Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten, Haywards Heath

A willow dome, a boat in the sandpit and heated tents give Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten, Haywards Heath a character shaped by outdoor play. Its base is Cuckoo Corner at Borde Hill Gardens, where growing vegetables, digging and exploring sit alongside stories and games. Nature provides the setting for the day, rather than an occasional change of scene.

Children can attend from two to five years old. At its May 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Good overall, with strengths in outdoor learning and two priorities: broader learning about different cultures and more consistently effective teaching during group activities. Those priorities matter alongside the appeal of the grounds. Outdoor space is only part of the educational offer; how staff use it matters just as much.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, that means learning through outdoor play as well as stories, conversation and practical activities. Forest School, the outdoor learning approach, adds regular experiences such as making dens, investigating insects, working with wood and cooking over a campfire. These give children concrete things to handle, discuss and explore.

Cuckoo Corner has a large sandpit with a slide and boat, allowing digging and imaginative games to share the same space. A willow dome provides another place to play, while the growing area brings vegetables into children's experience of the seasons. Two Tentipi Nordic tents, fitted with log burners, offer shelter and somewhere warm for stories. The outdoor model has places to pause as well as places to move.

In May 2023, children planted seeds and recalled the steps involved, including watering and keeping them warm in a greenhouse. Physical activity included moving wheelbarrows uphill and using rakes in sand. These examples connect learning about living things with opportunities to practise balance, coordination and handling equipment. They also show how the setting's outdoor character translated into specific activities at that time.

Early maths was practical too. In May 2023, making fruit kebabs involved counting and arranging repeating patterns; older children also explored simple addition and subtraction. Favourite stories supported conversation about pictures and earlier learning. Numbers and language belonged within familiar activities, rather than needing a separate indoor classroom.

Outdoor and Community Life

From age three, children make regular trips into Borde Hill Gardens, using its trails, play area and wider grounds. Visits can take place throughout the year, including periods when the gardens are closed to the public. Families joining the nursery are asked to purchase garden membership so these outings can happen. That is a practical part of choosing this setting, as well as access to another place to explore.

The group-wide Tiny Tekkers programme brings weekly football-skills visits to this branch. Dimensions, part of Outreach 3way, supports adults with learning disabilities and autism; its partnership with this branch includes gardening and site maintenance on Fridays, plus games and activities on Mondays. The relationship brings shared tasks and contact with people beyond the nursery's own children and staff.

Stay & Play sessions help children become familiar with the setting before starting. Families approaching their child's start date receive the session dates, giving settling a place in the joining process rather than leaving familiarity entirely to the first nursery day.

At the May 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities successful, with strong links to local agencies and good progress for those children. This is a dated assessment of practice, rather than an assurance about every child's future experience.

In May 2023, children practised putting on coats and boots and washing their hands before eating. Staff also helped them recognise emotions and express how they felt, while allowing choices about activities. Independence here involved ordinary, useful tasks: managing clothing, taking care of hygiene and finding words for feelings.

Safety teaching was woven into outdoor activity in May 2023. Children learnt camp rules and how to use tools safely; staff undertook safeguarding training and used risk assessments for the premises. The combination matters in a setting where tools and physical challenges form part of learning. Adults' planning and children's developing understanding both had a role.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's address is Borde Hill Gardens, Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, RH16 1XP. It operates across 46 weeks, Monday to Friday. The Haywards Heath contact form provides a branch-specific enquiry route.

Outdoor attendance also involves contingency planning. At Borde Hill, extreme weather can mean using the gardens' marquee or hiring the Scout Hut in Cuckfield for the day. These alternatives matter for families choosing a setting whose usual activities take place outside: the day may use a different base when conditions require it.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. That dated participation should be kept separate from the garden membership families are asked to take out for outings. Membership supports access to the gardens themselves, rather than describing a childcare entitlement.

• Outdoor routines. Sand play, growing vegetables and campfire activities are regular parts of the offer, with heated tents providing shelter. At a visit, discuss how your child would manage the outdoor day and which clothing and equipment they would need.
• Garden membership. Joining families are asked to purchase membership for Borde Hill Gardens, and regular garden visits begin at three. Include this arrangement when considering the overall cost and experience.
• Teaching priorities. In May 2023, group activities needed better adaptation to children's existing knowledge and abilities, and learning about cultures beyond their community needed greater breadth. These priorities concern both how children learn together and their understanding of people beyond their own community.
• Attendance and costs. The setting runs across 46 weeks, Monday to Friday. Before joining, request a written quotation covering the attendance pattern, funded-hours arrangements, food and consumables you would use.

Treehoppers suits families seeking an outdoor kindergarten for a child aged two to five, with sand play, gardening and regular practical activity forming much of its character. Cuckoo Corner's tents and growing spaces give that choice substance; visits to Borde Hill Gardens extend it for children from three.

The May 2023 Good judgement supports the choice, while the priorities for group teaching and cultural learning deserve attention. Garden membership and comfort with an outdoor routine are concrete considerations. For families who value this way of spending the early years, the combination of practical learning, football and community contact is the strongest reason to consider it.