Outdoor-Fun Forest School Nursery

Learning through nature gives Outdoor-Fun Forest School Nursery its character. Based in the grounds of Sound and District Primary School in Nantwich, it places learning through nature alongside independence, communication and managing risk. With capacity for 16 children aged 24 to 60 months, this is a small setting by its total place count, rather than a promise about the size of any group.

At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall and safeguarding effective. That is a dated judgement. The current outdoor emphasis gives families a clear reason to consider it, while the May 2023 teaching priorities also deserve attention.

Attendance options include full days, mornings, afternoons and a school-day pattern.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children’s learning, development and care: play supports learning alongside help with everyday needs. Forest School is the nursery’s outdoor-learning approach, with nature providing the setting for exploration; its stated aims include greater independence, resilience, teamwork and respect for the outdoors. Those aims describe what the nursery seeks to develop, rather than promising particular outcomes.

In May 2023, children chose activities and stayed with their ideas while staff helped develop them. One example involved moving stones in toy vehicles and then experimenting with paint. The interest began with the children. Adults had an opportunity to extend it rather than replace it with a separate task.

Natural materials also supplied things to investigate. In May 2023, children explored real flowers through smell, discussed growing vegetables and checked whether the hens had produced eggs. Counting those eggs brought early mathematics into an ordinary outdoor experience. Counting children around lunch tables offered another practical use for number, while staff introduced mathematical language during play.

The same visit showed children making decisions, including voting on whether to eat their snack indoors or outside. This gave them practice in expressing a preference and hearing other children’s views. However, at the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified uneven delivery of the curriculum and a need for staff development to strengthen understanding of how children learn, including how to adjust teaching as play unfolds.

Outdoor and Community Life

The school grounds are central to the nursery’s outdoor identity. Its aims connect time outside with healthier bodies, confidence and learning to take considered risks. For parents, the important distinction is between enjoying outdoor activity and using it purposefully: the May 2023 examples of eggs, flowers and vegetables show how ordinary encounters can become opportunities for conversation and learning.

In May 2023, children spoke with their key person about feelings, and staff responded with comfort and acknowledgement. Books about emotions gave children another way to discuss what made them happy. These were concrete ways of making feelings part of the day, rather than reserving those conversations for moments of upset.

Practical independence had a place too. In May 2023, children practised putting on outdoor clothing, used a mirror to check their preparations and learnt handwashing routines. The outdoor emphasis therefore extended into everyday self-care: getting ready was itself something children could learn to do.

Developmental checks and information-sharing provided routes for identifying support needs. In May 2023, staff completed progress checks between ages two and three, used them to identify gaps in learning and exchanged information with parents and other professionals. A special educational needs coordinator also discussed support with the inspector. These mechanisms matter because observations can lead to a conversation about what help a child needs.

Staff undertake first-aid and safeguarding training. These are care arrangements, rather than a separate assurance about their effectiveness today.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Sound and District Primary School, Whitchurch Road, Nantwich, CW5 8AE. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.45pm, Monday to Friday, and the nursery operates across the year.

A full day runs from 7.30am to 5.45pm. Morning attendance is 7.30am to 1pm; afternoons run from 11.45am to 5.15pm. The school-day option is 8.30am to 2.30pm. Extensions can be requested within opening hours, subject to availability. These are different attendance patterns, so families can compare the actual finishing times with their working day rather than treating every shorter session as equivalent.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by calling 07988036191.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including the working-parent entitlement of 30 hours for eligible children aged nine months to 4 years 11 months. That entitlement’s wider age range does not change this nursery’s accepted ages. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

Being based at Sound and District Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority’s admissions process.

• Outdoor routines. Nature-based learning and managed risk-taking shape the nursery’s aims. At a visit, ask how outdoor activity and getting ready are adapted for your child.
• Teaching consistency. The May 2023 priorities concerned clear learning intentions and staff responses during play. Ask how those priorities now shape everyday activities.
• The school site. Sharing the grounds with Sound and District Primary School gives the nursery a recognisable setting, but attendance does not secure a Reception place. Keep the school application separate from the childcare decision.

Outdoor-Fun suits families seeking nature-based early learning with a small whole-setting capacity and a choice between full days, morning or afternoon sessions, and school-day attendance. Its strongest character comes from using outdoor experiences as material for play, conversation and practical independence. The Good judgement from May 2023 provides a dated quality reference; consistency of teaching remains the most useful question to take into a visit.