Outside Tribe Forest Pre School and Forest School

02/04/2026

Egg hunts, decorated egg stones, and cosy nests the children made to protect their eggs—plus a beautiful backdrop of plum blossom. A really wonderful way to finish the spring term!

08/03/2026

It’s International Women’s Day and we’re celebrating these incredible women. Their dedication, passion, kindness and humour shape Outside Tribe every single day — it simply wouldn’t be the same without them.
This year’s UN theme, Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls, reminds us how important it is that girls grow up knowing they belong, their voices matter, and the world outside should be theirs equally to explore.
We’re proud to be a place where girls and women can be themselves.

07/03/2026

At the end of the day, when the children have gone home, traces of their play remain. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes touching, but nearly always full of meaning.
Marks of intention on paper, paint thoughtfully applied, small worlds carefully arranged — play characters resting in the hollow of a tree, a circle of sticks placed with purpose around a dinosaur.
These quiet remnants offer a valuable insight into children’s thinking. They reflect imagination, problem-solving, storytelling and the deep engagement that takes place through play.

06/03/2026

As many of you will know, Gerry Chandler of Trethias Farm died recently, and his funeral will take place next week. Gerry farmed Trethias Farm and cared for the orchard where Outside Tribe is based. He was custodian of this land for many decades, and his dedication helped preserve the orchard as the beautiful, historic space it is today. Gerry continued tending the orchard and picking fruit until quite recently.
We are deeply grateful to Gerry and his family — David, Leroy and Lindsay — for their generosity in allowing our pre-school to operate here and for their support in its establishment. Without their kindness and encouragement, this special place where the children explore, play and learn among these ancient trees would not exist.
As we continue our work in the orchard, we do so with respect and gratitude for the legacy of stewardship and care that Gerry leaves behind. His contribution to this land and to our community will not be forgotten.
We send our sincere condolences to the whole family at this sad time.

05/03/2026

Happy World Book Day!
Thank you to all the authors and illustrators who inspire us, build connection, make us laugh, make us cry, and help children (and grown-ups) fall in love with books. Stories really do bring us together.

15/02/2026

Early Years education and care deserves proper funding - the children themselves deserve this. If we can't invest in our children, something is seriously wrong. There's a lot of talk about Nursery Funding at the moment and it seems to be intent on pitting parents against nurseries, when we should all be standing together and fighting for the children we care so much about. If you are in any doubt about the absolute mess that Nursery Funding is in, please read this summary of the report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows that 'despite record investment in funded places, the Government is paying 22% less in real terms to providers than it was in 2017 when the 30 hours policy was rolled out across the country'. As well as our children loosing out, so are women. Early Years primarily employs women who continue work for pitifully low wages. They do this because they care about children. It's high time that Early Years Education got the respect and funding it deserves, as our children deserve the best that we can give them.

The IFS annual report on education spending in England shows how spending on early years has dropped per child in real terms.

13/02/2026

As you know, being an outdoor setting means our environment takes the full impact of the weather. After a particularly hard winter, parts of our site now need urgent repair and improvement.

If you are able to contribute or share the fundraiser far and wide, we would be extremely grateful.

Iʼm raising money to Support Outside Tribe Forest PreSchool. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

09/02/2026

Why we say “yes” to climbing trees- When we see children reaching for the next branch, we know they aren’t just playing - they are mastering so many skills-
Risk Assessment - Learning to trust their own judgement.
Problem Solving - Calculating heights, angles, and grip.
Core Strength - Developing the fine and gross motor skills essential for future writing.
Confidence - That “I did it!” moment from the top branch is pure resilience in action.
At Outside Tribe, we don’t just see a climber - we see a child building courage and capability. Also… it’s fun!!

14/01/2026

The power of eating together at Outside Tribe! When adults are deeply invested in children, and can take time to REALLY listen, to tell stories, to be curious, then magic happens - meaningful conversations happen, language is developed, there is laughter and bonding. It really is magic - not just lunch.

06/01/2026

New year and new beginnings… the site is taking a moment in the beautiful winter sunshine, ready to start a new term with new adventures. ❄️

05/12/2025

Help needed!
We need some muscle today - we are having some repairs done by one of our wonderful parents - but we need help carrying the timber from the car park over to site as some of the posts are very heavy. If anyone in our lovely community is feeling strong we'd love your help at 8am this morning in the OT car park!