Avenue Nursery & Forest School

In November 2022, tree-stump climbing, balancing on branches and muddy digging gave Avenue Nursery & Forest School its outdoor character. At Ross Wood Campsite in Herne Bay, the outdoor setting makes nature part of children's play rather than an occasional outing. Forest School here means exploring the natural environment, working together and taking manageable risks, with children helping to shape their activities.

The setting has capacity for 14 children aged three to five. That is the whole-setting total, rather than a daily group size. At its November 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good overall; its strengths included physical exploration and imaginative play, while children's thinking skills and understanding of different communities needed further attention.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning and care: play supports communication, physical development and learning to relate to others. Forest School gives that learning an outdoor setting, with natural materials and challenges that children can explore together.

In November 2022, children gathered leaves and twigs with wheelbarrows and rakes while looking for small creatures. Mud offered another kind of investigation: children explored the mud's texture while searching for hidden fossils and dinosaur bones, combining sensory exploration with imaginative discovery. These were activities with something to do and something to find, rather than simply time spent outside.

Small movements mattered alongside energetic play. In November 2022, children cut leaves with scissors and drew patterns in mud using sticks. Those examples connected hand control with early mark-making. The materials were simple; the learning opportunities were concrete.

Outdoor and Community Life

In November 2022, children climbed tree stumps and balanced on branches, tackling physical challenges with staff encouragement. The environment gave them opportunities to test movement and judgement together. Risk was part of the activity, with boundaries that children understood.

A red rope marked a limit to exploration in November 2022, and children knew not to eat things they discovered in the woodland. Older children also helped younger companions find equipment and places to dig. A tree became a pretend ice-cream shop, with children exchanging seller roles: the woodland supported social play as well as movement.

The breadth of learning deserved attention too. In November 2022, conversations sometimes moved on before children had enough time to think and answer. Learning about other cultures and the wider community was also less developed than the work around nature. For families, the important distinction is between a strong outdoor identity and a curriculum that gives equal attention to the world beyond it.

In November 2022, parents received information about children's development, care and activities, and were invited to explore the forest environment themselves. That made the outdoor approach something families could understand through specific examples of their child's day.

At the November 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described SEND support involving a special educational needs coordinator working across the provider's two settings, links with other professionals and additional role-play resources bought with extra funding. The support combined coordination with practical materials intended to help language and social development.

In November 2022, staff maintained their safeguarding training and had procedures for reporting concerns. Risk assessments included arrangements for occasions when extreme weather made the forest inaccessible. This mattered in a setting where the outdoor environment was central to daily activity: weather disruption had been considered alongside the opportunities woodland offered.

Ross Wood Campsite, Herne Road, Herne Bay, CT6 7GJ is the address for this setting. Its current age range is three to five; the younger children described elsewhere within Avenue's provision should not be treated as the age range for this campsite setting.

Forest School opening hours are 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. These give families a clear daytime window to compare with their working arrangements. The woodland setting and daytime hours belong together in the decision: outdoor learning is the central attraction, while the practical fit depends on the care hours a family needs.

• Teaching beyond outdoor exploration. In November 2022, children needed more time to formulate answers, alongside broader opportunities to learn about cultures and communities. Ask how staff now build those elements into forest activities.
• Weather and daily preparation. In November 2022, arrangements covered occasions when extreme weather prevented access to the forest. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how those arrangements work and what children need for outdoor days.
• A campsite setting for older children. This setting accepts children aged three to five and opens from 9am to 3pm on weekdays. Judge the woodland environment and that daytime window against your child's interests and your family's routine.

Avenue's strongest appeal is the substance of its outdoor learning: climbing, digging, searching and imaginative play have all featured in its inspected practice. It suits families seeking a woodland setting for children aged three to five whose care needs fit the weekday daytime opening window.

The November 2022 findings also give a useful test of that appeal. Physical exploration should sit alongside patient conversation and learning about different communities. Families drawn to Forest School have good reason to look closely at how those elements now work together.