Forest Footsteps Childcare, Romsey Abbey

School woodland gives Forest Footsteps Childcare, Romsey Abbey its strongest practical asset: space for children to explore nature alongside a permanent outdoor area. Forest School adds child-led exploration in a natural setting, with time to investigate and try things for themselves. This is an outdoor emphasis with somewhere concrete to happen.

Based at Romsey Abbey C of E Primary School on Church Lane, the nursery caters for children aged two to five and has 24 places in total. At its July 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good, with strengths in language development and learning shaped around children's interests, alongside improvements needed in group story times and creative activities.

Attendance is term-time only, with flexible hours and shift-pattern contracts offered. That combination makes the nursery relevant to families whose childcare needs follow the school calendar but whose working hours vary.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage connects children's learning, development and care. Here, in July 2023, that meant practising communication through conversations and signing, developing literacy through books, and learning to cooperate through imaginative play. It is the common framework for early years provision; Forest School adds an outdoor, child-led approach here rather than replacing it.

In July 2023, staff adapted learning to children's existing knowledge, interests and assessments. A paint-mixing activity illustrates the approach: children proposed how to create brown, and adults followed their suggestion rather than immediately supplying an answer. The value lies in giving children room to test an idea and explain their thinking.

Language work was also concrete in July 2023. Small-group conversations included discussions about holidays and Makaton signing, giving children opportunities to communicate through speech and signs. Books were accessible outdoors as well as inside, while a lending library extended reading into family life. Those are useful connections between nursery experiences and conversations at home.

Imaginative play drew on familiar experiences. In July 2023, children acted out Christmas Eve, assigned family roles and turned available resources into presents. The activity brought cooperation and storytelling together, with children taking family roles and using resources as presents.

Outdoor and Community Life

Romsey's Forest School sessions use the primary school's woodland areas. The permanent outdoor area provides another setting for outdoor learning, so woodland exploration has a physical base alongside the nursery's other activities.

In July 2023, children searched for bugs, examined their finds through magnifying glasses and discussed them with staff. Children also helped mark the woodland boundary with cones and could explain where exploration was permitted. This paired investigation with an understandable limit: children had freedom to explore within a defined area.

The same dated account gives an important qualification to the creative offer. During some drawing activities, adults did too little to encourage children's independent ideas. Parents choosing the nursery for child-led learning should weigh that finding alongside the stronger examples of exploration and imaginative play.

Relationships and Communication

In July 2023, staff helped children settle and worked with parents to understand individual needs. Photographs shared through an online portal gave families something specific to discuss with their children afterwards. That makes communication useful beyond a general account of how the day went: a photograph can prompt a child to explain an activity or recall an experience.

A designated safeguarding lead role and a SENCO role form part of the Romsey staffing structure. At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and judged that work with other professionals, together with targeted use of funding, supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Practical independence featured in the July 2023 nursery day. A snuffle station combined tissues, a mirror and a bin, and children understood that handwashing followed nose-blowing. Handwashing also formed part of routines around outdoor play, toileting and meals. The physical arrangement made a small self-care task something children could practise themselves.

Partnership work with local schools and preschools supported transitions in July 2023. This concerned continuity in children's development and the move to their next stage of learning. It should be understood separately from the decision about a Reception place.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, during term time. Flexible hours, term-time contracts and shift patterns are offered; the opening window describes when the nursery operates rather than a fixed session that every family must book.

Romsey enquiries have a dedicated email address, forestfootstepsromsey@outlook.com, and the contact form lets families identify Romsey Abbey as their chosen setting. This keeps the enquiry attached to the correct branch.

Getting There

The address is Romsey Abbey C of E Primary School, Church Lane, Romsey, SO51 8EP. Being based at the school does not guarantee a Reception place: families still apply through the local authority admissions process.

Funding and Paid Extras

In July 2023, the nursery provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

• Group story times. In July 2023, gathering all children for a story between play and lunch left some disengaged. On a visit, ask how story groups and that transition now work.
• Independent creativity. Some drawing activities in July 2023 gave children too little encouragement to develop their own ideas. Ask for a current example of how adults support an activity without deciding its outcome.
• School-calendar care. Romsey is term-time only, despite offering flexible hours and welcoming shift patterns. Families needing childcare during school holidays will need to plan for that different calendar.

Forest Footsteps Childcare, Romsey Abbey suits families seeking either flexible-hour attendance or a term-time contract arranged around shift patterns, with woodland learning an important part of the choice. Its permanent outdoor area and access to school woodland give that emphasis substance.

The July 2023 findings add useful detail: small-group language work, imaginative play and practical self-care sat alongside weaknesses in larger story groups and some creative activities. The balance favours families who value outdoor exploration and small-group communication, while the story-time and drawing findings qualify the picture of child-led learning.