Foresters Den Nursery

A baby outbuilding capped at nine children gives Foresters Den Nursery in Cheshunt a clear point of difference. Babies have a purpose-built space, while older children use indoor rooms with sensory resources, materials for imaginative play and quiet corners. Outdoor exploration continues across the seasons. The emphasis is on children having room to investigate and make choices.

At its August 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and judged safeguarding effective. The current age range is 6–60 months, although the Baby Outbuilding starts from 9 months. Flexible hourly booking sits within weekday opening hours of 7am to 7pm.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Outbuilding combines a sensory environment with a maximum of nine babies per day, giving families a concrete room limit to weigh alongside its separate physical space.

Toddler & Preschool Rooms contain materials children can use in different ways, sensory equipment, places for creative play and comfortable corners, supporting both active exploration and quieter moments. These are spaces for children to choose how they play, rather than simply follow an adult-led activity.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: play supports communication, physical development and learning how to manage feelings and relationships. At Cheshunt, the day can combine sensory and imaginative activities, small-group time, outdoor discovery and periods of rest. Children's own interests help shape their play.

In August 2024, younger children explored bubbles while practising counting and words describing movement. A potion activity let children select ingredients including feathers and soil; when a mixture spilled, staff acknowledged the disappointment and helped children try again. These examples connect language and early mathematical ideas with experiences children want to repeat.

There was also a teaching limitation. In August 2024, adults sometimes missed opportunities to explain what children were discovering, including why bubbles would not pass successfully through a cardboard tube. Giving children resources and choices matters, but so does helping them understand the results of their experiments.

Outdoor and Community Life

All-season outdoor exploration is part of the Cheshunt offer, making suitable clothing a practical part of the nursery day. Children have opportunities to investigate nature beyond indoor sensory activities.

In August 2024, children could move into outdoor play throughout the day, and resources were within their reach. Weekly library outings and small interaction groups also supported language and practising turn-taking. The library trips added a community setting to learning; the groups gave children opportunities to listen and respond to each other.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person, providing a consistent relationship and someone to whom they can express worries in ways suited to their age. The Cheshunt parent app carries daily photographs, videos and learning observations, alongside records of sleep, meals and care. Messaging gives parents another route to the team. That combination helps families follow both the practical details and the learning within their child's day.

In August 2024, settling arrangements began with detailed conversations about children's interests and development. Staff used that information when planning activities. Parents valued conversations with staff as well as online updates, and felt involved in helping their children prepare for school. The useful principle is continuity between home and nursery, with information about the individual child shaping their experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the August 2024 inspection, Ofsted found support for children with SEND very effective, with staff helping parents pursue referrals and using plans to address gaps in learning. Small interaction groups and library visits formed part of that support at the time. This is a dated assessment of practice, rather than a promise about any individual child's provision.

The Cheshunt safeguarding arrangements include a trained deputy whom staff can approach when the designated person is away. Children also have support to communicate concerns through their key person. These are defined routes for raising a worry.

Operation Encompass adds a specific safeguarding partnership: police share information with the nursery about domestic abuse incidents they attend when a nursery child is related to either adult involved. This gives the setting information relevant to supporting an affected child. Participation describes an arrangement, rather than providing a separate judgement of safeguarding quality.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 236 Turners Hill, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross EN8 9DD. Opening runs from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, across 50 weeks of the year; bank holidays and a two-week Christmas closure sit outside that schedule.

Hourly booking allows families to select adaptable hours. It is a different proposition from choosing only between fixed morning and afternoon sessions: the booking pattern can follow the hours a family needs within the opening day. Viewing requests can be made through the Cheshunt enquiry route.

Getting There

The nursery is close to Cheshunt train station, the library, High Street and shops. That places everyday services near the childcare setting, a useful consideration for families combining nursery journeys with other errands.

Funding and Paid Extras

In August 2024, the nursery received funding for free early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• The youngest children. The overall age range starts at 6 months, while the Baby Outbuilding starts at 9 months and has room for nine babies per day. At a viewing, ask how care is arranged for a child below the outbuilding's starting age.
• Extending children's ideas. In August 2024, adults sometimes missed chances to explain children's discoveries. Ask how staff now develop a child's experiment beyond the initial activity.
• Sun safety. In August 2024, spare hats were provided, but children were not consistently taught why they needed them. Ask how outdoor routines now help children learn to protect themselves.

Foresters Den Nursery suits families seeking adaptable hourly childcare, outdoor exploration across the seasons and a separate baby space with a stated daily cap. The August 2024 Good judgement supports its appeal, with teaching that extends children's thinking and sun-safety understanding the specific improvement points to explore. Its strongest practical combination is the baby outbuilding, daily communication and a broad opening window.