Amberley Nursery & Forest School

A tree house in the garden and woodland learning at Highwoods give Amberley Nursery & Forest School a clear outdoor character. Children can choose to spend much of their nursery day outside, while older children have a separately booked Forest School option: practical woodland play involving tools, natural materials and learning to manage risks. This is a setting for families comfortable with muddy clothes and active exploration.

At its 13 April 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated Amberley Good and found safeguarding effective, with children settling happily and making good progress, including those learning English as an additional language. Those findings are dated. The current nursery accepts children from birth to five years at its Bexhill-on-Sea address, with age groups for under-twos, two-to-three-year-olds and children over three.

The practical choice extends beyond outdoor learning. Morning, afternoon and full-day attendance sit alongside funded-only afternoons, so families can consider different lengths of nursery day rather than one fixed pattern.

Rooms and Ages

Three age groups organise the nursery, with children choosing between indoor activities and the garden. Adult-planned experiences complement children's own play. Singing in the baby class includes instruments and song actions; key-person planning follows individual interests.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the shared early-years foundation: children develop language, movement and relationships through play, then build understanding in areas such as number, reading and creative expression. Amberley adds its own curriculum alongside EYFS and Birth to 5 Matters, a framework used to organise observations and developmental targets, with an emphasis on practical life skills. Following children's interests is part of that planning, as are activities initiated by adults.

Highwoods is the Forest School base, used with permission from the Highwoods Preservation Society. Children travel by nursery minibus to use tools, investigate wildlife and cook over a fire, practising choices and cooperation through woodland tasks.

The separately charged programme is for preschool children aged three and over, runs during term time and is booked by the term. Its operating days depend on interest, and there is a waiting-list arrangement. A supporting practitioner accompanies the leader, with the same supporting adult on each particular day to maintain continuity. When wind makes the woods unsuitable, activities move to Bexhill beach. The setting can end a child's Forest School attendance if they cannot follow its safety rules.

TALL Group, short for turn-taking, attention, listening and learning, uses songs, games and shared activities in a small group. The SENCO runs a six-week course with a weekly session lasting around 20 minutes within the child's usual nursery attendance. Priority goes to children approaching school and those with greater need. Families receive an evaluation and certificate afterwards, giving them an account of the work rather than just a programme name.

Outdoor and Community Life

A sensory area, eco-garden and growing area provide different outdoor experiences, alongside a themed role-play house for imaginative games. The tree house and rubber chipping climbing area add physical challenges, with free-flow play allowing children to choose activities.

In April 2022, younger children investigated foam and shredded paper; older children whittled wood and found newts during pond exploration. Garden cherries, plums and pears connected food growing with healthy eating.

Relationships and Communication

Settling is paced around the individual child. An initial session of around an hour includes a parent and an All about me form covering sleep, food, preferences and favourite activities. Short separations follow, increasing as the key person considers the child ready. Settling sessions are covered by the registration fee rather than charged separately, allowing the introduction to develop over several visits.

Evidence Me is the parent portal for monthly observations, and families can contribute photographs and videos from home. Possible Lines Of Direction (PLODs) are individual planning sheets renewed every three months, with three developmental targets and updates on earlier work. Together, these give parents both examples of what their child has done and an account of what staff are working towards next.

WhatsApp carries updates. In April 2022, daily parent communication, home communication games and information sharing with other settings connected children's learning across their care arrangements.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Setting Based Support Plans (SBSPs) turn additional support into specific targets. The key person follows progress weekly, and the SENCO reviews the plan at the end of each term. Parents receive the proposed plan by email to approve or request changes, then receive an evaluation. Targets can change during the term when a child achieves them or needs a different approach.

There is an accessible toilet fitted with rails and an alarm, although a step in the entrance hall and another between the preschool exit and garden matter for families considering physical access. Support can include adapted resources and additional staffing, with outside-agency advice where needed. School transition work includes meetings, sharing assessments and support plans, and using books and role play to help children become familiar with the change.

Safeguarding lead roles, a SENCO and staff paediatric first-aid and food-safety training support care arrangements. In April 2022, Ofsted required more consistent hygiene habits and greater encouragement for children to complete manageable tasks independently.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 9 Buckhurst Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 1QF. Opening hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 52 weeks, with public holidays excluded. A contact form handles enquiries and showround requests.

Mornings run from 8.30am to 1pm, afternoons from 1.15pm to 5.30pm, and full days from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Breakfast club covers 8am to 8.30am; late club covers 5.30pm to 6pm. Flexible sessions are also offered. Funded-only attendance uses the afternoon pattern and cannot have paid sessions added to it.

Two sessions a week are recommended for continuity, with an explicit exemption from that recommendation for families using only their funded entitlement. Session reductions are barred during the first three months; after that, a month's notice applies. Withdrawal also requires a month's written notice, so the initial booking has consequences beyond the first few settling visits.

Getting There

Amberley is a 5-minute walk from the mainline station and the town centre, useful for families travelling by train.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Education Entitlement (EYEE) means funded childcare hours. Amberley accepts 15- or 30-hour entitlement and stretches it across 52 weeks; its funding arrangements cover eligible working-parent children from the term after nine months, qualifying two-year-olds and the universal entitlement from the term after a child's third birthday. Longer sessions can combine funding with paid hours, while the funded-only model does not require purchasing additional hours.

For funded-only children, snacks and nappies and wipes are separately charged opt-in items; the Evidence Me system and selected parent meetings and school-leaver extras also have opt-in charges. Standard private fees include nappies and wipes, while parents apply sun cream before attendance. Morning and full-day children can bring lunch or buy a Zebedees hot dinner and pudding separately; packed lunches must arrive ready to eat with an ice pack, and the nursery has an allergy matrix for its meals and snacks.

A non-refundable registration charge and a deposit apply to bookings beyond funded-only attendance; funded-only places are exempt from both. The deposit is credited against the final bill, with separate conditions governing refunds and a decision not to take up the place. Current prices belong in the nursery's written quotation, read alongside the funding and charge terms.

• Hygiene and independence. The April 2022 improvement points concerned handwashing and snack routines, and adults stepping in with tasks children could manage. During a showround, ask how those routines now help children do things for themselves.
• Funded afternoon allocation. The funded-only model restricts attendance to afternoons and prevents adding paid sessions. Ask for the weekly allocation and annual funding calculation in writing before deciding whether it fits your childcare needs.
• Initial attendance commitment. Session reductions cannot be made during the first three months. The two-session recommendation also sits alongside a registration-form requirement for two sessions, so settle the attendance terms in your written agreement.
• Outdoor preparation. Forest School requires suitable wellies and waterproofs, with waterproof rental offered separately. Staff reapplication during the day requires a doctor's note explaining why the child cannot use all-day sun cream. Discuss outdoor care before booking.

Amberley suits families seeking morning sessions, afternoon attendance or full days, with outdoor play woven into the nursery day and a separately booked woodland option for older children. Highwoods gives the Forest School programme a specific local base; TALL Group and individual support plans provide more structured routes for communication and additional needs.

The April 2022 Good judgement carries hygiene and independence improvement points. Funding restrictions and the initial attendance commitment also matter to the choice.