School Outdoors Dulwich

It gives her the opportunity to do things I remember doing as a kid but are just not part of city life – picking blackberries, climbing trees, spotting wildlife, cooking marshmallows over a fire etc.
The educators are excellent too, and she has great relationships with them all. They also take genuine pleasure in watching her develop and have been quick to step in when she’s needed a little more assistance.
I was worried when she started (in January) that she would freeze to death. However, the weather only seems to bother the parents, and she spends most of the day stripping off all of the layers we’ve grilled her to put on each morning! She comes home covered head to toe in mud more times than I can count and consistently seems to have had an incredible time.
It wouldn’t be a balanced review without mentioning negatives – I can think of one – on School Outdoors days, my bathroom looks like a swamp.
We are sending her younger brother to join her in January, which says it all! My daughter loves School Outdoors.

The people that work there are lovely and do truly enjoyable activities. She comes home exhausted every day from all the enjoyable she’s had. The transition into childcare centre was pretty easy as the kids don’t seem to get as sick as you hear with indoor nurseries. We were nervous about our daughter being outside all the time, but she absolutely loves it and all the kids seem to adore it.

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 truly complement her days spent in a more traditional school setting – indeed her educators there report that she is completely fearless outdoors and likes to chat to them about what she’s done in the forest! The SOD team are highly welcoming 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 kids growing up in London – we’re truly pleased our daughter has the chance to spend so much time outdoors. Our two and a half-year-old daughter has split her weeks since September between School Outdoors and a more formal kindergarten setting.

In many ways, the execution is lacking though. The team were outstanding, for example, and developed deep and lasting relationships with our kids that we all truly appreciated. They did not seem to be well supported by management, however, and turnover is highly 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 kids and parents. Related, the site needs some investment, especially provisions for winter when it becomes highly 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 team not feeling particularly supported or well looked after. School Outdoors Dulwich is an outstanding idea – a forest school in London where kids can playtime outdoors all day, learn woodworking and how to make a fire, and build things out of what they find around them!

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 team are remarkable, taking a genuine interest in the kids and the activities that the kids do sound exceptional 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 truly adore the setting and would definitely suggest it! Both of our daughters have loved attending School Outdoors Dulwich.

The team are expert, attentive, energetic and compassionate. They have a excellent relationship with my daughter, and she comes home full of excitement about what they do each day. Like some other preferences, having a proper Forest School in London is such an incredible facility; I wish it existed when my son was younger. Updates with parents (through the management and on-site at drop off/pick ups) is excellent, and since we have been at the forest school, the management has implemented improvements, which are so excellent to see. We truly get the sense that there is a strong commitment to making the Forest School a excellent success for all. Everyone talks about the winter weather but also a massive shout out to the management of the extreme heat in the summer – the kids were kept cool and cheerful in their little glade – idyllic! My daughter has been at the Forest School since February; she loves it, and we do too!

She started when she turned three and enjoys it much more than her previous (largely indoor) childcare centre. She has made excellent friends, learnt skills we would have never taught her ourselves, and become more resilient. The current team of educators are remarkable; they are excellent role models for her and are highly attentive and thoughtful. Winter had its challenges, largely from a practical point of view (so much mud!), but my daughter was much less bothered by the cold and wet weather than I expected her to be. I remember once feeling guilty on a highly rainy day and going to pick her up a bit early, only to find her desperate to stay and splash in puddles for longer! Forest School has been such a fantastic journey for my daughter.

He absolutely loves his days there and consistently 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 self‑assurance 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 team are inviting, supportive and well‑informed and are truly interested in activities being kid-led. Our son loves role-playing, and this setting has truly sparked his imagination in lots of new ways. I am highly cheerful we decided to move some of his days here, and would highly suggest it. Our 3-year-old son has been attending School Outdoors Dulwich 2-days a week since September 2020.

We moved to Herne Hill in May 2022, and forest school has been by far the best thing about moving here for us. We wanted our kid to attend a forest school because he was prone to breathing problems whenever he caught a cold at childcare centre – we thought being in the fresh air could solve that, and having both grown up in the countryside, we liked the idea that this was a excellent natural gift whilst living in London. It has been everything we hoped for and more. The team are lovely, the site feels like a magic little fairy den, and our son begs to go on his days off! You can tell when you see the kids, how much they are benefitting – there’s a freedom and special aliveness about kids when they’re spending a lot of time out in nature. My family have all noticed that since he started at forest school, he has grown in self‑assurance and overall happiness. He sings their songs all the time and is constantly telling me about nature on our walks. Thank you to the manager and all! We absolutely adore School Outdoors Dulwich!

They are consistently trying new activities, and she comes home each day muddy and highly cheerful. The team are switched on, attentive and nurturing. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who is interested in their kid spending time in nature. The option to split time between this childcare centre and the ‘sister’ childcare centre has worked well for us. We’ve been truly cheerful with the School Outdoors Dulwich childcare centre since our daughter started three months ago.