Into the Ark Forest School Scarisbrick

Twenty acres of private woodland make outdoor life the substance of Into the Ark Forest School Scarisbrick. Children build with natural materials, practise using tools and return to familiar woodland spots as the seasons change. This is a fully outdoor nursery, with the practical demands that brings for children and their families.

At its November 2023 inspection, Ofsted graded the setting Good and judged safeguarding effective. It has 20 places in total. The nursery accepts children aged 3 to 5, with some younger starters whose third birthday falls within the first term.

Camp Beechwood is the nursery's base. Full-day attendance runs during term time, with a minimum booking of two days. The strongest reason to choose it is the particular kind of childhood it offers: time to investigate woodland, make things from what children find and develop familiarity with an outdoor environment.

Rooms and Ages

Camp Beechwood is the base for preschool sessions. Woodland camps contain dens, ladders and balance beams built with children's involvement, combining places for imaginative play with physical challenges.

The fire circle brings children together for stories, cooking, snacks and lunch. These familiar routines provide shared meeting points within the child-led day.

Learning and Activities

The EYFS provides the framework for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play. Forest School adds practical woodland experiences here: using tools, tending animals, building structures and learning about nature. Children learn to whittle, work with a hammer and cut saplings with secateurs, with instruction in safe tool use.

Natural materials supply much of the play equipment. Children use sticks for imaginative play, search for insects, invent mixtures and investigate seasonal changes, with adults supporting their interests.

In November 2023, older children made a mudslide from wood while toddlers created things with twigs and twine. Other activities connected hand control with early writing: cutting leaves and twigs, then making marks in mud and clay. These examples show how outdoor play can carry specific learning, rather than simply filling time outside.

In November 2023, younger children brought books to staff and pointed to illustrations during shared reading. Stories and conversation complemented the climbing and building.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children revisit familiar woodland sites through the seasons, following changes over time and learning to care for their surroundings.

In November 2023, children cared for chickens and ponies and learned about seasonal changes. Physical play included getting into hammocks, climbing trees and balancing on beams above trenches. Staff also introduced different beliefs and cultures. Woodland experiences sat alongside learning about other people, with care for living things giving children a concrete responsibility.

Relationships and Communication

Positive relationships are part of the nursery day. Staff discuss feelings when situations arise, including talking about helping a friend after a fall. This makes emotional language relevant to something children have just experienced, rather than treating it only as a separate group activity.

In November 2023, children had affectionate relationships with staff, and adults helped younger children share and take turns. Staff also gave parents detailed explanations of children's learning and development, helping families continue that learning at home. For an outdoor setting with considerable child-led activity, those explanations make the purpose of the day easier for parents to understand.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the November 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities received individual support plans, with external agencies helping staff identify needs and guide support, and made good progress alongside other children. The important mechanism was tailored support, rather than an assumption that woodland provision would suit every child in the same way.

Safety and exploration were connected in November 2023. Staff assessed risks daily, established woodland boundaries and taught children rules for the firepit and wood-cutting tools. Children were encouraged to attempt manageable challenges. The practical question for families is how adults judge an individual child's readiness for each activity.

Staff development was the improvement priority in November 2023. Supervision took place, but it needed a clearer emphasis on improving individual practitioners' interactions and their delivery of the intended learning. That is a substantive point beneath the Good judgement: an appealing environment still depends on the quality of the conversations and support within it.

Preparation begins before a child starts. Families are encouraged to build up outdoor time gradually, including in wet and cold weather. The clothing requirements are substantial: waterproof dungarees and a coat, warm layers, suitable footwear and spare clothes. Children who are not dressed for the conditions cannot join the woodland activities. This is a practical commitment, not simply a preference for occasional outdoor play.

Sessions and Attendance

The setting is at Dam Wood, Dam Lane, Hall Road, Scarisbrick, L40 9QD. Nursery opening hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday, and the programme runs for 38 weeks. It follows West Lancashire term dates.

Bookings are for full days, with at least two days' attendance requested; half-day sessions are not offered. There is one September intake each year. Children generally start in the September after turning 3, with an early-start exception for children turning 3 before December. The distinction matters when matching a child's birthday to the intended start year.

The nursery operates a waiting-list and allocation process. Joining the list does not secure a place, and siblings of former attendees have first refusal. Following an offer, the deposit and funding agreement are due within two weeks; the deposit is non-refundable if the family chooses not to take up the place. Email is the preferred enquiry route because answering telephone enquiries is difficult during the working day.

Strong winds can interrupt attendance. When winds above 40mph are forecast, the nursery may close at short notice or use an indoor venue in Newburgh if that venue is available. Families need a workable contingency for those days. Fees remain payable when the setting closes for reasons outside its control.

Funding and Paid Extras

Eligible families can use the 2 year or 3-4 year funding entitlements, covering 15 or 30 hours, for the childcare element. Funding is used during term time: 15 hours cover two days and 30 hours cover four days. Funded hours can also be divided between this setting and another provider.

A separate Forest School activity payment covers the woodland element, including specialist equipment, tool activities, fires and animal care. It also applies to funded attendance, so funded childcare does not cover the entire arrangement. Privately paid sessions and additional hours are offered too. Current prices should come in the nursery's written quotation; the term dates and fees page explains the payment structure.

Fees are paid monthly in advance across 12 months despite term-time attendance. Tax Free Childcare and childcare vouchers are accepted.

• A woodland day in every season. Waterproof clothing and spare layers are required, and children without suitable clothing cannot take part. At a visit, ask how the day is adapted when your child is cold, tired or reluctant to continue outdoors.
• Weather disruption. Winds above 40mph can lead to a short-notice closure, with the Newburgh alternative dependent on availability. Ask how families are notified and how collection works when the alternative venue is used.
• Funding plus a separate activity charge. The Forest School payment sits alongside funded childcare, and a declined place means losing the deposit. Obtain a written breakdown of the proposed attendance pattern, including meal arrangements and any charges or parent-supplied items for meals and non-food consumables.
• Adult support within child-led play. Staff supervision needed a sharper emphasis on interactions in November 2023. Ask how practitioners now extend children's ideas and adapt support for an individual child's needs.

Into the Ark suits families who actively want a fully outdoor preschool experience and can sustain the clothing, weather and term-time commitments it requires. Its woodland structures, fire circle and practical tool work give that choice clear substance. The November 2023 Good judgement provides a dated quality assessment, alongside a specific staff-development priority.

The attendance model accommodates both a two-day nursery pattern and four-day attendance using eligible 30-hour funding, with a separate Forest School charge in either case. Children whose interests are sparked by building, climbing and investigating nature have plenty to engage with here. For parents, the decisive fit is whether that child-led woodland day matches their child's needs and the family's weekly routine.