School Outdoors Dulwich

104 Burbage Road, London SE24 9HE
Review Us
9.9 41 Reviews
  • School Outdoors Dulwich, London
School Outdoors Dulwich is a small, privately owned nursery based in a forest setting near Dulwich Village, London, and led by qualified primary school teachers, Forest School Leaders and Early Years Educators.

The outdoor nursery follows the forest school approach, giving children freedom to explore and flourish in natural surroundings.

The nursery accommodates children from age 2 to 5 years old and is open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Show School Outdoors Dulwich on the Map

Type of Service

  • Day Nursery
  • Open all year
  • Full Day Care

Group/Owner

Person in Charge

  • Sarah Crowe (Nursery Manager)

Number of Childcare Staff

  • 5

Total Places for Children

  • 20

Age Range

  • from 2 years 0 months
  • to 5 years 0 months

Funding & Fees

  • £101 per day

Opening Times

  • Monday 08:00-18:00
    Tuesday 08:00-18:00
    Wednesday 08:00-18:00
    Thursday 08:00-18:00
    Friday 08:00-18:00

When Closed

  • Bank Holidays & 2 weeks at Christmas

Parking

  • There is parking on site.

School Outdoors Dulwich Reviews (41)

9.9

School Outdoors Dulwich has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.924) out of 10, based on 11 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time School Outdoors Dulwich has 41 reviews.

Overall Experience
  • 38
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
Date Published
  • 41
  • 5
  • 5
  • 11
  • 30
Reviewer Connection to School Outdoors Dulwich
  • 34
  • 7
Total of 41, showing 21-40
Review from Francesca M (Mother of Child) published on 26 October 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
School Outdoors Dulwich has been transformational for my daughter (2 years old). The staff are so caring and attentive, and she has settled in very well. At her previous indoor nursery, she struggled with the transitions and being left. Now she couldn't be more settled and is more confident and secure
than I have ever seen her.
We still keep seeing positive changes week by week, and she is so proud of all the new skills she is learning! I absolutely love starting my day at their site and with a short walk in such lovely woodland surroundings.
Reply from Kim Bradley, Head Teacher at School Outdoors Dulwich
Thank you for your review. It's great for other parents to hear other parents speak about our wonderful setting.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from K M (Mother of Child) published on 13 October 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My child has had an incredibly happy two years at School Outdoors Dulwich; given that they started in 2020 during the pandemic, School Outdoors Dulwich gave my child an opportunity to have a normal (better than normal, actually) early years experience. They have developed into a confident, resilient
little child with a love of nature and a sense of adventure for exploring the outdoors, which come from their time at forest school. The staff are fantastic and have supported my child and us on their journey, working with us positively when we encountered difficulties with toilet training last year. We get regular feedback on my child's progress against early years development, and also really value the daily updates and photos. My child left to start school in September, but we will be back in School Outdoors Dulwich for holiday camp as we value this unique outdoor setting and are glad they can continue to benefit from it as they grow up.
Reply from Kim Bradley, Head Teacher at School Outdoors Dulwich
Thank you very much for your lovely review. We are so pleased your child had a wonderful experience with us.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from E F (Mother of Child) published on 18 May 2022 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter has absolutely loved her experience at School Outdoors and looks forward to her days so much. It’s a beautiful setting, and I feel very fortunate being able to do drop-offs and pick-ups at such a beautiful location! She has become knowledgeable about nature and has developed a love of nature
whist in this setting to support her choices in the future.
The staff have been fab and always responded quickly to any requests as well as keeping us up to date with any relevant information.
For anyone with a love of the outdoors who is looking to give that experience to their children whilst living in a city, then this setting is perfect - I would recommend it highly!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Ryan B (Father of Child) published on 13 October 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5
School Outdoors Dulwich is an excellent idea - a forest school in London where children can play outdoors all day, learn woodworking and how to make a fire, and build things out of what they find around them! In many ways, the execution is lacking though. The staff were excellent, for example, and developed
deep and lasting relationships with our children that we all really appreciated. They did not seem to be well supported by management, however, and turnover is very high (if you missed a couple of weeks on holiday you would often come back to find 1-2 people had left). This constant flux was jarring for both children and parents. Related, the site needs some investment, especially provisions for winter when it becomes very wet, but there seems like a lack of willingness to invest in proper facilities. Reading between the lines, I got the distinct sense that this has been contributing to the turnover issue, with staff not feeling particularly supported or well looked after.
Reply from Kim Bradley, Head Teacher at School Outdoors Dulwich
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Your feedback is important and highly valuable, giving us a better understanding of how things are from our parent's perspective, we rely on hearing…read more
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Zoe S (Mother of Child) published on 7 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son attended forest school for nine months. He absolutely loved it and always came home very happy and full of tales of what he'd been up to. He learnt so much about independent play and working in a practical way. The staff were friendly and caring; though staff turnover was high - he didn't seem
to mind. The management was helpful and approachable.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Hannah C (Mother of Child) published on 7 September 2021 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter attended School Outdoors Dulwich for the summer before she started school. She has also attended the sister nursery, which she loved, so was familiar with the setting as they are taken over to the forest school for trips. She had always come back with positive reviews, and so I enrolled
her. It is lovely for the children to spend the day outside, enjoy nature and getting muddy. The teachers are positive and engaging, and the days are structured so that they enjoy a variety of playful, educational activities and nutritious food. She loved playing on the swings, cooking in the mud kitchen and climbing the trees. It has helped her gain confidence and pushed her to try new activities whilst making new friends. I would highly recommend School Outdoors Dulwich and feel that we are lucky to have this facility available whilst living in the city.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Hannah B (Mother of Child) published on 24 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our 3-year-old son has been attending School Outdoors Dulwich 2-days a week since September 2020. He absolutely loves his days there and always comes home beaming, covered in mud and telling us proudly about all the exciting things he has done that day. He has benefited hugely from being able to spend
so much time outside. His interest in nature and confidence in exploring and climbing trees are lovely to see. He has been able to do all sorts of new activities from woodwork to different crafts to helping cook outside over a fire. The staff are warm, supportive and knowledgeable and are really interested in activities being child-led. Our son loves role-playing, and this setting has really sparked his imagination in lots of new ways. I am very happy we decided to move some of his days here, and would highly recommend it.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from H C (Mother of Child) published on 24 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We’ve been really happy with the School Outdoors Dulwich nursery since our daughter started three months ago. They are always trying new activities, and she comes home each day muddy and very happy. The staff are switched on, caring and nurturing. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested
in their child spending time in nature. The option to split time between this nursery and the ‘sister’ nursery has worked well for us.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Kim S (Mother of Child) published on 23 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our two and a half-year-old daughter has split her weeks since September between School Outdoors and a more formal kindergarten setting. She absolutely loves her days at forest school, and invariably comes home full of beans and caked in mud, telling us all about building dens, cycling and drinks around
the campfire. We have found SOD to really complement her days spent in a more traditional school environment - indeed her teachers there report that she is completely fearless outdoors and likes to chat to them about what she’s done in the forest! The SOD staff are very friendly and committed to the forest school ethos and we have no hesitation in recommending it to other parents looking for a more rural option for children growing up in London - we’re really pleased our daughter has the chance to spend so much time outdoors.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Rosie S (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son and I would both wholeheartedly recommend the School Outdoors Nursery in Herne Hill. It feels as though we have stumbled across a little oasis and is a refreshing contrast to indoor urban nurseries. My son loves the amazing variation of outdoor activities and caring kind staff. The staff are
fun, gentle and inspiring. The nursery is creative and nurturing. My son loves it and tells me all about his day on the way home on the bike. What a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time outside as a child in London. Thank you.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Neelesh P (Father of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent experience for my 4-year-old daughter. She loved the teachers and the experience of returning from Forest school every evening (looking enormously healthy and rosy-cheeked) with exciting stories of what she got up to, what she ate and proudly sharing the various "object d' art" she had created.
She can't wait for the next holiday break to return. I personally believe that her time in the outdoors all day, in all types of weather, has toughened her up, calmed her down, she seems slightly more reflective and definitely has helped with certain development milestones. Dare I say slightly matured her, can't recommend this enough.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Bryony G (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Both of our daughters have loved attending School Outdoors Dulwich. Our oldest started when she was 3 and attended until she started school this September and our youngest daughter has just started aged 2 1/2. The staff are fantastic, taking a genuine interest in the children and the activities that
the children do sound brilliant as well. They come home telling us about climbing trees, going biking at the velodrome, blackberry picking in the summer, roasting marshmallows and baking bread on the fire on colder days! We really love the setting and would definitely recommend it!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Rebecca (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My 2.5-year-old child has been going to School Outdoors Dulwich for two months now and my partner and I can’t be happier. Not only do we love the ethos of forest school but also the school itself is a happy and wonderful environment with loving and caring staff. The evidence-based for the benefits
of forest school is strong and growing and although we had our apprehensions about setting our young child outdoors all day in whatever weather, these we easily allayed by the staff and the excellent setup and resources there. Whatever the weather, my child comes home happy and full-on stories of their adventures although very very muddy! It has helped nurture his independent and imaginative play, motor skills and love of nature with the reliance on tv or lots of toys. It makes our own family outings much more fun and gives a balance at home allowing screen time etc as I know their developmental needs are being more than met. Also, I would praise the staff!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Claire M (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
We love this nursery and our daughter has absolutely flourished here. We were quite nervous about sending her to nursery as she has always been quite a shy child. We need not of worried though as she loves it, she's made lots of friends and looks forward to going each day. The things she makes there
we actually want to keep and put on display. She's learning skills such as drilling and sawing that are giving her so much confidence and she has loads of fun. If you were ever torn over bringing up kids in the city versus the countryside send them to this nursery. Our daughter is experiencing countryside childhood whilst living in a city. Literally the best of both worlds!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Rosie O (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
A rare find - a forest school education in SE London for early years. Fantastic staff/ teachers, with great relationships between children, staff and parents. Outdoor activities and child-led learning are prominent, in a small, intimate setting. A flexible, warm and nurturing nursery space.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Deepti S (Mother of Child) published on 19 November 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My daughter (3 years old) has grown in confidence and creativity since she started at School Outdoors Dulwich. She comes back from SOD absolutely exhausted (and grubby), having done some carpentry, creative play, having drinks by the open fire and generally exploring and engaging with nature and mud!
For parents that want their kids to be more curious and creative as well as have a better sense of their bodies and movement, I cannot recommend SOD enough. The teachers are absolutely great, giving room for fun while still providing direction and safety.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Emily G (Mother of Child) published on 14 October 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My son has settled so well into the nursery and I think the staff are great. I really feel as though they care about him and he comes home exhausted but really engaged (e.g. singing songs from the day and always mentioning Forest School). He’s had a turbulent year for various reasons so it’s been such
a relief for us to know he is settled and having so much fun in a nurturing nursery setting. All staff seem to take the time to get to know the children and plan fun activities that are child-led, exciting and allow them to take risks in a controlled way.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Maria K (Mother of Child) published on 15 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter (4) attended the School Outdoors Nursery after a recommendation and we were not disappointed! The staff are lovely and our daughter had lots of fun. She made friends but more importantly grew so much in confidence which really helped with her start at school. She is also a lot more interested
in nature and wants to spend time outside a lot more. She loved the teachers too who really care about the kids having a good time. Really lovely setting, we will be coming back for the holidays!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Elisha D (Mother of Child) published on 9 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My son started School Outdoors Dulwich in January of this year, when it was very cold and often wet and he loved it! The staff provided an extensive kit list of all the items he would need for forest school and it meant that he was never cold and was always able to enjoy every moment he was there.
I
truly believe attending School Outdoors has given him confidence and made him ready for going to school. He learnt so much about the outdoors, did arts and crafts with wood, leaves and mud! Made bread in a fire pit, learnt to use a hammer and nails and so much more. The staff always give a balanced review at the end of the day, not just what they ate, but who they played with, what skills they learnt, what they made etc.
Top tips:
- Don't worry about the cold your child will have so much fun in the elements.
- Do get the neoprene wellies instead of the normal ones, it keeps your child toes warm!
- Prepare for them to come back covered in mud!
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Review from Elizabeth F (Mother of Child) published on 9 September 2020 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Our daughter attended School Outdoors Dulwich from June until August and had the best summer we could have hoped for there. She loved the staff, made close friendships with the other kids and was happy to attend each day, rain or shine. Best of all, she became much more confident playing in nature and
more adventurous about the outdoors.
  • Facilities / Outside Space
  • Learning
  • Resources / Equipment / ICT
  • Care
  • Activities
  • Staff
  • Food / Nutrition
  • Management
  • Cleanliness
  • Safeguarding
  • Value for Money
Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.924)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.924) out of 10 for School Outdoors Dulwich is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 11 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 11 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Day Nursery is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.924 for School Outdoors Dulwich is calculated as follows: ( (122 Excellents x 5) + (8 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 131 Ratings = 4.924
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for School Outdoors Dulwich is based on 11 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the number of registered child places in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Day Nursery registered for a maximum of 50 child places has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 20 number of registered child places is 4, which has been reached with 11 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Day Nursery does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Child Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

Loading

Loading Loading

Loading

Loading

Awards / Recognitions (0)

Meet the Team (0)

There are no team members posted.

Information on this page is displayed without responsibility for its accuracy on the part of daynurseries.co.uk. Please contact School Outdoors Dulwich to verify any information. View our terms and conditions. School Outdoors Dulwich has an Enhanced Service - more info.