About Us

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We are truly passionate about offering children of all ages all the benefits of outdoor learning and nature connection, the very best of early childhood care, experience and education. 

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We are an outdoor nursery, and we explore and learn and experience our local natural environments, with two private woodlands for daily forest nursery and a wonderfully natural diverse beach for coastal school provision.

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We have  daily  small group excursions where our children and team develop a sense of belonging to the rivers, meadows, streams, heathland, parkland and connect with our local villages through visits to our churches, libraries, museums and more, with indoor spaces to cosy up when we need to.

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Little Birds deliver the EYFS through a child led, expert adult extended approach, which draws inspiration from the Reggio Emilia and Swedish Skogsmulle and Forest schools approach.

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We are open 52 weeks per year, from 8am - 6pm, with sessional provision.

We can offer full or term time only places, and offer uncomplicated 15 and 30 hours funded provision, which we can stretch over the year for 2,3 and 4 year olds.

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We are based at Amberley Museum, West Sussex.

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We believe all children are confident, capable, resilient and powerful.

We hold the image of the child at our core of our approach.

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We have a maximum of 20 spaces per day, and have an extended family approach.

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Our OFSTED registration number is 2624277

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Woodland

Our externalforest school sites are both in ancient woodland.

The forests are an incredible learning environment for our children. We also access an on site woodland and have a "forest garden" on site, where we cook on the fire, practice our tool use and experience forest school activities for all.

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Children learn through play and enquiry based approaches in an ever changing, rich environment, with the opportunity for learning as diverse and magical as the woodland itself

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Beach School

Exceptional, qualified educators lead sessions at a very special local beach.

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The beach offers not only a special connection to a natural habitat so local to us all, but a wide open, intriguing space where the children investigate, research, create and explore, and where their imagination is as vast as the sea itself 

Indoor Space

When the weather turns "uncomfy" we can find sanctuary in our indoor areas. 

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Beautifully simple, calm yet provocative, our outdoor learning can be extended indoors in a natural, light filled space. A famous  Reggio Emilia approach quote is "no space can be too beautiful for children" and we wholeheartedly agree.

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Also a space to find treasures for play, our library housing fiction, non fiction, ID guides, reference books, our indoor space is a Narnia of resources for children to rummage through and invariably take outdoors.

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We have an indoor atelier, construction and innovation space, library, dedicated Under 2s  and sleeping area, and a covered area for outdoor napping.

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Our indoor space is our exhibition space too, and you will find evidence of the children's voices, staff documentation and artwork on every surface.

Excursions

Each and every day, children develop their innate curiosity and sense of awe and wonder, by visiting carefully selected venues. Our regular visits are to the river, meadows, heathland, and parks, and our special trips to extend children's learning have included:

• "My First Opera - Meet a Tree" - opera for Under 2s

• Rangers for the day at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, 

• Real life working forestry including tree harvesting and planting at various local forestry estates

• Visiting farms such as Charlie's Farm (Southview Dairy),

•  Local churches and museums  

• RSPB Pulborough Brooks

• Arundel WWT

• National Trust's Petwork Park

• Pallant House Gallery as part of our Nursery In Residence programme

• Chichester Festival Theatre to see The Gruffalo and Oi!Frog

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