Great and Small Forest School | Ofsted Reports, Fees, Reviews (2025)

Great and Small Forest Education, which was founded in 2015, currently operates two licenced childcare facilities in addition to a brand-new forest school that will debut in September 2022.
Our Great and Small Forest School in Clayton le Moors, which received an OUTSTAND rating from Ofsted, is situated in a wooded area next to Cottams Farm.
The idea for Forest School was first planted in the USA and Scandinavia, but in 1995, a group of students from Bridgewater College in Dorset, who had been to Denmark to see Forest School in action, brought the concept to the UK.
This germinated concept is now thriving in the UK and serving as a valuable teaching resource for many nurseries and schools.
According to its definition, Forest School is a motivational method that gives kids, teens, and adults regular opportunities to succeed and boost their self-esteem via active learning experiences in a wooded setting (Forest Education Initiative).
In a word, Forest School provides our kids with the freedom and chance to explore, investigate, play, learn, and flourish.
The most crucial aspect of Forest School is the playing component.
These aspects and more combine to make Forest School such a positive experience for our kids.
We firmly believe that children learn and develop most effectively when they are free to direct their own play and inquiry, pursue their own interests, and do so while also being given the chance to explore and learn more about their local and global communities, as well as, most importantly, about themselves and others.
From the gorgeous garden and play area at our kindergarten to the stunning private woodlands of our Forest Schools in Clayton le Moors and Clitheroe, we are fortunate to have fantastic outdoor space in all three of our settings.
Children are nurtured at Great and Small to grow in love and respect for our wonderful world, themselves, and others.
We are strong proponents of learning and development that develop via a variety of interesting and stimulating hands-on experiences throughout the EYFS and beyond.
We develop respect for people, animals, and the environment by utilising open-ended, natural, and recycled resources that promote sustainability and environmental care.
To guarantee that we all work together to ensure the very best start for our priceless children, it is our goal to establish strong, open connections and communication with all of our parents and caregivers.