Brockham Green Nursery

Forest School twice a week, a church-hall base and parent management give Brockham Green Nursery its village character. Outdoor learning uses a secure area at North Downs Primary School; older children finish their final term with the Discovery walk at Priory Farm.

At its 24 November 2021 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding, finding that staff understood individual children closely and helped them make substantial progress through conversation and play. That judgement belongs to 2021. The current offer combines outdoor sessions, school preparation and a shared online learning journal.

There are 26 places in total, with a capacity age band of 2½ to 5. A September 2026 change introduced entry in the term children turn 2, initially on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Attendance is term-time, with mornings, a Tuesday afternoon option and longer days ending at 2.45pm.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the shared early-years framework, guides learning through play. Children practise communication, movement, relationships, early reading and number skills. Planning considers how they investigate, persevere and find solutions, giving attention to how they learn as well as what they learn.

A weekly makaton sign sits alongside exploration of a shape and a number. The sign gives children a specific communication activity to practise, while the shape and number bring early mathematical ideas into the week. These are small, repeatable experiences.

In November 2021, stories travelled outdoors with the children. Searching among trees and bushes for pictures of familiar characters prompted discussion about plants, wildlife and things that should not be eaten. Books became a starting point for observing the real environment, joining language with practical knowledge about nature.

In November 2021, children building recycled-material motorbikes explored shapes and ways to join pieces, while younger children practised putting on coats independently. Learning served a practical purpose: completing something themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School means learning and play through exploration of the natural world. Wednesday mornings and Fridays are allocated to it, with most of the time spent in the secure school-ground area. Friday provides the longer outdoor session, so the choice of day changes the balance of a child's week considerably.

The garden has a playhouse, slides, trikes, sand and water play. Indoors, books, cushions and soft toys offer quieter choices alongside construction, dressing up and messy activities, balancing active play with calmer interests.

Outings to the allotments and recreation ground, plus walks to Betchworth, extend learning into the village. Older children's final-term Discovery walk at Priory Farm marks their approaching move to school.

Parents also have ways to take part in the nursery's community life. Quiz Night and The Duck Race feature in fundraising, alongside Teas on the Green and the Easter Egg Hunt. An independent parent trustee body oversees the charity, and fundraising supports equipment and resources. For families who enjoy contributing, involvement can extend beyond their child's sessions.

Relationships and Communication

Each child's key worker is the family's first contact for care. Shared records connect nursery and home, giving parents a particular adult with whom to discuss interests and achievements.

Tapestry, a shared online journal, lets parents contribute home achievements and follow EYFS progress alongside staff observations. Regular parents evenings offer individual key-worker discussions; additional conversations can be arranged as needed.

Stay and Play lets parents join their child in nursery and speak with the key worker, adding time together to journal updates and meetings.

In November 2021, staff used activities that interested individual children to help them settle, including books, model-making and play dough. Emotion stones also helped children explain feelings. Activities and objects gave children a starting point for conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2021 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and described staff identifying additional needs promptly, involving parents and seeking specialist help while putting support into practice. This is a dated assessment of staff practice, rather than a present-day assurance.

Current arrangements include SENCO and designated safeguarding lead roles. Before a child starts, the supervisor can review individual needs and possible support with the family; later concerns are addressed with parents and the SENCO. With parental consent, staff may approach the Early Years Team at Surrey County Council for specialist input; one-to-one care may also be arranged.

Support policies specify individual plans, visual resources, sensory regulation strategies and adapted materials. Regular review allows support to respond to a child's changing needs.

Medication requires parental instructions and consent, recorded administration and an adult witness. Parents are informed afterwards. Procedures cover outings too, relevant to regular learning away from the hall.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery's base is Brockham Green Church Hall, Brockham Green, Brockham, Surrey RH3 7JR. Monday and Wednesday finish at noon; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday opening hours run from 9am until 2.45pm. School holidays are closures, so families need a separate arrangement for those periods.

Morning sessions run from 9am to noon on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with Wednesday's morning devoted to Forest School. Tuesday and Thursday also offer a 9am to 2.45pm day, and Friday's Forest School runs over that longer window. Thursday is reserved for older children approaching school entry the following September.

A Tuesday afternoon session is also offered. The application form requires a minimum of two sessions. Applications can be made through the contact form, which asks for preferred days, the intended starting term and any special educational needs, or by returning the application form.

Waiting-list priority favours Brockham families, with those applying before January 31st ahead of later applicants. Betchworth, Leigh and Buckland follow by waiting-list duration, making address and timing relevant to offers.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, and funding information covers the 15 or 30 hours free childcare schemes; eligibility depends on the scheme and family circumstances. Attendance remains term-time. Private hours are charged separately, and funding does not cover meals or additional activities such as trips.

Staff supply Forest School snacks on Wednesday and snacks and lunch on Friday, with voluntary contributions requested separately, including alongside funded hours. Families provide sun cream for outdoor sessions; the clothing list also calls for suitable footwear, weather protection and spare clothes.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. Fees are billed at the start of each term, with bi-termly instalments possible, and remain due for booked sessions even when a child does not attend. Leaving requires a full term's written notice, except at the normal transfer to school; shorter notice incurs fees in lieu, refundable if the vacancy is filled. The funding and fees page sets out the charge structure.

Moving on to School

The nursery describes a partnership with North Downs School, including visits to become familiar with the school environment and Reception classroom. Older children's Thursday work also includes phonics and a library book chosen each week to share at home. The visits support familiarity even for children who will attend elsewhere.

These visits prepare children for school; they do not guarantee admission. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• Younger entry. September 2026 entry begins in the term children turn 2, initially on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while the capacity age band is 2½ to 5. Discuss how the entry rule applies to your child's birthday and ask how settling is organised for the youngest starters during a visit.
• Tuesday afternoon timing. The session description gives noon to 2.45pm, while the application form gives 12.15pm to 2.45pm. Resolve the start time before arranging attendance; the form also specifies a two-session minimum.
• An outdoor-heavy week. Wednesday and Friday are Forest School days, and Friday lasts until 2.45pm. Suitable clothing, spare clothes and sun cream are part of the family's preparation, so choose these sessions with your child's enjoyment of outdoor time in mind.
• Term-time commitments. School holidays are closures, and booked fees remain payable during absence. The full-term notice requirement, with its school-transfer exception, also makes advance planning important when changing childcare arrangements.

Brockham Green suits families seeking parent involvement, outdoor learning and school preparation. Mornings, Tuesday afternoons and full days offer different attendance patterns; Thursday is reserved for children approaching school entry.

Forest School, Tapestry communication and transition visits give families concrete reasons to choose it. Balance these current arrangements with the November 2021 Outstanding judgement, term-time closures and session conditions.