealtimes to ensure that
children are always within sight and hearing.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, parents and children during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 24 February 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
0 to 4
Total number of places
96
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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