Making growing and learning fun...

The Townsend Nursery opened its doors in September 1999 to welcome pre-school children the term they turn 2 years. The original part of the school is set in the Victorian wing of a listed Queen Ann farm house, it has been especially designed to create a homely environment and many of the original features including a range cooker and two bread ovens have been left in situ and help children have an understanding of history. In 2010 we added a stunning orangery, this extra space is light and airy and the children love playing on the heated floor or sitting on the window seat watching the bird table, giving us a brilliant flexible space. We have an interactive white board, which the children use to create images or learn the phonic alphabet; we also have computers, which the children have free access to.

There is an attractive courtyard and a grass area with a playhouse, climbing frame, swings and a fairy house. We also use a walled kitchen garden, to cultivate and grow plants or maybe for a mini-beast safari and of course we make use of the farm for nature walks. On warm days we move the classroom outside and the children can play in the water tray, chalk on the pavement or sit in the shade of the apple trees and listen to a story. We follow a Reggio Emilia approach to learning and also deliver a forest school programme in a designated wood, which is within easy walking distance on the farm.



About our school