Ages 2–4 years
Where tinkerers and explorers come alive
The Burrow is our pre-school room for children aged 2 to 4 — a bustling, purposeful space where children lead their own learning every single day through the HighScope curriculum.
About The Burrow
The Burrow
Where tinkerers and explorers come alive
Children in The Burrow are in full Plan-Do-Review mode. Every session begins with planning time — deciding what they want to explore — and ends with review, where they share what they discovered. Between those bookends, the room is alive with building, creating, measuring, role-playing and investigating.
The Burrow has its own strong character: hands-on, resourceful and full of children absorbed in what they’re making. Practitioners follow the children’s lead and ask questions that deepen thinking rather than direct it.
2–4 years
Age range
1:8 / 1:13
Staff ratio
Level 3+
All qualifications
What you’ll find
Inside The Burrow
The Burrow is the largest of our pre-school rooms — designed to be busy, purposeful and full of possibility. It also runs Breakfast Club and After School Club.
The daily rhythm
A typical day in The Burrow
Every day follows a warm, predictable rhythm — enough structure to feel safe, enough freedom to feel joyful. HighScope’s Plan-Do-Review runs through everything.
Breakfast Club
Early arrivals join Breakfast Club — a calm, social start to the day with food, chat and gentle play before the full session begins at 9am.
Arrival & planning
Each child is welcomed by their Key Person. Planning time begins — children tell their Key Person what they want to do today in words, pictures or pointing.
Work time
The heart of the HighScope day. Children pursue their plans freely across the room — the tinker station, the art area, the construction corner, the book nook. Adults support without directing.
Tidy-up & review
Children help tidy the room — a real task, not a token one — then gather to share what they did. Review builds language, memory and pride in their own learning.
Circle time & outdoors
Songs, movement, stories and games as a group, then outdoor play. Fresh air, mud, digging, climbing — every day, whatever the weather.
After School Club
After School Club continues until 6pm — snack, outdoor play, crafts and free exploration for those who need the full day.
The environment
What you’ll find in The Burrow
Every corner of The Burrow is intentional — designed to invite curiosity, support independence, and make children feel at home from the very first day.
Tinker station
A dedicated area packed with loose parts — pebbles, pine cones, wood discs, shells, corks, keys — where children build, sort, invent and investigate at their own pace.
Vintage weighing scales
Real, working balance scales with a collection of natural objects to weigh. Children develop mathematical thinking — balance, weight, more and less — through genuine use.
Art area
Open-ended art materials: paints, clay, collage, charcoal, natural dyes. We don’t use templates — children make what they see in their own minds.
Construction corner
Large-scale wooden blocks, ramps, tubes and reclaimed materials for building. Children engineer, test and rebuild — learning physics through play.
Cosy book nook
A quiet curtained corner with cushions and a carefully chosen library — fiction, non-fiction, poetry. A place to retreat, be read to, or simply sit and look.
Secure & well-staffed
The Burrow maintains statutory ratios at all times — 1:8 for two-year-olds, 1:13 for threes and fours. Every practitioner holds Level 3 or above.
Our team
The people who look after your child
Every practitioner in The Burrow holds a Level 3 qualification or above and has completed enhanced DBS checks. They bring genuine warmth, expertise and deep commitment to every child in their care.
Natalie M
Lead practitioner & early years coordinator
- Level 3 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education
- HighScope implementation course
Lily G
Practitioner
- Working towards Foundation Degree in Children & Young People (Early Years) Level 5
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
The Burrow Team
All Level 3 qualified
Our full Burrow team holds Level 3 qualifications and enhanced DBS certificates. Every child has a consistent Key Person who truly knows them.
Fees & funding
The Burrow fees
We accept all government funded hours and keep our fees as straightforward as possible. As a charity, every penny goes back into the setting.
The Burrow
Ages 2–4 years
A voluntary 50p per session covers healthy snacks the children help prepare. We accept all government funded hours — universal 15 hours (age 3+), 30-hour working parent entitlement (from 9 months), stretched over 48 weeks. Full fees & funding info →
Our other rooms
The full Hawthorn Tree journey
Children can move through our rooms as they grow — from The Burrow right through to school age. One setting, one ethos, all the way through.
The Nest
Ages 0–23 months
The Den
Ages 2–4 years
Come and see The Burrow for yourself
The best way to know whether The Burrow is right for your child is to come and spend a little time here. We offer relaxed, no-pressure show-arounds at a time that suits you.
Or call 01205 362255 · Mon–Fri 7:30am–6:00pm