The Hive Forest School Nursery

In September 2025, woodland learning gave The Hive Forest School Nursery its character: a tepee for rest, tools for making and the changing seasons as material for play. Based at Stave Hill Ecological Park in London, it has capacity for 12 children in total.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good and found safeguarding effective, with staff using their knowledge of individual children to support progress and working with external professionals on additional needs. Children attending then were aged two to four. At that time, practical outdoor learning was central to the children's experience.

In September 2025, the woodland had sheltered spaces, a base camp stocked for activities and a tepee where children could spend quieter moments. Planting and imaginative play sat alongside making fires and using tools. The forest school approach connected learning with natural materials and seasonal changes, giving children concrete things to investigate.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for learning, development and care: here, its learning took shape through play, conversation and practical tasks. In September 2025, children made elder wood pencils with tools, explored on woodland walks and took part in scavenger hunts. Making something useful gave hand skills a purpose.

Stories, singing and signs also featured that September. Adults talked through activities, while children joined repeated lines in rhymes and stories. The outdoor emphasis did not displace language work; books and conversation were part of it.

In September 2025, each child's key person helped them settle, and observations informed what staff planned next. Daily conversations with parents helped connect routines at home and nursery. Emotion cards, visual prompts and Makaton helped children express feelings and understand one another.

Younger children rested with supervision in the tepee that September, while older children practised changing into waterproofs themselves. Toileting and nappy changes were handled respectfully. At lunch, adults watched over packed lunches, helped younger children and encouraged conversation; gardening and foraging provided opportunities to discuss food.

The address is T H Z Conservation Volunteers, Stave Hill Ecological Park, Timber Pond Road, London SE16 6AX.

In September 2025, opening hours were 9am to 3.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays only. Funded early education was provided for children aged two, three and four at that time. These dated arrangements matter when weighing the nursery against a family's weekly childcare needs.

• Learning across settings. In September 2025, children's targets and next steps were not consistently exchanged with other nurseries they attended. Families using more than one setting should ask how that communication now works.
• Responsibility for equipment. That September, reminders about putting lids back on pens and clearing away after water play were inconsistent. Independence in practical activities needs to extend to looking after shared resources.
• Outdoor care in practice. Shelters, supervised rest in the tepee and changing into waterproofs were part of the September 2025 day. A visit can explore how those routines would work for your child.

The Hive's appeal is hands-on woodland learning, with stories, signs and practical making woven into the September 2025 experience. It suits families who value outdoor exploration and growing independence. The dated Monday-and-Tuesday schedule is a substantial planning consideration, while communication between settings and responsibility for equipment deserve attention alongside the positive inspection judgement.