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Forest School For Life

Ofsted: Good
(Jan 2025)
·
5.0(7 parent reviews) ·Silfield Street, Silfield, Wymondham, NR18 9NL · Norfolk
Number of places
33 places
Age range
1–5 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2025
Local authority
Norfolk

About this day nursery

Forest School for Life offers a unique educational experience for children from 6 months up to 14 years, fostering confident and globally-aware individuals through an immersive forest school approach. Located on a vast 20-acre site, the nursery integrates environmental responsibility into its core curriculum, encouraging eco-friendly practices and wildlife restoration.

Their innovative "Bigger Than Us" concept inspires children to explore, create, and contribute positively to the world. By combining the six principles of Forest School with the seven EYFS areas of learning, they cultivate a rich environment that nurtures curiosity, courage, and compassion.

The child-led approach helps young learners develop resilience, emotional intelligence, and physical strength, allowing them to truly express themselves. The nursery emphasises the lasting impact of nature on a child’s development, promising a warm and belonging-rich space where children can thrive, feel safe, and grow into kind-hearted individuals with a deep connection to the natural world.

Our ethos

Forest School for Life integrates environmental responsibility and the principles of Forest School with the seven EYFS areas of learning. They employ a child-led approach inspired by their "Bigger Than Us" concept to cultivate curiosity, courage, compassion, resilience, and emotional intelligence, aiming to foster confident, globally-aware individuals with a deep connection to the natural world.

What it's like

Children are warmly greeted upon arrival and spend time outdoors in a secure base camp area, with covered areas and a wooden structure for inclement weather. Staff are calm and supportive, encouraging good behaviour and emotional development. Babies and toddlers have their care needs met by staff who follow their individual routines.

Forest School education20-acre siteSustainable settingChild-led approachNature-based learning

Pricing & funding

Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

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Key facts

Opening hours

Monday to Thursday, from 8am to 5pm

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2022

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Forest School For Life

Last inspected 8 January 2025 · Dawn Pointer

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good

What it's like to attend

Children are warmly greeted upon arrival and spend time outdoors in a secure base camp area, with covered areas and a wooden structure for inclement weather. Staff are calm and supportive, encouraging good behaviour and emotional development. Babies and toddlers have their care needs met by staff who follow their individual routines.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders use their knowledge and experience to provide a well-planned, natural outdoor learning environment that changes with the seasons.
  • Staff support children to be independent, active, confident and resilient, teaching them how to keep warm and recognise risks.
  • Staff place a strong emphasis on building excellent communication and language skills, using sign language, rich vocabulary, songs, rhymes, and books.
  • Children learn about planting, growing, and harvesting foods, caring for resident chickens, and using their imaginations during woodland and pond explorations.
  • Parents speak very favourably about the setting, receiving broad information and daily feedback, and are encouraged to be involved in their children's learning.

Areas to develop

  • 1strengthen mentoring and coaching, so that all staff are confident to plan, support and extend children's learning, building on what children already know and can do
  • 2support staff to identify the youngest children's emerging learning needs and to focus on giving these children the best opportunities to practise key skills.
Inspection #10382298 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn to use a range of strategies to explore and recognise their own emotions. Staff have a good overview of those children in the setting with SEND. They work closely with parents and other agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to support those children who are slower to speak.

Outdoor space

Children spend time outdoors, mostly within a secure base camp area. In addition, there are covered areas and a large, purpose-provided wooden structure, heated by a wood burner. This is where children can spend time in inclement weather.

Parent Reviews of Forest School For Life

5.0
(7)
Zoe Nicholls
3 years ago

My little girl went to forest school for life from 10 months old until she started school. Now she can't wait to go back in the holidays! She watched and learnt from the bigger ones and now enjoys taking a grown up role helping the younger ones. I would highly recommend Victoria and the team. It's an inviting, warm and caring environment. All the staff passionate and dedicated to their roles. It's an amazing site with so much to explore and learn about. My daughter loved the permaculture area, helping to grow and of course eat the food! We love being part of the forest school family.

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Carla Fricker
3 years ago

From the moment we were welcomed into Forest School For Life by Victoria on an open day we knew we wanted our children to attend. We love everything about it; the setting, the staff, the freedom the children have, the encouragement to explore their surroundings, the wholesome food and even the chickens! The staff are attentive to each child's needs and our child feels very loved by all. I recommend to all our family and friends Victoria and her team as they are so good at what they do and deserve all the success. A very welcoming family and business, which makes leaving your little ones in their hands a little easier. I especially love the holiday clubs which run through the half terms and summer holidays, giving the children a chance to interact with older children, and then in a few years time a chance for our child to return to the school. Thank you to the whole team who are just fantastic, simply can't say enough good things about this place :)

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SJ Hewison
3 years ago

My daughter went to forest school from 11 months old and still goes now age 6 for holiday club during school holidays. We decided to go with Forest School for Life because we wanted somewhere that our daughter could go where she was going to get to be outside for the majority of the day and mix with different ages of children. When we met Victoria the first time, her whole outlook on life and just the easy way in which she was with our daughter added to the appeal. Going back to work was difficult to say the least, but Victoria and her team made it so much more manageable and stress free. Now as a member of holiday club, it takes the stress out of having to take extra holiday or change hours during the half terms and holidays. Plus our daughter gets to meet up with friends that she grew up with but now don't attend the same school. Keeping that bond in a place.

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Polly Ashford
2 years ago

Our daughter has been going to FSL since she was about 8 months old (now 3). It is a unique environment, a world away from mini-school type nurseries. I love that she gets so much fresh air and space, and the ability to experience the seasons changing around her. FSL has a genuine and supportive community, and I highly recommend it!

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mog h
3 years ago

This is a very special forest school family set in a very special location. Every day is filled with fun; learning about nature and developing life-long skills and friendships (that goes for the parents/caregivers and children!). We are lucky to have been a part of this family for a few years and this is quite simply the best choice you could make for your young one’s start in life.

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Forest School For Life. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Most recent inspection

8 January 2025

Good

Only one graded inspection on record — a trend chart will appear here once a second graded report is published.

View full Ofsted report

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