Forest School Nurseries in Corsham, Wiltshire and Monkton Farleigh, Wiltshire (near Bath, Somerset)
Woodland Adventurers’ outdoor kindergarten, an outdoor preschool nursery located in Box, Corsham in Wiltshire has been graded as “outstanding” in their first Ofsted inspection.
At Woodland Adventurers, children from the age of 3 years spend all their time learning in the outdoors, in all weathers; taking a more Scandinavian-style approach to education. Children have 4 acres of woodland to learn and play in where they have campfires, use tools and feed farm animals, as well as go for hikes in the local countryside. The Ofsted report is glowing with positivity throughout, such as “all children make substantial and sustained progress consistently in all areas of learning” and “children’s physical health and emotional well-being benefit greatly from the opportunity to learn in the open air with a range of natural materials and outdoor experiences”. Chris Harvey (Director) is delighted with the “outstanding” result and is keen to recognize that this outcome is the result of a highly dedicated team who are all passionate about making a positive contribution to children’s lives through connecting them with real experiences in the natural world “it is overwhelming to achieve the result that the whole team deserve through their hard work and dedication, as well as their attention to detail in striving for excellence. Our team is proving that children’s happiness and learning thrives in leaps and bounds when they are immersed in nature”. For more information visit: http://www.woodlandadventurers.org Woodland Adventurers Holiday ClubWoodland Adventurers® runs a holiday club during most school holidays. These are held at our site in Box, Corsham, Wiltshire (between Bath and Chippenham). Activities include den building, camp fires, team games, hiking, outdoor play and more. The sessions are aimed at providing exciting and fun outdoor activities in woodland and countryside for children from 3 to 11 years.  Woodland Adventurers takes an inclusive approach where all children are encouraged to play together and support each other, big and small. We love to see children taking a more natural inclusive approach to building friendships and therefore we do not segregate children into age groups like in school - instead children will naturally migrate towards others with similar interests. Some will take a lead and be significant role models, some will look to others for guidance and support - all of which is natural and ok. Kindness, sharing and inclusivity are values that the staff will ensure all children support.
"Outstanding" Ofsted inspection report for Outdoor Kindergarten |
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| On 14th September 2017, Woodland Adventurers Outdoor Kindergarten in Box, Corsham - Wiltshire was inspected by Ofsted and we are delighted to confirm that Ofsted determined that our Outdoor Kindergarten was "OUTSTANDING". A massive congratulations to the amazing team onsite - Claire, Diane, Rosie and Beth. A copy of the report can be found here: |  Ofsted OUTSTANDING |
| ofsted_report_for_woodland_adventurers_box_corsham_ey488277__1.pdf |
Excerpts from the Ofsted inspection report are here:
This provision is outstanding
What the setting needs to do to improve further
Inspection findings
- The provider and staff team are highly committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for children. Rigorous self-evaluation leads to precise plans for improvement. Leaders meticulously analyse information about children's achievements to ensure high levels of achievement for every child.
- Leaders and staff establish extremely successful partnerships with parents. They involve them in all aspects of their children's learning. For example, staff provide parents with detailed observation and assessment information about their children's development. This helps parents to have an excellent understanding of their progress.
- Staff support children incredibly well to ensure their ideas are taken into account. For instance, children have an exceptionally strong voice, with their views sought through 'thinking time' sessions for them to make decisions, or share their thoughts and ideas.
- Observation, planning and assessment processes are exceptionally rigorous. Staff know the children remarkably well and plan activities from their immediate interests. They are skilled in knowing how children learn best, in order to challenge and extend their learning.
- Children behave exceptionally well. Staff support children to develop a superb understanding of how to keep themselves safe through the positive reinforcement of expected behaviours. For example, children listen intently and gain a remarkable understanding of the safety rules for the outdoor setting.
What the setting needs to do to improve further
- To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should: continue to enhance opportunities for children to develop their understanding of technology.
Inspection findings
- Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding. Safeguarding is effective. The provider and staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding procedures and what to do to help protect children from harm. The provider has rigorous recruitment and induction procedures to help ensure the continued suitability of staff. The well-qualified staff work superbly well as a team and are motivated to continue with their professional development. For example, they have shared their ideas from training to implement excellent standards throughout the environment, which motivates children to explore, discover and learn. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported incredibly well through superb partnerships with parents and professionals to ensure they reach their full potential.
- Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. Staff have extremely high expectations of children and use a variety of methods to identify children's interests, both in the setting and at home, to help plan for their learning. Staff very skilfully inspire children to develop a significant understanding of the world in which they live. For example, they use a globe to travel around the fire pit in order to explain how time passes and the earth moves around the sun. Staff motivate children to develop a love of stories and books, For instance, staff plan very interactive story sessions in the enchanted woodland, using toy characters from well-known storybooks. Children are inspired to initiate imaginative play to re-enact the stories.
- Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding. Children's physical health and emotional well-being benefit greatly from the opportunity to learn in the open air with a range of natural materials and outdoor experiences. Staff support children incredibly well to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they use technology to find out about the sugar content of the food from their lunchboxes. However, staff have identified how they can, on very few occasions, extend the use of technology to enhance children's skills even further. Children are supported extremely well to develop an understanding of growth and change. For example, staff involve parents in sending electronic photographs of children, showing how they have grown from birth, to share with their friends and celebrate special events, such as birthdays.
- Outcomes for children are outstanding. All children make substantial and sustained progress consistently in all areas of learning. They concentrate at an excellent level. Children are exceptionally inquisitive and relish exploring. They use natural features they discover, such as muddy puddles, to experiment with cause and effect. Children are motivated learners. They remain engrossed and engaged in purposeful activities for incredibly long periods. Children are superbly well prepared to develop the skills for future learning and school.
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