Martin and Carol Cooper opened Coneygarth Farm Day Nursery on the Isle of Axeholme in north Lincolnshire in 1997. At that time, farming was in a bad way and they felt they needed to diversify.
Ms Cooper says, 'We decided to convert a small barn into a 20-place day nursery to include three babies, and we were spurred on by having three-year-old boy triplets at the time.'
During the first year Ms Cooper continued to work as a maths teacher, but gradually scaled down her hours as the business took off.
'We turned away about 28 babies in the first year,' she says. 'So we converted a milking parlour into a homely 12-place baby unit.'
Since then the expansion has continued apace and Coneygarth now offers wraparound care with an out-of-school and holiday club.
This success fuelled the opening of the 43-place Flying Start Day Nursery at Robin Hood airport, in Doncaster, in 2001.
Ms Cooper says, 'In 2008 we managed to secure funding from the DCSF to build a workplace nursery. The existing premises was refurbished and there was also a new-build allowing us to cater for 84 children, including 22 babies. We also run a holiday club from Flying Start, where the children come to Coneygarth Farm for the day.'
The farm's spacious play areas include a small nursery wood and three acres of secure woodland. There is also a secure vegetable garden and digging area - not to mention the animals.
Martin Cooper says, 'At the moment we have a pedigree herd of Red Lincoln cattle, and sheep which lamb around Easter time. We also have hens, dogs and cats! As well as going out on to the farm, we have set up a large flat-screen TV in the nursery and at lambing time we place a webcam on the sheep and lambs so they can be continually observed.'
Flying Start nursery, with its modern, purpose-built design, is complemented by Coneygarth, with its opportunities for farm visits.The main rooms have fold-back and opening doors to allow continuous free-flow play. There is a large central area allowing flexibility for numbers as it is not counted in the child-space ratio.
'The huge outdoor canopy is a wow factor and allows the children to go out in all weathers,' says Ms Cooper. 'We also we have a separate garden and wooden shelter for the babies.
'We really want to promote the rural life at both nurseries. During the school holidays we plan lots of exciting activities for the five- to 11-year-olds who attend the holiday club. We have a lock-up in the three acres of woodland and we hire a portable loo so the children spend most of the day up there and only come back to the nursery for meals. Martin makes lots of props including things like a cowboy fort, pirate ship, Hogwarts castle and Harry Potter car. My next project here is to send some staff on forest school training.'
RETAINING STAFF
As directors, Carol and Martin remain tightly focused on attention to detail and the high standard of practice they expect from staff.
'We have a hands-on approach and we are always on site,' says Ms Cooper. 'We have excellent relationships with our managers and the high standards start at the top and filter down.
'The fact that the two nurseries are in two different authorities - Doncaster and North Lincs - is quite an eye-opener as they do things differently. We try to run both nurseries in the same way, especially where paperwork is concerned.'
Retaining the best possible staff is both a priority and a challenge. Ms Cooper says she currently has six room leaders on maternity leave, and she is obliged to legally keep their jobs open for a year. Another logistical headache is that more flexible working hours linked to maternity leave means many new mothers opt to book sessions in the middle of the week to enjoy a long weekend, leaving Mondays and Fridays quiet.
Ms Cooper aims to negotiate these problems effectively by re-deploying or promoting staff, and maintaining flexible staffing patterns.
'We identify training needs through staff meetings and appraisals and we try to organise things to suit the staff needs' she says. 'We retain staff by treating them fairly, listening to their views, and we have an open door policy. It also means we are receptive to new ideas, which ultimately is what takes the business forward.'
BUSINESS IDEA
In 2003 the trade magazine Farmers Weekly wrote an article on the Cooper's farm diversification, and on the back of this the couple were contacted by many farmers about diversification. This led to setting up a business selling all the paperwork required to run a day nursery. Coneygarth now offers a starter pack which includes a comprehensive 24 page booklet detailing essential paperwork, advice on grants, marketing, staffing, qualifications, Ofsted rules and regulations, the Early Years Foundation Stage, Early Years Professional Status, staffing ratios and more. Ms Cooper says once contact has been made she is happy to give people help and advice, by email or phone, whether they purchase the pack or not.
More information at www.settingupadaynursery.co.uk
SNAPSHOT
- Coneygarth Nursery is registered for 76 children including 15 babies; Flying Start is registered for 84 children, including 22 babies.
- At both sites all food is cooked freshly on the premises.
- Coneygarth's next project is to install solar panels and a wind turbine. It is also hoping to build a shed that will house an incubator to hatch chicks.