Dunkys Forest School, Gullivers

Woodland is the learning space here: bell tents, canopies and natural materials shape a nursery day in the grounds of Gulliver’s World Theme Park. Dunkys Forest School, Gullivers takes children aged 2 to 5, making it a choice for families seeking outdoor early education rather than baby care. Its character is clear. Nature supplies both the setting and much of the material children learn with.

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted awarded Strong standard across achievement, behaviour and routines, welfare and wellbeing, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance, with safeguarding standards met. Those judgements cover the substance of nursery life, from learning to daily care.

The setting has 97 places in total. That is whole-setting capacity, rather than the size of a child's daily group.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play, communication and physical development into the nursery day. Woodland learning sits alongside that framework. It gives children practical things to investigate, compare and talk about.

In the Moment Planning is Dunky’s group-wide approach to using children's interests as the starting point for learning. At Gullivers, the curriculum follows the individual child rather than treating every interest as a passing distraction. A discovery outdoors can become the basis for the next conversation or activity.

For older children, Forest Schools adds supervised outdoor exploration, including opportunities to handle tools and contribute to making a fire for warmth and cooking. The emphasis is on understanding what might happen and taking considered risks with adult support. For parents, that is a substantial part of the offer: children have opportunities to practise judgement as well as learn about nature.

In June 2026, mathematical activities used woodland materials. Tree rings brought number and age together; petals made symmetry tangible, and sticks turned differences in length into a practical comparison. These were concrete encounters with measurement, pattern and number, giving abstract ideas something children could handle and examine.

Language was similarly linked to immediate experience that month. Staff used sightings of a blue tit and a blackbird to invite comparisons, while discussions about an octagon connected the word to familiar objects. Books about life cycles were revisited alongside children's experiences. The interest lay in helping children explain an idea, rather than simply remember a new word.

Outdoor and Community Life

Bell tents and canopies structure the woodland setting, while weather and sounds become material for outdoor learning.

In June 2026, the fairy garden and sheltered bell tents were places for shared activities and conversation. The mud kitchen supported imaginative cooking, while children searched the bug hotel for small creatures. These spaces gave different kinds of play a place: making, pretending, observing and discussing.

Responsibilities also formed part of the day at that time. Children could choose jobs involving a safety walk with staff or take a turn as eco-champion. Other roles included leading a nature walk and bird watch. Such tasks give children something useful to contribute, rather than leaving every decision and responsibility with an adult.

Relationships and Communication

In June 2026, settling sessions were adjusted to individual needs, with parents involved in deciding the approach. Staff gathered information through conversations with families before children started. That makes the settling process about understanding a particular child, rather than expecting every family to follow an identical timetable.

Home routines mattered in daily care that month. Staff worked with parents on consistency and followed children's sleep patterns. For a child who still needs daytime rest, continuity between home and nursery is a practical consideration, even in a setting whose main character is outdoor activity.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its June 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that children, including those with SEND and those facing disadvantage, made rapid progress, supported by an adapted curriculum, individual learning plans and work with professionals such as speech and language therapists. The practical mechanisms matter: plans set short-term targets, and families discussed them at regular meetings.

In June 2026, staff used visual cues, repeated language and key words to help children understand routines and communicate. Children also had quiet, comfortable spaces where they could pause and return to play when ready. This combines practical communication support with room to manage feelings.

Personal care was woven into ordinary activities that month. Children washed hands after using the toilet and after making bird feeders; younger children cleaned dishes and connected the task with helping at home. At lunchtime, routines included toothbrushing and putting food scraps into compost. Independence was practised through repeated actions, rather than left as a broad aspiration.

Preparation for moving on also included sharing information with other settings in June 2026. Families and professionals worked together around children's next stage of learning, keeping individual support needs part of the transition.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Those closures are relevant for families planning continuous childcare around work.

Getting There

The address is Gullivers World Ltd, Old Hall, Warrington, WA5 9YZ, with the nursery entrance accessed from the theme park's main car park. The branch contact is 01925 594680 or gullivers@dunkysdaynursery.co.uk.

• An outdoor day. Woodland exploration, supervised tool use and fire-making are part of the Forest Schools offer for older children. On a visit, discuss how clothing, shelter and rest fit your child's needs throughout the seasons.
• Settling and additional support. In June 2026, settling was tailored with parents, and individual learning plans set short-term targets. A visit is a useful opportunity to discuss how those arrangements would work for your child.
• The weekly childcare plan. The nursery opens from 8am to 5pm and closes for bank holidays and a Christmas week. Ask for a written quotation covering your intended attendance, funded hours, meals and consumables before committing.

Gullivers suits families with children aged 2 to 5 who want woodland exploration to shape early education, and whose childcare needs fit the 8am to 5pm opening window. Its strongest appeal is concrete: natural materials for mathematics, outdoor discoveries for conversation and supervised responsibilities that give children an active role in their day.

The June 2026 findings add weight to that character, with practical support for communication, individual needs and settling. This is a setting to consider for its outdoor learning model and the detail of its care, with the child's comfort in that model central to the decision.