Little Forest Folk Wimbledon

Forest activities run through the nursery day at Little Forest Folk Wimbledon, with woodland learning forming part of the offer rather than an occasional outing. Its base is the 19th Wimbledon Scout Hut on Cottenham Park Road, London SW20 0SX. There is capacity for 32 children aged 24 to 60 months.

At its September 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good, highlighting children's language and physical development while identifying weaknesses in engagement during less structured periods and in the monitoring of teaching. That balance matters: the outdoor setting provided substantial opportunities, but making those opportunities work consistently for every child needed attention.

Regular attendance involves full days across the year, with a minimum commitment of three days each week; holiday camps provide a separate school-holiday option.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS sets the learning and care framework: children develop skills through play, conversation and practical experiences. Forest nursery activities add outdoor experiences, specialist equipment and tools to that foundation. The woodland approach changes the materials children use and the situations they encounter; the learning framework still applies.

In September 2021, Fishponds nature reserve supplied the forest learning environment. Children balanced on logs, climbed trees and used sticks to make marks in mud. These were concrete opportunities to practise movement and early writing, rather than outdoor time devoted only to running around. The mud kitchen also supported sustained exploration as children dug and moved water between containers.

Mathematics appeared in everyday play during September 2021. Children counted natural materials and worked with a wooden number board, considering the next number in a sequence. An encounter with slugs prompted conversation about their characteristics. Natural discoveries supplied something immediate to talk about, connecting vocabulary with what children could observe.

Storytelling took place beneath the trees in September 2021, with props supporting retelling and acting. Group singing brought children together, while conversations encouraged them to contribute their ideas. The educational value lay in what practitioners did with the surroundings: a woodland setting alone was not enough.

The limitations were specific. In September 2021, some children drifted away from purposeful activity when the day became less structured, and younger children sometimes lost interest during group sessions. Staff needed to adapt the organisation of activities more consistently and sharpen the way teaching was reviewed. For families choosing an outdoor nursery, engagement deserves as much attention as the setting itself.

Outdoor and Community Life

In September 2021, rainbow flags marked the limits of the play area, and staff explained those boundaries repeatedly. Children practised judging manageable risks, including how to climb trees. The approach involved learning where exploration could happen and how to take part, rather than simply being told to avoid challenges.

At the September 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with SEND good, with the manager working alongside families, practitioners and other professionals. These are dated judgements, rather than a current assurance about every aspect of care.

Relationships were visible in everyday interactions during September 2021. Children sought adults when they needed reassurance, and staff comforted those who became upset. Practitioners helped children handle feelings, share resources and take turns. For a parent weighing an outdoor setting, those interactions matter alongside the physical freedom: children also needed an adult they could approach.

Communication in September 2021 included an online system carrying care information, observations and children's learning journeys. Assessments informed subsequent activities. This gave parents an account of what their child had been doing and gave staff a basis for deciding what to introduce next.

Food comes from Two Teaspoons Cookery, the group's food provider named for Wimbledon. Full-day meals cover dinner, breakfast and lunch, with snacks in the morning and afternoon; food and snacks during funded hours carry separate voluntary charges.

Sessions and Attendance

Full Days run from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year. Wimbledon requires attendance on at least three days each week. This is a substantial weekly commitment, so the pattern needs to fit the family's routine as well as the child's readiness for forest activities.

Closures include bank holidays, scheduled inset days and a week over Christmas. Holiday camps run from 8am to 6pm during Merton school holidays and are paid for when booked online. Those bookings cannot be transferred or refunded, making the cancellation terms relevant before a family commits.

Funded time is allocated within two daily blocks: 10.33am to 2.16pm and 2.16pm to 6pm. These are funding allocations within the attendance arrangement, rather than a promise of separate short-day bookings. Hours beyond the funded allocation are charged privately.

Getting There

The nursery's address is 19th Wimbledon Scout Hut, Cottenham Park Road, London SW20 0SX. Some parking is available beside the hut and on neighbouring streets; Barham road, SW20 0ET, has a car park for all-day parking at the forest meeting point.

A Renault Trafic minibus takes children between the Wimbledon base and forest site, with seats appropriate to their age and weight. Transport between those locations is therefore part of the nursery routine.

Funding and Paid Extras

Wimbledon offers the 15 hours Universal entitlement and the 30 hour Working Parent Entitlement, subject to the latter's eligibility conditions and the nursery's accepted ages. Both are stretched across 51 weeks: the respective weekly funded allocations are 11.18 and 22.35 hours. The entitlement figures should therefore be read alongside the stretched attendance pattern, rather than as the funded hours received each week throughout the year.

During funded hours, food and snacks are charged separately, as are non-food consumables including wipes, nappies, protective creams and clothing. Additional forest activities also attract separate charges. These categories are voluntary, with an opt-out route by email; additional private hours remain a separate cost. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation, and the fees and funding page explains the charge structure.

• Three-day commitment. Regular nursery attendance requires at least three days each week. During a visit, discuss how that pattern and the forest routine would fit your child's first experience of nursery.
• Engagement across the day. September 2021 findings included children losing interest during less structured periods and some younger children disengaging from group activities. Ask how practitioners now adapt those parts of the day for different children.
• Funding and extras. Funded hours are stretched, and food, consumables and additional activities have separate voluntary charges. Request a written quotation showing the private hours and your chosen extras together.
• Travel between settings. The Wimbledon routine includes minibus transport to the forest. On a visit, discuss how your child would experience that journey and the change between the indoor base and outdoor play.

Little Forest Folk Wimbledon suits families choosing woodland learning and able to commit to regular all-year Full Days, as well as those using the separate holiday-camp pattern. Its September 2021 experiences brought language, number work and physical play into the same outdoor day. The important qualification is consistency: the less structured periods and younger children's participation needed attention. The forest provides the opportunity; purposeful teaching and responsive care determine what children gain from it.