Hidden Valley Indoor Site

Hidden Valley Indoor Site
Unique reference number (URN): 2865280
Address: Grayshott Village Hall, Headley Road, Grayshott, Hindhead, GU26 6TZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 21/10/2025
Registers: EYR, CCR
Registered person: Hidden Valley Grayshott Ltd
Inspection report: 26 August 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Strong standard
Achievement Strong standard
Children make considerable progress in confidence and independence. They are involved
and active and take part in all everyday routines. They use new vocabulary and
mathematical language and talk confidently about their achievements and their play. They
work well with others towards shared goals and play confidently on their own. They make
sustained progress in communication and language from their different starting points.
Children make excellent physical progress. The variety of the woodland helps them develop
strength, coordination and control. Their understanding of risks and boundaries helps them
challenge themselves safely within the clear limits of the environment.
Children prepare for school through experiences that develop early writing, mathematical
understanding and independence. They strengthen the small muscles needed to hold a
pencil, practise counting and measurement and manage their belongings and self-care.
Children use imagination and role play, natural resources and real tools. They learn to
understand their emotions, build positive relationships and solve problems during
meaningful play. Children follow their interests and use the space and freedom of the
woodland to explore, test ideas and take sensible risks. They sustain attention and deepen
their knowledge of the natural world.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children facing other
barriers, make progress from their starting points. They communicate more confidently, take
part in the full curriculum and become increasingly independent.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard
Children flourish in a deeply respectful culture where kindness, patience and cooperation
shape every part of the day. Expectations are understood by children and applied
consistently by all staff. Children use 'kind hands' and 'kind words', help one another and
increasingly resolve disagreements with confidence. Relationships between staff and
children are warm and secure. Children confidently approach different adults for help,
reassurance or conversation. They work well with friends and play independently. Staff use
praise, questions and clear reminders so children know what is expected and feel proud of
their efforts.
Children show consistently positive attitudes to learning. They wait, take turns and keep
trying when something is difficult. Using real tools helps them develop patience,
concentration and self-control. Familiar routines give children confidence and help them
move calmly through each part of the day. Children increasingly manage their belongings,
hygiene and mealtime routines for themselves. They listen carefully to safety messages,
remember agreed boundaries and take responsibility for their own actions. Leaders take
attendance seriously. They know which children are expected and follow up on absences
promptly so that children benefit fully from the experiences available.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children facing other
barriers, receive sensitive help to meet the same expectations as their friends. Staff model

Expected standard
positive behaviour, know each child incredibly well, create a nurturing environment and
recognise when children need more time, reassurance or space to calm themselves. They
skilfully reduce this help as children regain confidence and manage more independently.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard
Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of the setting. They form warm, secure
relationships with staff across the team and confidently seek help, comfort or conversation.
Staff know children's individual care, sensory and emotional needs. They understand when
to offer reassurance, when to give children space and when to step in. Children can rest or
choose quiet time whenever they need it. Children learn to understand their feelings through
stories, play and everyday conversations. Staff help them think about what may help and
how they can support a friend. Children become increasingly able to calm themselves and
return confidently to their day.
Children eat healthy vegetarian meals that reflect their individual needs. They feed
themselves, drink water throughout the day and develop confidence in making healthy
choices. Calm mealtimes and careful routines help children become independent while
protecting their health and safety. The setting's outdoor approach also makes an important
contribution to children's physical wellbeing. Children build strength and stamina through
regular movement and challenge. They learn when to take on a risk, when to slow down and
when they need time to rest. Parents value the healthy outdoor approach and the variety of
food provided. They report that children eat and sleep better and develop greater physical
stamina and confidence.
Sleep and rest are calm, safe and shaped around each child. Staff know family preferences,
including how children like to settle and when they should wake. Personal care protects
children's dignity, safety and comfort. Staff quickly notice when children need reassurance,
space or quiet. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children
facing other barriers, receive care that responds to their sensory, emotional and physical
needs.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have designed a purposeful outdoor curriculum influenced by curiosity, using the
natural world and real-life skills. They know what they want children to be able to do now
and next. They use the tools and natural resources of the forest, the areas of learning in the
early years foundation stage and children's interests to shape the curriculum.
Children learn through their interests, carefully chosen activities and real experiences in the
woodland. Attention is paid to children's personal, social and emotional development, as well
as their behaviour, independence and growing confidence. Staff calmly help children explore
their feelings through books, clear expectations and positive role modelling. Language and
vocabulary are a key part of interactions and support children's literacy. Staff adapt how they
teach and when they intervene to support each child's learning needs. Children have

individual learning goals, which are recorded and shared with parents in different ways.
Children have plenty of time to practise the skills they need to be ready for school. Activities
develop the fine motor skills needed to hold a pencil. Children count, explore measurements
and make sensible choices about how they move around the camp safely.
Wider weekly themes help children participate through independent choice, while staff
gently guide them towards their next learning. Practical experiences include carrying
backpacks, building with forest materials and tackling slopes and uneven ground. These
experiences help children become stronger, grow in confidence and learn to take
appropriate risks safely.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children facing other
barriers, learn alongside their friends. All children have equal opportunities to take part and
develop, whatever their starting points. Leaders are beginning to refine the way they teach,
using their knowledge of each child to target learning more precisely and extend what
children know and can do.
Staff observe children and use what they know about their interests, development and next
steps to support learning. However, staff do not consistently share and use their
observations across the team to inform planning. Consequently, staff do not always identify
which children would benefit from specific individual or small-group teaching. This means
that some children have fewer opportunities for precisely focused teaching that revisits and
extends what they know and can do.
Inclusion Expected standard
Leaders create an inclusive culture where children with additional or special educational
needs and/or disabilities take part in the same routines and learning as their friends.
Children of all abilities are equally included and challenged to improve and develop. Staff act
and use different strategies to ensure that children can achieve, whatever their starting point
is. Staff know children's needs and adjust their words, reassurance and practical help. This
helps children communicate, settle and join in the full range of activities available. Staff also
know how to stand back and reduce support as children become more confident and
independent, allowing them to grow in confidence and take more risks, and stepping in
again to offer support when they feel children need them. Children who speak other
languages are also fully supported to share their home languages to help them feel settled,
familiar with routines and valued.
Leaders learn about all the children's individual needs through good parent partnerships and
work in collaboration with parents to support children. They seek advice from other
professionals and make changes when children need extra help, such as support with
communication. Staff, including apprentices, know what children can do and what they are
learning next. Leaders understand local referral and funding routes. They signpost families
to support and know how to use the suggestions other professionals have made to have an
impact on the children.
Some assessments, referrals and funding decisions remain in progress, and leaders do not
yet use a consistently established review cycle for every child receiving additional support.

Consequently, they cannot always demonstrate how well each strategy is reducing a child's
barriers or whether support should be adjusted as the child's needs change.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders have a clear vision for a child-led outdoor setting. They understand the benefits and
challenges of their model and make thoughtful changes in children's best interests. They
have improved the way children use tools, adapted the provision during very hot weather
and identified the need for more quiet spaces. Grant funding will support further
improvements to the base camp.
The setting is still new, and the leadership and staff teams continue to develop. Managers
work on different days and use shared systems to pass on information and make decisions.
Leaders consider staff wellbeing and workload when planning changes. They are managing
maternity cover, apprentices completing qualifications and new staff joining the team.
Leaders support professional learning through apprenticeships, shared training and the
expertise already in the team. Staff can use recorded guidance on forest school tools, and
experienced colleagues are ready to mentor others. Leaders make decisions in the interests
of all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children
known or previously known to children's social care and children facing other barriers. They
work with families and other professionals, so support remains joined up. Links with the local
care home community enrich children's experiences through intergenerational visits, and
parents can contact leaders easily.
Leaders know the setting's strengths and have identified suitable ongoing priorities. They
are beginning to refine how managers evaluate the setting's work, share information and
develop staff across different working patterns. Leaders do not yet consistently ensure that
staff use and share their observations of children to plan precise individual and small-group
learning experiences. This means that some children do not benefit consistently from
focused teaching that targets, revisits and extends their identified next steps in learning.
Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met

What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children thrive in this distinctive outdoor setting, where the woodland shapes much of their
day. They are welcomed warmly and form secure relationships with staff across the team.
Children confidently approach different adults for help, reassurance or conversation. They
walk to the woodland, enjoying what they notice and stopping regularly to explore or ask
questions. They have time to explore the camp before staff bring the group together. This
helps children calm themselves and become ready to learn. The unhurried pace helps them
settle, interact and concentrate. It also gives them time to finish activities that interest them.
During group time, children enjoy stories, join familiar songs and respond to simple signs.
They know what is happening next and can choose quiet time or rest whenever they need it.
Children grow in confidence and ability through experiences that make full use of the
woodland. They carry their own belongings, climb over obstacles with growing confidence
and learn to judge everyday risks. Children use real tools with careful support as they saw
wood, compare sizes and explore what they can make from natural forest items. They
develop strength and patience and practise skills that prepare them for school. Staff weave
books and writing through the curriculum. They also use everyday experiences to develop
children's mathematical understanding and help them manage their emotions. Through the
child-led approach, children make choices, think about risk and support others. For
example, they help a friend who has tripped. This contributes to a warm, friendly camp
where children feel secure.
Children interact confidently with staff and receive sensitive, respectful support with what
they are learning next. Activities linked to feelings help children understand their emotions.
Staff help them calm themselves and settle disagreements kindly. Older children practise
school routines, challenge themselves in the adventure area and develop early writing and
counting. Younger children learn alongside them and receive the help they need to take part
and succeed.
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part in the same experiences
as their friends. Children who face other barriers to learning receive the same full support to
communicate, participate and succeed. Staff adapt their words and practical help without
lowering expectations. Children behave positively and respond well to clear, familiar
expectations. They wash their hands, eat independently and learn simple routines that keep
them safe. Sleep, rest and personal care reflect each child's needs and protect their dignity.
Children feel known and valued. They are curious, active and increasingly independent, and
they develop a strong sense of belonging in the forest community.

Inspector:
Sharon Kamel
About this setting
Unique reference number (URN): 2865280
Address:
Grayshott Village Hall
Headley Road, Grayshott
Hindhead
GU26 6TZ
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 21/10/2025
Registered person: Hidden Valley Grayshott Ltd
Register(s): EYR, CCR
Next steps
Leaders should embed review cycles for children receiving additional support so that they
can monitor how support reduces barriers over time.
Leaders should embed a shared approach to using observations when planning, so staff
can identify which children need individual or small-group teaching to revisit or extend
their learning.
Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue to develop their approach
to shared evaluation and planning across all working patterns, so that staff can target
children's next steps more precisely.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with children, parents, leaders, the designated safeguarding lead and
practitioners.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday : 08:00 - 18:00
Local authority: Hampshire
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 26 August 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
2 to 4
Total number of places
24
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard
The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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