Wild Explorers Forest School

A heated cabin, composting toilets and waterproof dungarees set the tone at Wild Explorers Forest School in Poynton. Outdoor life shapes the day here: children spend most of their time outside, with activities adjusted to the weather rather than moved indoors whenever it rains. This is a choice about how a child spends their day, as much as where they receive childcare.

At its March 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective. There is capacity for 20 children in total. The wooded setting gives exploration a concrete purpose, while the cabin provides warmth during lunch and at the start of colder days.

Attendance can range from one day to five days a week. That makes the outdoor approach relevant to families seeking a small weekly commitment as well as those building a fuller childcare routine.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage is the required framework for children's learning and care: here, play gives children opportunities to develop language, movement, social understanding and independence. Forest School adds sustained learning outdoors, with children following interests and exploring manageable risks. It sits alongside that framework, rather than replacing it.

The curriculum approach distinguishes between Play Provocation, an open-ended prompt whose direction comes from the child, and Invitation to an Activity, where an adult proposes something specific. Muffin tins and conkers can become a starting point for exploring patterns. The distinction matters: some experiences invite children to investigate for themselves, while others introduce an activity with a clearer intention.

Creative work gives priority to the experience of making rather than a matching finished result. Children do not follow a model piece of artwork. For parents, this means the value lies in choices, experimentation and what a child discovers, rather than whether something recognisable comes home.

Spanish adds another strand, using songs and new words. In March 2025, rhyme sessions also formed part of the day, and potion-making brought together scent, tools and imaginative conversation. Children experimented with mint, roses and lemons, while adults asked questions about their ingredients and imagined effects. Ordinary materials became a reason to talk and think.

Outdoor and Community Life

Rain and snow remain part of outdoor learning. Activities change with conditions, and dangerous winds trigger indoor shelter. In hot weather, shade and water play shape the programme. This is a substantial outdoor commitment, rather than an occasional woodland outing.

In March 2025, children practised climbing and learned to distinguish between sticks they could carry and larger ones that needed dragging along the ground. Adults supported risk assessment through practical decisions. The physical challenge was matched by clear attention to how children used the space around others.

Relationships and Communication

Blossom is the parent app, bringing learning updates, administration and communication into one place. Families can contribute experiences and observations from home to their child's key worker, so communication can travel in both directions. Parents receive an introduction to the app during settling in.

In March 2025, staff shared children's next learning steps with families, giving parents something specific to practise at home. The exchange also helped adults connect what happened at nursery with milestones beyond it. That is more useful than a stream of photographs alone.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND received good support through early identification, work with parents and the local authority, and individual plans with manageable learning goals. A SENCO role is part of the team structure. For a family considering additional support, those mechanisms provide a concrete starting point for discussing their child's needs.

Sleep needs deserve careful attention. There are no dedicated nap facilities; if a child falls asleep, staff make them comfortable and safe and notify parents. A child who relies on a planned daytime sleep may therefore need a different arrangement from one who comfortably stays awake through nursery hours.

Composting toilets and a designated changing area support toileting on site. Potty training is coordinated with parents, with toilet use encouraged at home because the setting uses toilets rather than potties. This is a practical detail to match to a child's current stage.

School preparation includes independence with toileting and meals, listening, speaking to a group and developing the physical skills needed for classroom life and writing. Families receive a transition report before their child moves on. The emphasis is on everyday readiness, rather than an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 217A Chester Road, Poynton, SK12 1DS. Opening hours are 8am to 4:30 (Monday-Friday), 50 weeks a year. The nursery closes for two weeks around Christmas and New Year, and on bank holidays; bank-holiday closures are not charged.

Families can choose attendance on one through five days each week. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone or by email. The attendance choice gives parents room to combine a modest weekly commitment with other routines, or use more of the working week.

Funding and Paid Extras

Government funding and tax-free childcare are accepted. The funding terms name Universal 15-hour funding and Universal 30-hour funding, calculated over 38 term-time weeks and stretched across 50 weeks. The stated weekly funded maxima are 11.4 and 22.8 hours respectively. Eligibility remains an individual matter; an entitlement's headline hours should not be mistaken for the weekly hours under a stretched arrangement.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The fees page explains the funding pattern, including the option to divide funded hours between childcare providers.

Lunch comes from home, while the nursery supplies fruit and malt-loaf snacks. Families need to plan a packed lunch that their child can manage within the outdoor routine.

Parents supply nappies; other toileting consumables are included in the Forest School Fee. Sun cream is supplied unless a child has special requirements, with parents applying it before nursery and staff topping it up during the day.

The enrolment fee includes Didriksons waterproof outerwear, comprising a jacket and salopettes. Waterproof gloves are supplied for use on site and stay there. Clothing is therefore part of the practical childcare arrangement, with seasonal guidance helping families dress children for prolonged outdoor time.

• Starting age. The home page welcomes children aged 1 to 5, while the FAQs give ages 2 to 5. Which starting age applies to your child, and what care arrangements accompany it?
• Daytime sleep. Dedicated napping facilities are absent, although children who fall asleep are made comfortable and parents are contacted. Use a show-around to discuss how your child's sleep routine would fit.
• Learning expectations and hygiene. In March 2025, instructions sometimes left children uncertain during stories, and handwashing was not consistently checked for thoroughness. Ask how both routines have been strengthened.
• Outdoor care in practice. Most of the day stays outdoors through rain and snow, and families provide lunch and nappies. A visit should establish whether the clothing, meals and toileting routine suit your child.

Wild Explorers suits families who actively want outdoor learning, whether for one day a week or a fuller five-day routine. Child-directed exploration, Spanish songs and practical independence give the approach substance; the cabin and supplied waterproofs make its everyday demands tangible.

The March 2025 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, balanced by specific work needed on instructions and handwashing. The decisive family questions are age suitability, daytime sleep and comfort with prolonged outdoor activity. For children whose routines fit those conditions, this is a clearly defined alternative to predominantly indoor nursery life.