Kindling Forest School CIC

Private woods, a tipi for shelter and lunch cooked over a fire give Kindling Forest School CIC a clear identity: outdoor kindergarten where the natural world supplies the setting for learning. Based near Twyford, Winchester, it accepts children aged three to five and has 30 places in total. This is an outdoor choice in every season, rather than an occasional woodland outing.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the setting Outstanding overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail behind that assessment is useful: children investigated plants, made maps, experimented with a pulley and practised negotiating with friends. Nature was connected to language, number and relationships.

Children can attend on one or two days each week, including alongside another nursery or playgroup. That makes Kindling a possible part of a mixed weekly routine.

Learning and Activities

Forest School here means learning and exploration outdoors, in private woodland and through changing weather and seasons. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the educational framework: children develop their communication, early literacy, mathematical understanding and relationships through play and practical experiences. Kindling delivers that learning outside, with a tipi available when shelter is needed.

In June 2023, plant identification involved smell and preparation as well as names. Children distinguished elderflower from hogweed and made drinks using elderflower. Staff also helped them understand which plants to leave alone. The activity connected close observation with useful boundaries, rather than treating knowledge of nature as a collection of labels.

Literacy took several forms that June. Staff used signs encountered during woodland walks, talked with children about marks made using sticks and supported their own signs and treasure maps. Books were part of the day too. For a child who enjoys making or exploring, those examples show how reading and writing can emerge from an activity already holding their attention.

Mathematics was equally practical in June 2023: natural objects prompted comparisons of size, a pulley invited experiments with weight, and number lines supported counting and ordering. Staff adjusted the challenge, extending older children's work into addition and subtraction. The important distinction is the combination of shared activities and different levels of challenge.

Outdoor and Community Life

The woodland supported imaginative play as well as investigation in June 2023. A pirate ship became the starting point for finding a wheel, flags and maps, while staff introduced language about steering. Hammering flowers to make designs developed an existing interest in using tools. These were concrete ways to extend children's play rather than replace it with an unrelated task.

A mud kitchen gave children opportunities to share resources that June, while supervised tree climbing and the fire circle brought physical challenge and boundaries together. The outdoor character therefore involved both freedom to explore and learning how to use the space safely.

During the same period, parents contributed cultural experiences, including cooking chapati over the campfire and discussing Hanukah candles. Books and conversations also explored differences and similarities between people. These examples gave children something tangible to cook, discuss and question.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, including staff knowledge of reporting concerns, attendance checks and rehearsals for emergency evacuation from the woodland. Children also helped mark safe boundaries with flags and took part in assessing risks that June. Safety learning was connected to the environment they were using.

Relationships were visible in small actions in June 2023. Staff responded to considerate behaviour with encouragement; children requested equipment politely and helped friends move heavier objects. The curriculum placed emphasis on accepting others and developing positive relationships. Those examples matter because sharing space and resources is a substantial part of a young child's day.

Staff development that June included learning about brain development and recognising when children might need additional help. A member of The Woodland Trust had also contributed training about the local environment. The two strands connected knowledge of children with knowledge of the woodland in which they learned.

Parent involvement included regular stay-and-play opportunities in June 2023. Staff also worked with other settings children attended, including on preparation for school and additional support. For families combining Kindling with another provider, that coordination is relevant: the child's experiences need to connect across the week.

Sessions and Attendance

Kindergarten sessions run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9.15am until 2.15pm, for children aged three to five. Families can choose attendance on one or two days each week, and some combine it with another setting. These are defined daytime sessions, so their finish time matters when arranging work and care around them.

In June 2023, the setting operated during term time. The kindergarten's term dates include autumn, spring and summer starts. Enquiries and registration are handled by email or telephone, and visits can be arranged by contacting the setting.

Getting There

The address is The Pavilion, Hunter Park, Park Lane, Twyford, Winchester, SO21 1QU. The kindergarten takes place in private woods near Twyford, making the outdoor setting central to the choice of provision.

Funding and Paid Extras

Kindling does not accept government-funded childcare hours; workplace vouchers and tax-free childcare payments are accepted. Private session fees include a morning snack, a hot drink and a lunch prepared over the fire.

A separate registration charge and a separate kit charge apply. The new-starter kit includes a backpack, waterproof clothing, a fleece, gloves and a hat, giving families a defined set of equipment for outdoor attendance.

• An outdoor day in every season. Learning takes place outside in changing weather, with a tipi for shelter. At a visit, explore how your child would manage the outdoor routine and how settling is organised.
• One-day or two-day attendance. Tuesday and Wednesday sessions finish at 2.15pm, and children may attend another setting on other days. Consider how that pattern fits your working week and your child's other care arrangements.
• Private payment and starter charges. Government-funded hours are not accepted, although tax-free childcare payments and workplace vouchers are. Allow for the registration and kit charges as well as ongoing sessions when considering affordability.

Kindling suits families seeking outdoor kindergarten on either one day or two days a week, including those combining it with another nursery or playgroup. Its private woodland, weather-ready kit and fire-cooked lunch give that offer practical substance. The June 2023 examples also show how outdoor experiences supported literacy, mathematics and relationships, rather than standing apart from them.