The Treehouse Forestry Nursery & Out Of School Club, Wickford

A working farm, purpose-built cabins and a half-acre garden give this Wickford nursery a clear outdoor identity. Dollyman’s Farm offers space for imaginative play indoors as well as exploration outside. Natural toys and bright rooms make the cabins part of the appeal, rather than simply shelter between outdoor activities.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 20 January 2022. Its current age range is two to five years. The strongest practical distinction is the choice between year-round nursery attendance and the term-time Badgers preschool, with different session lengths, funding arrangements and food responsibilities.

That choice deserves attention before families compare costs. The nursery and preschool share an address and outdoor character, but their attendance rules and everyday requirements are not interchangeable.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the learning and care framework: children develop skills through play, conversation, physical activity and practical experiences. Forest School adds an outdoor approach centred on learning in natural surroundings. Here, the working-farm setting, garden and natural play materials give that approach a concrete setting.

The group-wide outdoor ethos includes daily walks, searching for insects and Forest School activities in different weather conditions. This matters for families seeking regular contact with nature as part of childcare. Outdoor clothing is part of the routine, rather than something reserved for an occasional outing.

In January 2022, language learning ran through familiar stories and activities that introduced new vocabulary. Younger children explored substantial construction materials, while older children moved small objects between containers with tweezers. These are useful examples of how play can develop both communication and precise hand movements, without turning the nursery day into formal lessons.

Physical independence also featured in January 2022: children practised getting their outdoor clothes and boots on, alongside toileting and hygiene routines. For parents, those small daily tasks connect the outdoor offer with skills children can use at home.

Outdoor and Community Life

Purpose-built cabins sit alongside the dedicated half-acre garden, with natural toys supporting pretend play and exploration. The farm surroundings give the location a different character from a nursery whose outdoor provision is confined to a conventional playground. There is room for both indoor imaginative activity and outdoor discovery.

Children need a backpack containing spare clothes, wellies and plimsolls, with sun cream as the weather requires. Summer brings a sun-hat requirement; winter calls for a waterproof coat and warm accessories. Families who like the outdoor approach should also be comfortable maintaining that kit through the seasons.

An online journal lets parents follow their child’s day. It gives parents a way to follow their child’s experiences during the day.

At the January 2022 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding and good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with staff, parents and other professionals working together. Those are dated judgements, rather than assurances about present practice.

In January 2022, the key-person arrangement gave children a familiar adult and parents regular progress updates. Telephone contact and an electronic system were used to share learning, helping families continue activities at home. Preparation for school included discussions and activities about the change, alongside contact with staff at the primary schools children would attend.

There were also two improvement priorities in January 2022. Some practitioners needed training tailored to additional responsibilities, and children needed more opportunities to explore cultural similarities and differences in their community. These points matter alongside the positive findings: a broadening understanding of other people and preparation for specific staff roles are part of the quality of everyday care.

Food responsibilities depend on the provision chosen. Nursery meals are prepared on site and dietary requirements are accommodated, while Badgers uses food supplied from home, including the snacks and lunch required for the child’s session.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Dollyman’s Farm, Doublegate Lane, Wickford, SS11 8UD. Both nursery and preschool operate Monday to Friday, and enquiries and show-arounds can be arranged through the branch’s contact form.

Nursery full-day sessions run from 7.30am to 6.30pm across the year, normally with a minimum of two attendance days each week. For children aged two and over, nursery AM sessions run from 7.30am to 1pm and PM sessions from 1pm to 6.30pm; attendance must cover at least two days and include a mixture of mornings and afternoons.

Badgers preschool is term-time only. Its School Day runs from 9.30am to 3.30pm, with AM sessions from 9.30am to 12.30pm and PM sessions from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. It also requires attendance across at least two days, combining morning and afternoon provision; an exclusively morning or exclusively afternoon pattern is not offered.

An adjusted nursery attendance window of 8am to 6pm is offered where needed to access funding without unfunded time. The funding terms also allow a one-day arrangement for children using only the 15-hour entitlement stretched across the year. This is a conditional funding arrangement, rather than the standard booking pattern.

Funding and Paid Extras

Both funded childcare and privately paid hours are offered. Nursery funding covers the 15-hour and 30-hour entitlements on a stretched basis, approximately 11 and 22 funded hours per week respectively, with a daily funding limit of 10 hours. Attendance beyond what funding covers is privately charged, so the full session length and the funded portion need to be considered separately.

Badgers applies funding during term time to complete AM, PM or School Day sessions. It does not apply funding to part sessions. Where a chosen session exceeds the remaining entitlement, the balance becomes privately paid childcare; neither provision requires families to buy additional hours simply to access funding.

For privately paid nursery hours, meals, consumables and enrichment activities are included. During funded nursery hours, Essentials & Extras is an optional paid service covering those items; families who decline it supply meals, snacks, drinks and consumables themselves. The non-food items include nappies, wipes, sun cream and personal-care supplies.

At Badgers, parents supply food, nappies, wipes, creams and seasonal sun cream. Privately paid preschool hours include enrichment resources and activities, while funded hours offer an optional Essentials & Extras service for these non-food resources and enrichment. This distinction separates personal-care supplies from materials used for activities.

The group’s enrichment menu used here includes cooking, baking and gardening, alongside optional Forest School sessions. Children whose families decline the optional activities receive alternative EYFS learning experiences. Funding can therefore be accessed without purchasing the extras. Current prices come in the nursery’s written quotation.

• Two attendance models. Year-round nursery sessions and term-time Badgers sessions have different clocks and food arrangements. During a show-around, discuss which combination of mornings, afternoons or whole days fits your week.
• Outdoor kit. Spare clothes, wellies and seasonal clothing are routine requirements at Dollyman’s Farm. Consider how comfortable your child is with outdoor play and keeping suitable kit ready throughout the year.
• Funding choices. Nursery funding is stretched, while Badgers uses complete term-time sessions. Compare the funded portion, any private hours and your decision about Essentials & Extras in the written quotation.
• Development priorities. January 2022 brought recommendations about training for specific responsibilities and learning about community differences. Ask how those priorities now shape staff preparation and children’s activities; families managing allergies should also confirm the current food-handling arrangements.

Dollyman’s Farm suits families who want outdoor learning supported by a working-farm setting, purpose-built indoor space and a substantial garden. Its practical reach includes year-round full days, mixed nursery morning and afternoon sessions, and term-time preschool days or shorter sessions.

The decision is as much about the chosen provision as the outdoor appeal. Badgers brings a shorter, term-time routine and food from home; nursery attendance offers longer sessions with different funding and inclusion terms. Families who understand that distinction can make a more useful comparison of the care pattern and the responsibilities they will take on.