Pillarwood Farm Pre-School

A heated Yurt, shelter-building and a mud kitchen give Pillarwood Farm Pre-School a clear identity: outdoor learning with an indoor base when children need it. This family-run setting in Edenham, near Bourne, puts nature to work in children's play rather than treating time outside as a break from learning. It has capacity for 16 children in total.

Ofsted rated the pre-school Outstanding at its 13 January 2025 inspection. The current outdoor-learning offer is for children aged 2.5 to 5, with purpose-built facilities that bring practical making, growing and exploration into the day. For parents, the important distinction is the setting's emphasis: this is a pre-school built around outdoor experiences, with indoor toys and learning equipment alongside them.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care: learning through play sits alongside support for communication and growing independence. Pillarwood adds an outdoor approach inspired by Scandinavian early-years education. Its practical expression is concrete: children use tools to make toys, grow vegetables and regularly build shelters. These are activities with a purpose, giving children something to plan, make and revisit.

Dedicated numeracy and literacy zones sit among the outdoor learning areas. Small-world equipment is also part of the provision, so imaginative play can draw on both familiar toys and the natural surroundings. The appeal is the connection between different experiences: making something, talking about it and trying out an idea can belong to the same piece of play.

In January 2025, children helped construct tepees and willow enclosures, then used the hides they had made to watch birds. They identified robins, sparrows and blackbirds and marked their sightings on a list. The activity combined building, observation and language around a real task, rather than separating each into an unrelated exercise.

Children's ideas shaped play that January too. A group working with play dough chose to take it to the mud kitchen to continue their pretend baking. Staff listened and helped them pursue the idea. That example gives parents a useful picture of child-led learning here: children could change the direction of an activity, with adults supporting the conversation and practical next steps.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Yurt is insulated and heated throughout the year, with toys and equipment for indoor learning. It is a practical counterpart to the outdoor areas. In January 2025, staff noticed children becoming cold and moved a group activity into the yurt, adapting the day to their comfort rather than persisting outside.

Regular outings to farms and other local attractions extend exploration beyond the site. The pre-school also draws on Forest Schools expertise, using nature-based activities to encourage children's imagination. The emphasis remains on what children do: explore, make and play outdoors.

In January 2025, the firepit provided another shared experience. Children waited on a log for their turn to collect a snack and moved carefully around its edge, while staff followed the same expectations. Conversation covered the cooking and the direction of the smoke. For families attracted to practical outdoor learning, this is an example of how everyday experiences carried both discussion and clear boundaries.

At the January 2025 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and exceptional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including early identification of possible delays, specialist advice, individual support plans, timely referrals and additional funding for resources. The useful detail for parents is the sequence of support: recognising a need led to work with families and professionals, with resources selected for the child.

Communication also had a practical form in January 2025. Staff kept parents informed about children's development and activities, and offered ideas and resources to continue learning at home. Children could borrow books they enjoyed at the setting to share with their families. This made the connection between home and pre-school tangible, rather than relying only on updates about what had happened.

Books, songs and conversation were woven into activities that January. When children made bird feeders, staff introduced descriptive language and discussed why sticky lard helped hold the ingredients together. Vocabulary arose from something children were handling and investigating. The combination of adult conversation and practical activity is a useful part of the setting's character for parents weighing an outdoor-led approach.

Sessions and Attendance

Pillarwood Farm Pre-School is at 4 Main Street, Edenham, Lincolnshire, PE10 0LL. Enquiries can be made by telephone on 01778 591399 or through the contact form; tours can be arranged.

In January 2025, sessions ran from 8.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday, during school term time. That dated pattern is relevant to families planning care around the school calendar. Holiday Clubs are a separate offer for children aged 3 to 10, with outdoor activities during school holidays; their dates and venues vary.

Funding and Paid Extras

In January 2025, the pre-school offered funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Families comparing funded attendance with their wider childcare needs should consider the session pattern alongside the costs covered by their arrangement.

• Outdoor learning in changing weather. The heated Yurt provides an indoor base, while making, growing and shelter-building are part of the outdoor offer. During a tour, discuss how the balance works for your child's comfort and interests.
• The attendance pattern. January 2025 sessions were Monday to Thursday in term time; Holiday Clubs have varying dates and venues. Check that your intended booking fits the pattern of care your family needs.
• Funding and everyday supplies. Funded early education was offered in January 2025. Before committing, ask for a written breakdown covering funded attendance, meals, snacks and non-food consumables.

Pillarwood Farm Pre-School suits families seeking an outdoor-led pre-school experience, where building shelters, growing vegetables and imaginative play have a substantial role. The heated Yurt gives that approach a practical indoor base. Its Outstanding January 2025 judgement adds weight, with concrete examples of children's ideas being taken seriously and support tailored to individual needs.

The strongest reason to choose it is the nature of the day. For a child who enjoys making and exploring, the combination of outdoor tasks, conversation and familiar play equipment has a clear appeal. The dated term-time session pattern and separate Holiday Clubs should be weighed as different arrangements, with the pre-school experience itself leading the decision.