Colourbox, Redwoods Forest School

Walled gardens, a hobbit house and lunch cooked on a wood-burning stove give Redwoods a clear identity: outdoor learning shapes the day here. Within Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds, Forest School and Montessori combine practical exploration with opportunities for children to choose their own activities. The shelters matter too. A log cabin and bell tent give this outdoor setting somewhere to retreat in cold or wet weather.

At its 4 December 2024 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding and found safeguarding effective. The strongest practical examples from that visit were children investigating wildlife, tackling problems through play and learning how to handle tools safely. These are useful details for parents weighing what an outdoor education actually involves.

Colourbox, Redwoods Forest School has 30 places in total and accepts children aged 30 to 60 months. Opening hours vary across the week, with later closing on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Learning and Activities

Forest School means learning through outdoor exploration here, while Montessori adds hands-on activity and self-directed choices. The combination has concrete expression: children can build, garden, investigate wildlife and experiment with natural materials. This is a setting for families who want the outdoors to supply much of the material for their child's learning.

The early years foundation stage sets the requirements for children's learning, development and care, including learning through play. Forest School and Montessori sit alongside that framework. They shape how children experience the day rather than replacing its educational requirements.

In December 2024, staff used butterfly species names to extend children's vocabulary and invited children to act out parts of familiar stories. Language had a practical purpose: children were learning to describe what they encountered and to take an active part in storytelling. Naming a butterfly precisely makes an ordinary wildlife encounter an opportunity to learn something new.

Mathematics also appeared in everyday play that December. Children counted animal tracks and considered how the marks differed, including why a snake would leave no digits. When children joined or left a group, staff encouraged addition and subtraction. Questions prompted children to work towards their own answers, giving counting and reasoning a purpose beyond a separate maths activity.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed gardens are for the nursery's sole use, with walls on three sides, fencing along the boundary and two gated entrances. Within them, the maize maze, mud pool and construction areas offer different ways to explore and move. Den-building and gardening add practical tasks that children can help shape, rather than simply equipment to use.

A log cabin, hobbit house and bell tent provide weather shelters. Children spend time outdoors across the seasons, including eating lunch and taking naps in the fresh air. For parents, the important distinction is that outside time extends into ordinary routines as well as play. Outdoor living is part of the offer.

Nowton Park supplies further material for daily forest adventures: ponds, wildflower meadows, bird-feeding stations and collections of trees from around the world. Pond-dipping brings children close to another habitat, while growing plants and identifying wildlife connect their activities with changes in the natural world.

In December 2024, the mud kitchen gave children opportunities to choose plants for their mixtures and practise controlled pouring. During another activity, children worked with staff to cut wood using a bow saw, discussing the blade and where to hold the tool. These examples show the practical meaning of taking safe risks: the activity included thinking about how to carry it out safely.

Relationships and Communication

Blossom, the group-wide digital system for recording children's development, connects nursery experiences with home. Daily highlights reach parents' devices, and families can contribute observations of their own. That gives parents something concrete to discuss with their child and lets them share learning that happens away from nursery.

In December 2024, staff knew children's interests and used repetition to revisit learning. Parents received accounts of the day alongside developmental reports. The combination matters: an activity update tells families what happened, while a developmental account helps explain what their child is learning through it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Children help prepare lunch, which is cooked on the wood-burning stove; nursery chefs prepare fresh meals using seasonal ingredients, with menus adapted to children's dietary needs where necessary. Food preparation therefore forms part of the children's practical experience as well as their daily care.

In December 2024, lunch involved shared dishes placed centrally, with children using utensils to serve themselves. It was an opportunity to practise independence in a social setting. The same emphasis on doing things for themselves appeared in play, where the layout allowed children to choose where to spend their time.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Nowton Park Centre, Bury Road, Nowton, Bury St. Edmunds, IP29 5BD. Redwoods opens from 8.00am to 5.15pm on Monday and Wednesday, and from 8.45am to 4.15pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The different closing times deserve attention when planning a working week: the later finish applies on two named days.

Enquiries can be made by telephone on 07871 349920 or by email at colourboxmontessori@gmail.com. The branch also has an enquiry form. These routes provide a direct way to contact the Redwoods team.

Getting There

For driving, the nursery entrance is through the Blue Gate, the first entrance after the park's main public gates; parking for collection and drop-off is at the Ranger’s Station. Bikes can be secured while collecting or dropping off children, but cannot be stored there.

The 753 Bus runs from The Arc Shopping Centre towards Nowton Park. This gives families a named public-transport option to consider alongside driving or cycling.

• Outdoor routines. Children eat, explore and nap outside across the seasons, with a log cabin, hobbit house and bell tent for shelter. On a visit, discuss how clothing and rest arrangements would work for your child.
• Different closing times. Monday and Wednesday finish at 5.15pm; the other weekdays finish at 4.15pm. Match collection plans to each day rather than assuming one timetable covers the week.
• The complete attendance cost. Before choosing a booking pattern, request a written quotation setting out funded hours, private hours and any meal or consumables charges. This makes the cost of the proposed arrangement clear.

Redwoods suits families seeking a preschool experience built around nature, practical tasks and children's choices. The walled gardens and weather shelters give that approach a physical home; daily forest adventures take learning into Nowton Park itself. Its December 2024 Outstanding judgement adds weight to the choice, while the examples of counting tracks, serving lunch and discussing tool safety make the educational approach easier to understand.

The decision turns on the fit between this outdoor day and your child's preferences, together with the weekday opening timetable. For families who value gardening, wildlife and hands-on exploration, there is a clear reason to consider Redwoods.