Day Nurseries Owned by Under the Willow Ltd

One of the most (if not THE most) rewarding parenting decisions we've been able to make. We were lucky to hear about School Outdoors from a parent whose older daughter's confidence my wife saw when in the playground one day and asked where she went to nursery.

Where to start? The staff and management are so dutiful and caring, they genuinely make our daughter feel extremely secure and loved. There has also been minimal staff turnover (certainly no drama) and they deserve huge respect for their skill and dedication to everything required to deliver outdoor education every day whatever the weather.

Our daughter has developed and become noticeably more independent and confident. She can need a bit of a chill on the weekends after a full week at Forest school but that is great (selfishly) in that we don't have a bundle of energy busting to get to the playground first thing. We would highly recommend the benefits of the full 5 days per week and have signed our infant son up too!

A very special nursery - truly excellent staff who are caring, dedicated, positive and thoughtful. Fosters independence in our child alongside a comforting structure and community. Only area we would like to see change is a more accessible route to the site in autumn and winter for grandparents to help with pick ups.

I enrolled my daughter at Under the Willow having been impressed by the reivews and thought it looked nice on the tour. However, when I attended the first settling in hour in the baby room, I found the baby room to have hardly any toys. I understand a lack of toys may be a Monetessori ethos thing but alongside this I found that the staff did not interact with the babies in thier play. The staff seemed over stretched and disconnected from the children. There was one slide in the outdoor area that was closed off. When my daughter showed an interest in it - the slide was opened up but I ended up helping out with keeping the babies safe on it. The other staff members did not help. It was very concerning to me that staff were like this while a parent was present as I wondered what it was like when they were unobserved. There was also an incident where it appeared to me that a crying child was pacified using one of the staff ipads. I would not reccomend this nursery for under 2s

The team has a great understanding of child development, and they engage the children in incredible activities. My little boy loves going to nursery and sometimes even refuses to leave. I can breathe easy knowing he is in kind, nurturing hands with Marta leading the team! We highly recommend this nursery!

Thanks to all the staff for their care and hard work.

Our youngest is currently in the pre-school room and has extra needs. The staff are always so inclusive and really delight in seeing him progress. He always comes out happy after each day and I am reassured in the day with updates and photos through the app. The food is freshly prepared on site, visits are made to forest school regularly and the garden has a lovely atmosphere with many activities for the children. Indoor learning is fun and informative. My son loves to come home with his baking and artwork to show us. We highly recommend this nursery to any new parent!

We've been so happy with our experience at Under the Willow. The staff at this nursery are incredibly caring, with very low turnover, which makes a big difference. The range of activities they offer is amazing - always fun, creative, and often things I'd never think to try at home. The staff truly go the extra mile to make everything feel special, not just for the children but for the parents too, with thoughtful touches like handmade cards for Mother's Day that create lasting memories. The food is freshly prepared on site every day, which gives us real peace of mind. The outdoor space is fantastic, with everything a child could wish for - sandpit, slides, swings, even a little botanical garden. We're constantly impressed by how much effort the staff put in and how much our child learns and grows while having so much fun.

Long story short, this place is great. If we have any more children, we won't hesitate to send them to the School Outdoors. If anything, we wish our little one would never have to leave!

We feel incredibly lucky to be part of this community.

This has been our third nursery for our daughter and by far the best. The site itself is magical and our daughter loves the outdoors but for us, the staff is what has makes it so great. They seem to attract very well qualified and passionate staff, they are all very knowledgeable, patient and excellent with pre-schoolers. In the year that we have been here, there has been no staff changes (apart from maternity cover). We feel that they have really got to know our daughter and supported her development. She loves all of them, which wasn't the case at previous places.

School Outdoors Dulwich has been such a fantastic experience for our son and for us as a family. He is so much more confident since being here, has learnt an appreciation for nature and the outdoors and even picked up some cycling skills! The staff are friendly and nurturing, good communicators and seem to have wonderfully creative ideas to capture the children's imagination. I would thoroughly recommend this to any parent.

It's been a total pleasure to have Under The Willow be such a positive and lasting part of my son's early years education and we will miss them all dearly.

Between our two boys, we have been coming to the nursery for 5 years now, both of them started in the baby room at under a year old and have stayed in the preschool room. It has been a lovely nurturing environment for them to grow up in, and having some of the key members of staff there for the entirety has been key in making them feel safe and secure. We have been really pleased with their development and the way their confidence has grown, the communication from the staff has been good and the extra activities of forest school, football, baking and trips to the park have been great. They have also made some wonderful friends which helped our eldest transition well into school and I hope will be the same for our youngest in September. We would definitely recommend our experience to others.

My son attended for 3 days a week and I am very sad his adventure with the Forrest School is now over. In the era of screens and social media, it is a great alternative for our kids.

The best nursery experience we have ever had as a family. The daily communication and photos from the staff to the parents are brilliant and my son, who is quite clingy, settled easily and now runs in every morning to say hello to everyone. The food is great and they have the perfect balance of learning, exploring and socialising. I honestly could go on and on about how incredible this nursery is! The teachers are experienced and clearly enjoy their work and spending time with the children.

I've been thoroughly impressed with my daughter's experience at the outdoor nursery, especially during the summer months. The setting is perfect for children to explore and learn in the sunshine, surrounded by nature. The variety of activities keeps them engaged and continuously learning in a fun and dynamic way. The staff are exceptional - professional, warm, and genuinely passionate about their roles, which really enhances the children's experience. A highlight was the beautifully organised graduation ceremony for the children leaving in September. It was a touching and memorable event that celebrated their achievements in such a special way. As a parent, I appreciate the nursery's openness and the quality of interactions the staff have with both the children and parents. I highly recommend this nursery for anyone looking for a nurturing and vibrant outdoor learning environment for their child.

Our son joined School Outdoors last year a couple of months after his second birthday, and has absolutely loved it. We were a little nervous about how the winter would go, but it was absolutely fine with the school providing a very clear list on the clothing needed, and once the kids are wrapped up they really enjoy the ability to be outside and play in the mud and rain and to enjoy the sunshine when it does come! Getting involved with such a wide variety of activities such as chopping wood, making fires for cooking on, understanding nature and helping to grow vegetables has helped him to learn a much wider range of skills (as well as the traditional learning of letters/numbers etc.), and he is very proud of telling us what he has been doing at the end of every day. The teachers are excellent, and keep us updated on our son's day via an app with lots of photos. His confidence has really grown over the time he has been there, and we are very pleased with our choice of nursery.

A magical place and wouldn't change a thing. Our daughter has just finished 2 wonderful years here. The winters are not that bad! The kids are fine with being outside (with appropriate clothes) - it's just a mental thing for parents, which you get over quickly. Clothes-wise - sort yourself out with proper gear and decent wellies. Don't waste your time/money on rubbish gear as you'll eventually end up buying the good warm/dry stuff. Secondhand is fine - The kids rarely get sick as they're not cooped up inside! The staff are lovely and engaging. The kids go cycling on Mondays and were all riding normal bikes by the age of 3 - simply brilliant. The kids do drawing, colouring, arts and crafts, sawing, peeling, chopping, gardening, nature walks, and day trips, and all love nature, bugs, and mud. They are now fearless about bad weather! The kids are now all super adventurous and confident. There's a good bunch of parents (and social media groups of course)!

We couldn't recommend it more.

Our daughter loved her time at Under the Willow, formed great relationships with the staff, developed her enthusiasm for learning, and left feeling ready and well-prepared for school. They were great with us as parents, and I would certainly recommend them.