Our Story

The Children’s Workshop is a not-for-profit pre-school that has been part of the Sevenoaks community for over forty years.

What began as a small local playgroup grew, through the care and commitment of parents, into the much-loved setting it is today. In the early years, families came together not only to support the playgroup, but to shape it, protect it and help it grow. That strong sense of community has been at the heart of The Children’s Workshop ever since.

From the beginning, the vision was to create a place where young children could feel safe, happy and free to learn through play. A place where childhood would be valued, curiosity encouraged, and families welcomed as an important part of the life of the setting.

Over the years, The Children’s Workshop became a special part of life for generations of local children and their families. As it grew, so too did the dream of creating a home designed especially for children. That dream became a reality in 2016, when our beautiful purpose-built setting was placed beside Lady Boswell’s School, nestled among the trees bordering Knole Park.

Today, The Children’s Workshop remains a warm, child-centred, and community-rooted place. Children come here to play, explore, create, build friendships and grow in confidence, held within an environment that feels both inspiring and secure.

Although much has changed over the years, the heart of The Children’s Workshop has stayed the same: a place created with care, sustained by community, and centred always on children.

Young child with curly blonde hair wearing a yellow raincoat holding a metal cup, standing outdoors on a leaf-covered ground.
Young child with curly blonde hair wearing a yellow raincoat holding a metal cup, standing outdoors on a leaf-covered ground.

Our Ethos

At The Children’s Workshop, we believe childhood should be full of curiosity, discovery, friendship, and joy. Every child is unique, with their own interests, ideas, and ways of seeing the world. We nurture their individuality while helping them feel valued, supported, and part of a kind, welcoming community.

We believe children learn best through play. By exploring, imagining, experimenting, and trying again, they develop confidence, independence, and resilience. We encourage children to make choices, solve problems, take appropriate risks, and embrace challenges, with trusted adults nearby to offer encouragement, reassurance, and support.

We encourage children to develop a sense of wonder about the world. Through outdoor play, community experiences, and Forest School-inspired activities, they learn to explore, question, and care for nature. Along the way, they develop lasting skills: communication, cooperation, kindness, creativity, and emotional understanding.

Above all, we want The Children’s Workshop to be somewhere children feel happy, secure, and excited to return each day. A place to be themselves, build friendships, and grow in confidence and curiosity, taking happy memories with them.

Our Values

At the heart of The Children’s Workshop is a belief that childhood should be protected, celebrated and filled with opportunities to play, imagine, explore and wonder.

We want every child and family to feel that they belong here, and we place kindness, respect and strong relationships at the centre of everything we do.

We encourage children to become increasingly independent, giving them the confidence to make choices, try things for themselves and learn from their experiences.

Our connection with nature is an important part of daily life, helping children to develop curiosity, care and respect for the world around them.

Above all, we value community: the relationships between children, families, staff and the wider world that make The Children’s Workshop such a special place to grow.

A row of green watering cans and small flower pots on a wooden shelf outside.
Two young children, a girl in a pink hooded jacket and a boy in a blue jacket, playing outdoors near stacked tires and a red toy wheelbarrow filled with metal cups.
A wooden fence with colorful metal letters spelling 'outdoor' hanging on it, with overgrown green foliage and trees in the background.
Children and an adult outdoors in a wooded area, gathered around cooking equipment, preparing food with leaves scattered on the ground, behind a chain-link fence and trees.
A young boy with red hair wearing a green shirt and rain boots is drawing on a paper with black marker, positioned near a shallow planter with paper and drawings inside, surrounded by a leafy wood chip ground.
An outdoor wooden shed with open doors revealing storage bins and garden tools inside. The shed is situated in a backyard with a wooden fence, trees, and fallen leaves on the ground.

The Children’s Workshop sits in a beautiful corner of Sevenoaks, surrounded by trees, with the forest woven into everyday life. Our outdoor setting gives children space to explore, create, and develop confidence, resilience, and independence. Climbing, balancing, digging, and building offer opportunities to take manageable risks, with adults nearby to support and encourage.

Our Forest School-inspired approach nurtures a connection with nature. Children discover the changing seasons, care for plants and wildlife, and learn to respect the natural world. They also gain practical skills through carefully supported experiences with real tools, from secateurs and saws to peelers and fire strikers, developing concentration, confidence, and an understanding of risk.

The forest is also a place for creativity and discovery. Children plant seeds, make mud sculptures, create natural artwork, explore wildlife, and follow their curiosity.

We spend time outdoors throughout the year, whatever the weather. Rain, mud, frost, sunshine, and fallen leaves each bring new possibilities. At The Children’s Workshop, outdoor life isn't an occasional activity; it's an essential part of childhood.

Our Forest

Say hello.

We'd love to hear from you! Whether you're thinking about joining The Children's Workshop, would like to arrange a visit, or simply have a question, please get in touch using the form below. We'll be happy to help.