Rainbow Forest School

Trees, tools and a stream give Rainbow Forest School its character: this is outdoor early education at Bromley Town Cricket Club, rather than an occasional woodland outing. Forest School here means learning through play and exploration outdoors, alongside the early years framework. The setting accepts children aged two to five, making it an option for families looking beyond the conventional indoor nursery day.

At its December 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance to be Strong standard, with children's welfare and wellbeing at Expected standard and safeguarding standards met. That is a positive assessment with a specific qualification: children needed more opportunities to make healthy choices at mealtimes.

The attendance offer includes full days and a shorter term-time opening window. These are different practical propositions, and the outdoor character matters whichever arrangement a family chooses.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: in everyday terms, play supports communication, physical skills and growing independence. Forest School adds an outdoor approach, with children's interests and hands-on experiences helping shape the learning. It is an approach alongside the framework, rather than a replacement for it.

In December 2025, tools were part of the learning. Children drilled conkers and threaded them, combining careful handling with small hand movements. Staff returned to skills children had encountered before, giving them a chance to practise rather than simply move on to another activity. The practical task carried several purposes at once.

Mathematical ideas also emerged from play that month. Children investigated whether objects would float, counted toy ducks and explored what happened when they sent them down a slope. Conversations and books accompanied the outdoor activities. This makes the forest more than a place for physical exercise: it also supplies material for counting, questioning and describing.

Outdoor and Community Life

In December 2025, the grounds included tall trees, a stream and quieter spaces for reflection. Uneven ground gave children opportunities to balance and climb, while identifying trees and watching birds prompted conversation. A bird poster helped extend their observations. The physical setting was part of the teaching.

Rainbow ribbon boundaries gave children a visible way to understand where they could explore. During that December, children explained the boundaries, discussed emergency procedures and waited for permission before using the tool area. Outdoor freedom came with routines that children could understand and describe.

Environmental learning was practical too. In December 2025, children used compost bins, recycled materials and collected stream water; growing produce led to cooking and jam-making. Those experiences connect caring for the environment with familiar actions, rather than leaving sustainability as an abstract idea.

The site also hosted the April 2025 team training day with Circle of Life Rediscovery, an organisation supporting nature education. Staff explored outdoor mathematics, storytelling, tools and shelter-building. This was a past training event, rather than a recurring activity for children, but its content was closely matched to the setting's outdoor approach.

At the December 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that individual learning needs were identified early, support plans were developed with families and outside professionals, and children with SEND benefited from tailored teaching and strong relationships with adults. The important detail is the mechanism: support involved reviewing strategies and adapting them to the child, rather than relying on a general promise of inclusion.

In December 2025, children had close relationships with their key person and other staff. Familiar toys from home could help connect a child's interests with activities at the setting. Signing and conversations about feelings gave children ways to express frustration or upset. Quiet spaces offered somewhere to pause, making emotional support part of the daily routine.

Care arrangements also reflected the outdoor setting that month. Children used outdoor toilets independently, and those needing rest slept outside in a teepee. These are substantial differences from an indoor nursery routine. They deserve attention from families whose child needs a particular sleeping environment or is still developing confidence with toileting.

In December 2025, meals were generally balanced, but the improvement priority concerned children's opportunities to choose healthy food and understand those choices. The issue was about participation and learning at mealtimes, not simply the menu. It is a useful counterweight to the otherwise strong educational picture.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Bromley Town Cricket Club, Hayes Lane, Bromley, BR2 9EF. Full-day attendance runs from 8am to 6pm, with parents able to collect or bring their child at another point within that day. A shorter term-time opening window runs from 8.15am to 3.45pm, and the setting also operates across the year.

The full-day pattern is useful where care needs extend beyond school hours. The term-time option offers a different fit for families organising attendance around the school calendar. The shorter window should be understood as term-time opening hours, rather than assumed to define every funded booking arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded attendance is offered through Forest School arrangements covering full-day sessions, term-time-only attendance and term-time school hours. Private daily care is also offered. The distinction matters when comparing a childcare pattern with the hours a family intends to fund.

The Forest School fees and funding options set out these separate arrangements. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. A useful comparison starts with the intended attendance pattern, rather than treating the different funded options as interchangeable.

• An outdoor care routine. December 2025 practice included outdoor toilets and rest in a teepee. On a visit, discuss how these arrangements would work for your child's toileting and sleep needs.
• Different attendance patterns. Full days run from 8am to 6pm, while the term-time opening window is 8.15am to 3.45pm. Establish which booking and funded arrangement matches your working week before choosing between them.
• Healthy choices at meals. The December 2025 improvement priority concerned children's involvement in healthy food choices. Ask how mealtimes now give children more opportunities to choose and understand what they eat.

Rainbow Forest School suits families seeking outdoor early education with either full-day attendance or a shorter term-time pattern. Its December 2025 picture combined practical learning, clear outdoor routines and individual support, while retaining a specific improvement priority around healthy choices at meals.

The strongest reason to choose it is the relationship between environment and learning: tools, terrain, growing food and observing nature gave children concrete things to investigate. Families should weigh that appeal alongside an outdoor care routine, including rest and toileting, rather than judging the offer by its woodland setting alone.