Little Forest Pre-school

A custom designed forest area and exclusive use of indoor and outdoor ball courts give Little Forest Pre-school a clear identity: outdoor exploration and physical activity have substantial space here. Its Montessori inspired classroom adds equipment for practical learning indoors. For parents weighing how much room their child will have to move, these are useful features.

At its 8 May 2025 inspection, Ofsted rated the provision Good overall, with improvements needed in planning each child's next learning steps and in monitoring and developing staff knowledge. That balance matters. The outdoor setting is a strong reason to consider Little Forest, while the consistency of teaching deserves attention alongside the facilities.

Based at Corinthian Sports Club in Fawkham, the preschool takes children aged two to five. Morning, afternoon and full-day sessions allow different attendance patterns within its year-round opening arrangements.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care: their day should connect play and practical experiences with developing communication, physical skills and early understanding. Alongside that framework, Little Forest uses a Montessori inspired classroom, with Montessori equipment and other resources. The concrete addition is the prepared classroom and its materials; the description does not make this a different set of statutory requirements.

In May 2025, children explored mathematical ideas by arranging wooden rods into a maze and discussing their lengths and positions. Threading tasks gave them opportunities to recognise patterns and solve practical problems. These examples make early mathematics tangible: children can handle, rearrange and compare objects while explaining their decisions to adults.

Pipettes and water-filled jars provided another practical challenge during that visit. Children repeated the task of moving liquid between containers, while dough, pouring and filling activities exercised the small movements of their hands. Such experiences connect concentration with doing something concrete, rather than relying solely on an adult's explanation.

There was a limitation to that approach in May 2025. Some practitioners were uncertain about how an activity should advance an individual child's learning, and opportunities to extend children's thinking were sometimes missed. The important distinction for families is between an appealing activity and one that has a clear purpose for their own child.

Outdoor and Community Life

The custom designed forest area sits alongside exclusive access to an indoor and outdoor ball court. Sports and dance are also part of the activity offer. The indoor court also broadens the physical environment beyond the forest itself.

In May 2025, the forest area included a mud kitchen, places to dig and uneven ground for riding bikes. Bug hunts brought counting into outdoor exploration, with children discussing possible hiding places and looking for insects together. This is a useful combination for an active child: movement, conversation and mathematical ideas can happen within the same experience.

Dance sessions supported children's physical development in May 2025, while the forest area provided exploratory outdoor play. Parents attracted by the forest setting should consider the classroom and courts as part of the same offer, rather than judging the preschool on its outdoor name alone.

Relationships and Communication

In May 2025, practitioners gathered information about children before they started and brought their knowledge of their key children into team discussions. This linked the early conversations with families to planning within the staff team. It also gave adults a way to recognise when a child might need additional help.

Children were learning to manage shared activities as well as choose their own. During that visit, older children used a sand timer when taking turns with popular resources, and adults discussed feelings and the effect of children's actions on others. The timer made waiting concrete, while those conversations gave children language for everyday disagreements.

Development updates and opportunities for parents to contribute their views were also part of communication in May 2025. That exchange matters because information from home can help practitioners understand a child's interests and needs beyond the preschool day.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the May 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effective, with needs identified promptly and funding used for resources such as sensory toys and physical development equipment. The current team structure includes a deputy manager with the SEN coordinator role, providing a specific point of responsibility for inclusion.

Meals, snacks and drinks are included in the preschool's all-inclusive approach, with fresh food supplied by Zebedees on a rolling menu and water as the drink offered. Breakfast, lunch and tea sit alongside morning and afternoon snacks, and menus can be viewed through the preschool app; dietary needs and preferences are catered for.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Families can book a morning session from 8am to 1pm, an afternoon session from 1pm to 5pm, or a full day from 8am to 5pm. These are separate booking choices, so the opening window does not require every child to attend for the whole day.

A minimum of two sessions each week applies. Little Forest opens for 51 weeks of the year, closing on bank holidays and for one week at Christmas. That gives families an attendance model extending beyond school terms, with a defined Christmas closure to factor into childcare arrangements.

Getting There

The address is Corinthian Sports Club, Gay Dawn Farm, Fawkham, DA3 8LY. Enquiries can be made by telephone, email or the contact form, giving families a direct route to discuss joining.

Funding and Paid Extras

In May 2025, the preschool claimed funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four. Families considering a funded arrangement should distinguish the entitlement from their chosen attendance pattern and any additional privately paid time.

Private sessions are charged through monthly payments made in advance. Rates are reviewed each April, with changes communicated in writing at least a term beforehand. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees and funding page sets out the session structure and payment arrangements.

• Individual learning steps. In May 2025, some activities did not consistently extend what each child already knew, and staff monitoring needed further development. At a visit, ask how practitioners now identify a child's next step and use it to shape an activity.
• Attendance commitment. The minimum booking is two sessions per week, with morning, afternoon and full-day options. Consider which combination fits your child's routine and your working hours, including the Christmas closure.
• Funding and meals. Meals sit within an all-inclusive approach, and funded early education was used in May 2025.

Little Forest suits families seeking morning or afternoon preschool sessions as well as those wanting full days, especially where outdoor exploration and physical activity are priorities. Its forest area, courts and Montessori equipment give parents concrete reasons to consider it.

The balance is clear: a Good judgement in May 2025, practical learning experiences and substantial physical spaces, alongside improvements required in individual learning plans and staff development. For this setting, the most useful test is how those appealing resources translate into purposeful activities for your child.