Glendon Farm Montessori & Forest School

Child-sized furniture, independently chosen activities and learning beneath a tree canopy give Glendon Farm Montessori & Forest School its character. Montessori here means children select prepared activities and practise doing things for themselves; Forest School brings exploration and learning outdoors. The combination makes this a setting to consider for families who want practical independence to run through the nursery day.

At its March 2022 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good overall. Its current age range is 1 to 60 months, and its home is The Haybarn in Glendon, near Kettering. The educational emphasis is concrete: children handle materials, care for their surroundings and make choices about their work.

Attendance is predominantly term-time, with occasional holiday clubs and a choice of earlier or later collection from Monday to Thursday. Friday finishes earlier. Those differences matter as much as the educational approach when matching the nursery to family routines.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: everyday play and activities build communication, physical skills and understanding. Montessori and Forest School sit alongside it, adding a particular way of organising resources, choice and outdoor experiences.

Independence starts with the physical setting. Spoons, work tables and other furniture are sized for children, who can rearrange lightweight chairs and tables to suit an activity. Adults prepare the choices; children decide which to use. This gives them a practical role in organising their work, rather than simply following an adult's next instruction.

Heuristic play means exploring objects and their properties. Here, natural materials supply differences in grain, texture and shape for children to investigate. Knobbed cylinders, a Montessori resource with removable wooden pieces, introduce comparisons of size and shape through taking pieces out and finding where they fit. Handling the materials is part of the learning.

Literacy activities work towards writing through children's own choices, while letter sounds and blends support word-building. Maths begins with tangible comparisons: sorting objects, finding pairs and putting things in order. The emphasis is on working with things children can handle before expecting them to understand more abstract ideas.

Everyday tasks have educational weight too. Pouring, threading and chopping develop control; practising buttons and brushing hair build self-care. Watering plants and cleaning a mirror give children a share in looking after their environment. These are small jobs with a clear purpose, making independence something children practise rather than merely hear about.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School connects outdoor experiences with the curriculum. Gardening, shelter-building and examining natural textures offer different ways to explore the world. Country-and-culture treasure baskets, nursery pets and egg timers broaden that exploration indoors and outside, linking curiosity to care, place and time.

In March 2022, children spent much of their learning time in the forest school area. They practised hammering nails into timber, balancing along wooden planks and moving between tree stumps. These were specific opportunities to handle tools and test movement, with staff teaching children how to approach the activities safely.

That same month, play included making marks in soil with sticks and turning a plank into a toy-car route using chalk. The value lies in the adaptable materials: a piece of wood can support movement, imaginative play or early mark-making, depending on what children are doing with it.

Relationships and Communication

Home visits are available during settling, giving families a way to introduce their child in familiar surroundings. Items from home can also be incorporated into activities to help children settle and engage. The relationship begins with the child's existing interests and experiences, rather than expecting an immediate adjustment to everything new.

In March 2022, staff gathered information from families before children started, and younger children gradually moved away from their key person to explore. Conversations during play included introducing vocabulary and modelling pronunciation. These observations describe the day at that time, while home visits remain part of the current settling offer.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Behaviour support combines consistent boundaries with time to work through emotions. Staff model sharing and apologies, and give additional time and help when a child struggles with the boundaries. The approach makes room for learning the behaviour, rather than treating an immediate response as the only measure of success.

At the March 2022 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, with appropriate suitability checks, risk assessment and staff deployment supporting supervision. In March 2022, children also practised everyday independence at snack time, including pouring drinks, peeling fruit and clearing their plates. Care and learning met in those ordinary routines.

Sessions and Attendance

From Monday to Thursday, opening arrangements allow drop-off between 8:30am and 9am, followed by collection at either 1:30pm or 4:30pm. On Friday, drop-off is between 8:30am and 9am and collection is at 12:30pm. The predominantly term-time pattern includes occasional holiday clubs; training days also close the setting, with fees still payable.

Enquiries can be made by email to info@glendonfarmmontessori.com or by telephone on 01536 519777. Registration carries a charge and does not itself guarantee a place: confirmation requires the nursery to acknowledge both the completed form and the full registration payment, subject to availability.

Getting There

The address is The Haybarn, Glendon Lodge Farm, Glendon, Kettering, NN14 1QF. The nursery sits between Kettering and Rothwell, just off the A43.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible children, including deferred summer-born 5 year olds, and funded hours must be taken over full days where available. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the admission and fees page sets out the attendance and charging arrangements.

Forest School is treated as enhanced provision with an additional charge beyond government-funded hours. Families can opt out of that charge through a nursery basics place, which runs from 8:30am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday; that option does not guarantee daily Forest School access, but includes at least 15 minutes outdoors. The distinction changes the outdoor offer as well as the bill, so it deserves careful attention.

• Participation in learning. In March 2022, staff sometimes lost track of an activity's intended learning, and some children received less challenge or involvement than others. On a visit, ask how practitioners now keep each child engaged while preserving independent choice.
• Funded outdoor provision. Nursery basics places allow families to opt out of the enhanced provision charge, with different Forest School access and a 4pm finish. Ask how that option would work for your child's attendance pattern.
• The weekly calendar. Friday collection is at 12:30pm, attendance is predominantly term-time and training-day closures remain chargeable. These arrangements need to fit the family's working week and holiday plans.

Glendon Farm suits families drawn to practical Montessori learning and outdoor exploration, who can use either the earlier Monday-to-Thursday collection or the later finish. Its child-sized resources, household tasks and natural materials give that approach substance. The March 2022 judgement was Good, with a clear improvement point about involving and challenging every child. The shorter Friday and the distinction between enhanced provision and nursery basics are central to the decision.