The Wildwood Club was established in summer 2022 by me, Rachael. I am an experienced teacher with a love of the outdoors and a passion for getting children (and their adults!) outside.​ I have worked with children from Early Years up to the end of Key Stage two and began training for my Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification in September 2021, qualifying in August 2022.

 

I discovered Forest School whilst my own children were small and loved the ethos of participant led learning, time to explore new experiences at our own pace and the restorative nature of time spent outdoors. I say ‘our’ deliberately - Forest School is not just for children! We can all benefit hugely from these experiences and I am committed to continuing to grow and learn in order to improve my practice and share this wonderful philosophy with others.

 

One of the principles of Forest School is to promote environmental awareness and encourage sustainability and I believe that being outdoors in all seasons and nurturing a curiosity about the natural world is what supports this. In order to protect the environment we need to feel connected to it and this is at the very heart of what The Wildwood Club aims to do.  

 

I am passionate about making outdoor experiences accessible to all children and their families. There are many barriers to accessing natural environments and I hope to be able to address some of these in my practice. This is an ongoing learning process and I welcome suggestions alongside continued professional development to enable The Wildwood Club to be as inclusive and accessible as possible.

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My qualifications and good practice requirements:

• Level 3 Forest School Leader - Cambium

• Qualified Teacher Status (PGCE)

• Outdoor First Aid

• Paediatric First Aid

• Enhanced DBS

• Forest School Public Liability Insurance