Welcome to Little Birds

Two magical outdoor nurseries in the heart of the South Downs

Inspired by nature

Learning through play

Welcome to Little Birds! We're so pleased you're here.

Our Approach

We are an award winning, Ofsted Outstanding Provider with your children at the heart of everything we do.

Children at Little Birds grow and are encouraged to lead the way to become happy, healthy, creative and critical thinkers who are resilient, feel valued, and develop a foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

We see all children as powerful, competent and creative children, who are all individuals, who deserve high quality early years provision, and a slow, magical childhood. 

​We foster and model a deep, long lasting connection with nature, and offer children time and space to develop their relationship with their natural world, with all the health and well being benefits that brings.​

The rhythm of our day is gentle, with lots of time for deep play and learning, connections with ourselves, each other and our world.

Read our Ofsted report by clicking the button below.

​

​

  • ​"The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences." - Loris Magaluzzi

  • “Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.” ~ John Muir

  • "Having a child at Little Birds is like being part of an extended family. A charming family of endlessly cheerful (especially in the face of unrelenting rain), inventive, warm-hearted, outdoorsy enthusiasts who can teach a child a million fun things to do with a puddle, a stick, some wool, or even a rain drop. While at Little Birds our son learnt to be adventurous, imaginative and confident and we couldn’t recommend them more"

    "In the car on the way to Little Birds this morning, Charlie said, ‘Mummy, even though I’m not at school, I’m still learning’. I asked what he meant and he said ‘I’m learning about nature, about grass, bushes, trees, bugs, birds, leaves, sticks and lots of things. Do you know that some stinging nettles don’t sting you. You have to look very carefully and if you see little white flowers it means they won’t sting you."

    "The Little birds family have been the most amazing, nurturing people I could have ever wished for to look after my daughter. They are incredibly supportive to us as a family. They have given my daughter a perfect environment to explore, learn, grow and thrive. I could never imagine her being in any other nursery setting after experiencing little birds."

Our Spaces

Immersed in nature all year long in our little settings at Amberley Museum and Fittleworth, our local environments of ancient woodland, meadow, beach and garden become our Little Bird's third teacher.

Our indoor spaces provide curious, playful learning and enriching places to rest, dream, create and explore, with a cosy home feel indoor space at the Museum and an inspirational stunning environment in our barn.

Our award winning philosophy and pedagogy  is inspired by the world renowned Reggio Emilia pedagogy, combined with the Scandinavian nature nurseries to create a truly exceptional childcare provision.

Our Community - Your family and ours

​Our the nursery is like the roots of a tree - connected to and working symbiotically with our families, our communities, our landscapes and our pedagogy.

We aim to work as part of a village that helps raise your child, working closely and supportively  with you and your children.

We follow your families rhythm, celebrate your families culture and offer you some of the most affordable yet outstanding childcare.

​We are passionate that finance should never be a barrier for a child accessing high quality early years education, and can offer fully funded places and the pattern of delivery for funded hours is open, accessible and easy to understand.,

Our team are all thoughtful, caring educators who work closely together in reflective approach to support your child's learning in early years and beyond, working closely with schools to help your children enjoy starting school and are ready and have a deep love of learning and self awareness, ready for all the adventures to come,.

Our team are led by incredibly qualified and experienced leadership team, and our educators include artists, musicians, farmers, cooks, story tellers, bushcraft enthusiasts, woodworking experts, gardeners, as well as qualified early years teachers, forest school leaders, special educational leaders, and all round lovely people!

We can't wait to meet you all!

Sam Lovegrove, Director & Founder