Tiddlypeeps Forest School

An enclosed meadow and a log cabin shape childhood at Tiddlypeeps Forest School. Beside Tortworth Primary School, this nature-led preschool puts outdoor exploration ahead of a tightly directed activity schedule: children choose ideas to pursue, handle natural materials and spend most of their time outside, across the seasons. The setting has 20 places in total and welcomes preschool children aged two and a half to five.

At its July 2022 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Good and found safeguarding effective, with carefully managed outdoor activities and children learning how to protect themselves. That judgement is dated; the current character remains firmly outdoors, with supported climbing, building and exploration central to the approach.

Preschool runs during term time, with full-day forest sessions and optional morning and afternoon wraparound care. Alongside childcare, The Rewild Play Hub provides parent-supervised, child-led play in the meadow and cabin.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS is the foundation for learning and care, with children developing skills through play, conversation, movement and exploration. Tiddlypeeps adds an approach inspired by Forest School principles: repeated outdoor experiences, children directing their learning and adults supporting manageable risks. Nature is part of the activity itself, rather than simply somewhere to take an indoor lesson.

Wood, clay, stone, fabric and loose parts give children materials that can become different things in different games. Adults observe, ask questions and help an idea develop. For a child who wants to investigate a texture or keep building rather than change activity on cue, that leaves room to stay absorbed.

In July 2022, children mixed coloured water and lavender seeds in the meadow, using containers to explore pouring and combining ingredients. Other play included pressing shells into dough and making pictures. These examples give substance to the child-led approach: creative decisions sat alongside opportunities to use hands, compare materials and talk about discoveries.

Language also ran through the outdoor day in July 2022. Staff repeated words, talked through play and engaged older children in conversation; children of different ages played together and sang nursery rhymes around the campfire. Stories and conversation also supported communication. Learning was woven into interaction rather than confined to a separate teaching slot.

Outdoor and Community Life

The log cabin and enclosed meadow sit within the Tortworth Estate. Most preschool time is spent outdoors in every season, with climbing, balancing and building among the supported challenges. Families choosing this setting are choosing sustained contact with weather and natural materials, rather than occasional outdoor enrichment.

In July 2022, physical play involved trees, large logs, long grass and muddy slopes. Children learned to judge suitable branches before climbing and followed rules around the fire and tepee. The practical point is that independence and boundaries worked together: children could test their abilities while learning where adult involvement was necessary.

The Rewild Play Hub extends use of the setting to families, carers and childminders. It is an indoor and outdoor play session with no fixed activity timetable: children can build dens, explore loose parts or settle with a book in the cabin. Sessions last 1.5 hours, and accompanying adults remain responsible for supervision. This is a shared family experience, separate from preschool childcare.

Relationships and Communication

Relationships are part of the everyday method. Adults guide play through observation and questions, while regular time in the same natural surroundings gives children a familiar place in which to explore. The approach gives families a clear picture of the adult role: practitioners support children's ideas rather than direct every move.

In July 2022, staff gathered information about children's preferences and strengths before they started, then kept parents informed about development. Support sessions for parents also took place in the tepee. Those arrangements connected home experience with the preschool day, rather than treating communication as an occasional update.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2022 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress with external professional advice, but identified a need for more precise support plans so staff responded consistently to emerging communication skills. The strength and the qualification belong together: access to advice was helping children, while the detail of daily support needed attention.

In July 2022, staff broke self-care tasks into manageable stages to reduce frustration and help children experience success. Information-sharing with other settings was a separate weakness: developmental information was not routinely exchanged for every child attending more than one provider. For families combining childcare arrangements, continuity between settings therefore deserves attention alongside the outdoor offer.

Children bring their own packed lunch; drinks and snacks are supplied, with the morning drink and snack included in private preschool fees. For funded hours, an entirely voluntary contribution supports snacks, drinks and craft consumables, and declining it does not affect a child's place or participation.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool address is The Log Cabin, Tortworth Primary School, Wotton-Under-Edge, GL12 8HG. Full-day forest sessions run from 9.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Thursday, during term time. Families can choose between one and four days each week, making the attendance pattern adaptable within that daytime window.

Optional wraparound extends the day at either end: morning care runs from 9am to 9.30am, and afternoon care from 2.30pm to 3pm. Both are separately charged and sit outside funded hours. The distinction matters for budgeting: the extra time around a funded preschool session is charged separately.

Families can book a visit or use the enquiry form. The Rewild Play Hub requires advance booking and runs after preschool hours, in holidays and on selected weekends; families bring their own food and drinks and wear clothing suitable for outdoor play.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered during the term-time preschool pattern. The entitlements are 15 weekly hours for three- and four-year-olds from the term following their third birthday, 30 weekly hours for eligible working parents of children aged nine months to four years, and two-year-old funding for eligible families. The preschool's accepted ages remain two and a half to five; the broader entitlement description does not extend that intake.

Additional private hours can be booked separately from funded entitlement. The preschool fees and funding page explains the separation between free funded hours, paid time and voluntary contributions.

For funded hours, the contribution towards drinks, snacks, craft materials and enrichment is optional, and children remain included if their family declines it. Lunch comes from home. Craft consumables are supported through that voluntary contribution rather than a compulsory extra payment.

A non-refundable registration package includes Didriksons waterproof trousers and a starter pack; it is optional for families using funded-only hours, and declining it does not prevent joining. Private fees are invoiced monthly ahead of attendance, with payment due on the first of the month. Obtain current prices in the nursery's written quotation.

Being beside Tortworth Primary School does not guarantee a Reception place. Families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

• An outdoor day in every season. Most preschool time is outside, and the meadow supports climbing, balancing and building. During a visit, discuss how the balance of outdoor activity and cabin time would work for your child.
• A defined term-time window. Forest sessions run Monday to Thursday, with wraparound ending at 3pm. Compare that finish and the term-time calendar with your working pattern.
• Communication across care arrangements. July 2022 improvement points concerned information-sharing between providers and consistent communication support for children with additional needs. Ask how shared developmental information and individual support targets now guide daily practice.
• Funded hours and the starter package. Contributions and the registration package are optional for funded-only families, while wraparound is separately charged. Keep those choices distinct when agreeing the booking.

Tiddlypeeps suits families seeking term-time outdoor preschool, whether they need the core forest day or a session extended by morning or afternoon wraparound. The meadow, cabin and natural materials give that choice a clear identity. Parent-supervised Rewild Play Hub sessions offer a different way to share the space.

The July 2022 Good judgement supports the educational picture, while its improvement points make consistent individual support and communication between settings useful priorities for families. Choose it for sustained outdoor play and child-led exploration, with the daytime timetable firmly in view.