Sunny Days at Brook

Woodland across the playground gives Sunny Days at Brook its defining character: Forest School, an approach built around outdoor exploration and practical play, sits alongside an indoor classroom at Pirrie Hall. Children can work with natural materials, explore the woods and return indoors for quieter activities. This is preschool provision with a substantial outdoor element.

There are 20 places in total, for children aged 34 to 60 months. At its November 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged inclusion to be a Strong standard, the other evaluated areas to meet the Expected standard, and safeguarding standards to be met. Those judgements support a measured assessment: inclusion is the clearest strength, while teaching interactions and the consistency of staff practice need further attention.

Attendance can combine flexible hourly bookings with year-round or term-time contracts. The practical attraction is the combination of that choice and woodland learning on site, rather than an occasional excursion elsewhere.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning and care: play, conversation, physical activity and creative work help children develop communication, early literacy, mathematical understanding and independence. Forest School adds a concrete outdoor setting for those experiences. Number work can involve shapes in trees; creative work can use collected materials; stories can be shared on a log.

An indoor classroom continues the nature theme, while a playground connects it with the outdoor classroom. Outdoor activities take place in different weather conditions when safe, with indoor space providing an alternative when conditions prevent outdoor play. Families choosing this setting should expect nature to shape the day, alongside opportunities to play and learn inside.

Specific examples show how that works. In October 2024, Leaf Man prompted a search for leaves and subsequent artwork. Children threaded leaves into garlands, compared their shapes and sizes, and used small hammers to release leaves frozen in ice. A book became the starting point for observation, hand control and practical investigation.

That same month, a temporary classroom shop brought maths and writing into pretend play. Children handled vegetables, used coins and made shopping lists and receipts. Their shopping games then continued outdoors using natural materials. The connection between the two classrooms matters: interests could continue in another setting rather than stop at the door.

Outdoor and Community Life

Climbing, den-making and exploration feature in the woodland offer. In May 2025, physical activities included football on the field, throwing at targets and obstacle courses; a guttering system also gave children opportunities to experiment with moving water. These examples offer a more useful picture than a general promise of outdoor learning: children had space to move, materials to manipulate and practical problems to solve.

In November 2025, children climbed trees, crossed logs and explored muddy slopes during daily woodland visits. Staff used container play to introduce ideas about quantity and weight, and leaf comparisons to bring mathematical language into play. However, some practitioners missed chances to develop learning further when opportunities arose spontaneously. Outdoor space supplies the possibilities; adult interaction determines how much children gain from them.

Relationships and Communication

In November 2025, key persons knew children's individual learning priorities, and families had development meetings, daily conversations and access to a lending library. Taking books home connected nursery experiences with family reading. Detailed exchanges about changing needs also helped staff adjust care during the day.

A practical response to difficult changes in routine was a holding tray: children could leave an activity there and return to it later. That made a transition less final for a child who found stopping hard. Staff responded sensitively to disagreements, although they did not consistently help children think through how their behaviour affected someone else's feelings.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2025 inspection, Ofsted found that personalised plans, prompt work with external professionals and targeted activities supported children's attention, communication and social interaction effectively. Additional funding was used for extra staffing, and strategies were reviewed as children's needs changed. For families whose child needs support, the useful detail is the combination of individual planning, professional involvement and adjustment over time.

In November 2025, personal-care routines included handwashing and learning to manage runny noses, while outdoor play gave children daily exercise. School preparation included adapting group routines so children who needed more time could participate. Alongside this, the nursery supports families with school applications and organises transition events, helping parents and children prepare for the next stage.

Breakfast, cooked lunches and dinners are provided, with fruit offered in the morning and a savoury snack later in the day. Options for different diets are also offered.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Pirrie Hall, Haslemere Road, Brook, Godalming, GU8 5UJ. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks of the year, with closure on bank holidays and for a week at Christmas.

Full-day care runs from 7.30am to 6pm, and flexible hourly bookings have a six-hour daily minimum. Term-time and holiday-only contracts are also offered. This gives families different ways to organise attendance, while the minimum booking length remains an important part of planning a shorter day.

Subject to availability, the nursery accommodates up to two swap days each year and additional ad-hoc days. Enquiries and visit arrangements can be made through the contact form, by telephone or by email; enrolment takes place throughout the year.

Getting There

Pirrie Hall is on the A286, between Haslemere and Godalming. The Forest School space is across the playground, with wider woodland also on site, so outdoor learning does not depend on travelling to another venue.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Years Funding is accepted, alongside Tax-Free Childcare. Private childcare is charged by the hour, and funded hours carry a separate consumables and Forest School charge. Families comparing a funded contract with privately paid hours should account for that additional charge rather than treating the two arrangements as identical.

Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The curriculum and fee structure explains the hourly booking approach and its daily minimum.

• Outdoor rhythm. Forest School is described as continuous provision, while another account describes two or three planned outdoor periods each day. Ask during a visit how child-chosen outdoor play and planned sessions fit together, especially in colder weather.
• Teaching consistency. In November 2025, some learning opportunities were missed, and leaders needed closer monitoring of how staff applied training. Ask how observation and coaching now strengthen everyday interactions, including conversations after disagreements.
• Attendance and funded extras. Flexible bookings have a six-hour daily minimum, and funded hours attract a consumables and Forest School charge. Discuss how those terms apply to the attendance pattern you want before agreeing a contract.

Sunny Days at Brook suits families seeking woodland-based preschool experiences through flexible hourly attendance or term-time contracts, as well as year-round full-day care. The connected indoor and outdoor spaces give that offer substance, and the November 2025 inclusion judgement is a meaningful strength for families considering individual support.

The qualification is teaching consistency. Practical outdoor experiences are plentiful, but the next step is making fuller use of children's questions, discoveries and social encounters. Choose it for the daily relationship with nature and the attendance choices, with a clear discussion about how staff practice has developed.