Countryside environment encourages nursery children to appreciate nature

Hertford Barns Day Nursery in Cole Green was recently accredited with the Grade 1 ‘Outstanding’ status by Ofsted, an accomplishment only achieved by less than a quarter of early years providers in England. The nursery is part of the award-winning, employee-owned Childbase Partnership and is dedicated to giving children the best possible start in life.

Ofsted’s inspection commended the team’s outstanding abilities in the following areas:

• Making children feel safe and secure
• Fostering a sense of belonging
• Expertly supporting children with special needs
• Working hard to ensure that each child made the best possible progress
• Working closely with parents and other professionals
• Advancing the language and communication abilities of the children

Jenny Pratt, Hertford Barns Day Nursery Manager, said:

“We are absolutely over the moon to have received an Outstanding judgement in our first Ofsted inspection. Our team work tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for our children and it’s incredible to have this acknowledged. We are lucky to have an incredible network of nursery families and we can’t thank them enough for all their support since our opening.”

The team were also accredited for encouraging the children to appreciate nature and making use of the countryside environment. This is instigated via initiatives such as caring for animals and vegetable gardening, tactics that the inspector described as being “very effective” in aiding the children’s understanding of growth and life cycles.

Hertford Barns Day Nursery has been a much valued commercial tenant of Hatfield Park since taking over the space at Cole Green near Hertford in June 2022. The team were seeking an environment in a rural setting, with good transport links to local towns and villages. The building has a rich and diverse history, originally being a farmhouse belonging to the Panshanger estate. An extensive refurbishment by the Hatfield Park estate in the early 2000s transformed the buildings into a modern but sympathetic environment, an excellent setting for an ambitious business and thriving day nursery.

Commented Estate Director for Hatfield Park, Anthony Downs:

“We have an increasingly diverse range of dynamic businesses across the estate, and the team here at Hatfield work collaboratively with them to support and assist with their individual requirements. It’s great when we hear such positive news and that we have played a small part in contributing to a vibrant community”