About us
Treetops Nursery is a family-run business, established in 2018, with locations in Mulbarton, Easton, Attleborough and Hethersett. Led by Andrew and Shane—who, as parents of four adopted children, understand the importance of high-quality childcare—the nursery promotes heuristic play and incorporates approaches such as ‘Neutrals and Naturals’ and the ‘Curiosity Approach’. Treetops fosters children’s imagination and development through purposeful exploration of their environment and is actively involved in supporting the local community. The mission of Treetops is to provide a nurturing, inspiring, and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.
Andrew Didwell
Manager & Founder
BA (Hons) Early Years Childhood Studies Degree (Level 6), Safeguarding Lead Practitioner. Prevent Expert.
My Name is Andrew & I have worked in childcare for over 17 years, qualifying in July 2012 with a Ba (hons) Early Childhood Studies Degree (Level 6). I found my passion in Early Years Education at a young age when volunteering in a local children’s nursery, watching how my personal input into play & education helped a group of children to flourish & grow was really awe inspiring and tailored my future career which I have never looked back upon.
Whilst working in an array of different nurseries whilst gaining my qualifications, I then worked my way up the Eary Years Ladder & in 2015 I was offered a role of Managing my own nursery! In 2018 I then had the opportunity to open my very own nursery, Treetops Nursery Mulbarton, a chance to embed my own ethos, curriculum & show the world what Treetops was all about! I am proud to say that we now have 5 Treetops branches & have grown from 3 staff in 2018 to now over 65 staff members across our Treetops family!
Early years isn’t just a career for me, it’s a passion & I absolutely adore visiting all 5 of my Treetops nurseries and supporting all staff & interacting with all of the children. I find it hard to not jump straight into the rooms and get involved with the daily planned activities when I step into the nursery rooms!
I look forward to meeting you, if you feel Treetops Nursery is the right choice not only for your child, but for your family.
Shane Didwell
Nursery Director & Owner
Speech & Language (Level 4). Early Years Educator (Level 3). Safeguarding Lead Practitioner.
My name is Shane, and I have been part of Treetops since its inception. Level 3 qualified and an adoptive parent of four, I am deeply committed to providing high-quality, engaging, and nurturing childcare. My role involves continuously developing our settings to meet the evolving needs of children, while fostering a dedicated and passionate team environment.
I place great importance on building strong partnerships with families and am proud of our efforts at Treetops to support, inform, and actively engage parents and carers. My professional background encompasses business, service improvement, and human resources, complemented by six years of experience in Early Years education.
I look forward to contributing further to the ongoing success and growth of Treetops, and to supporting the children, families, and team members who are at the heart of our community.
Our values
We do this by creating a beautiful, engaging and stimulating setting for our children. We use lots of natural colours, textures and themes inside, as well as encouraging lots of outdoor play. You won’t find any distracting, garish colours in our nursery - we choose muted tones and tactile sensory resources which our children love to explore.
We form strong partnerships and listen to the opinions and wishes of all our parents/carers and children. We champion an inclusive learning environment and will support the differing needs of all. We encourage families to share their unique cultures and traditions and strive to foster a sense of community in all of our children.
We are there to support, guide and encourage our children and we believe that children blossom when given an environment where they can choose, try and learn for themselves. This helps to build confidence and promotes independence, enabling children to become self-motivated learners and individuals.
As early years practitioners we have an integral role in shaping the choices our children make around health and wellbeing. We aim to build strong foundations with regard to healthy eating and physical activity which will benefit the children long-term. As such we provide free healthy snacks to all.
When children are having fun, learning comes naturally and easily. Children are much more likely to remember their experiences when they're enjoying themselves and this learning will stay with them as they develop and grow. When children enjoy their play this promotes a healthy desire to learn both now and later in life.
Join our journey
Discover a world of learning through heuristic play. Get in contact to book your visit and meet our team of childcare professionals.