Free Spirits Education

Nature walks, den building and careful work with clay gave Free Spirits Education a clear outdoor and creative character in June 2024. Based at The Cabin, Norman Court, West Tytherely, it has capacity for 12 children in total.

At its June 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and found safeguarding effective. Children attending at that time were aged 3 to 11: the mixed-age experience was an important part of the setting’s character, rather than an exclusively preschool day.

In June 2024, the Steiner Waldorf-inspired curriculum combined spontaneous outdoor exploration with creative activities. Children painted shells, modelled clay and talked through imaginary potions. These activities gave them material to handle and ideas to explain.

The early years foundation stage sets expectations for children’s learning, development and care; here, its learning areas were explored through practical experiences. In June 2024, natural objects became materials for measuring, sorting and making marks, connecting outdoor interests with early number and literacy skills.

Daily countryside walks brought opportunities to build dens and swing from trees under supervision. Younger children also worked alongside older children, including investigating a brick they discovered in the ground. That mixed-age arrangement gave younger children access to more experienced conversation and shared problem-solving.

Language extended beyond naming objects. In June 2024, staff explained displacement through overflowing water and acted out unfamiliar vocabulary encountered in books. Easter egg hunts explored differences in birds’ egg sizes, adding a wildlife theme to the activity.

In June 2024, adults helped children recognise feelings and find words for them before distress escalated. Staff knew their key children closely, observed their learning and shared updates with families each term, alongside ideas for practice at home.

Family involvement also had a physical expression: parents helped reshape the garden with fruit and vegetable planters. Other families organised a hedgehog release and outings to nearby attractions. These were examples of parents contributing to children’s experiences, rather than simply receiving updates.

The address is The Cabin, Norman Court, West Tytherely, Hampshire SP5 1NH. The setting’s capacity of 12 is a whole-setting limit, not a description of the size of an individual group.

In June 2024, opening hours were 9am to 3pm, Monday to Thursday, across most of the year. Funded early education was offered for children aged three and four at that time. These are dated operating details, rather than a current booking timetable.

• Mixed-age learning. In June 2024, younger children explored and created alongside much older children. At a visit, ask how that arrangement works for your child’s age and interests.
• Wider cultural experiences. The June 2024 improvement priority was to deepen children’s understanding of diversity beyond their immediate communities. Books about different cultures were already part of the provision, but broader exploration needed more development.

Free Spirits Education suits families drawn to outdoor exploration, art and mixed-age company. Its June 2024 experience connected countryside activities with language and early mathematics, while giving parents a practical role in the setting’s life. The balance to weigh is its strong local and nature-based emphasis against the identified need for broader cultural learning.