About Us

Rachel Swan (Level 3 Forest School Practitioner).

As a child growing up I was always in the great outdoors. I really disliked being shut in and therefore I was out whatever the weather. We kept horses when I was young and I have many fond memories of long days spent hacking across the South Downs, making rope swings with my friends and climbing trees. Growing up I attended Brownie and Guide camps and I remember the sunny warm evenings playing wide games, cooking marshmallows and sleeping under canvas. There is no better feeling than the mud under your feet and the feeling of fulfillment after a day spent in the fresh air.  Now that I am all grown up I enjoy taking my family to the Lake District on walking holidays and my children love nothing more than camping on a site that still allows you to have campfires. All of my working life I have worked with children, first as a pediatric nurse, then as a school nurse and finally as a nursery teacher. I love my job and I enjoy seeing the children learning outside. The thirst for discovery inside every young child never ceases to amaze me! All of my experiences led me to do my  Forest School training and is was the best course that I have ever taken.

Alex Sandford (Level 3 Forest School Practitioner)

I am a trained teacher with 24 years experience working with children from ages 3-13 and I am also a forest school leader.

I am passionate about wildlife and the environment and I am never happier than when I am sitting in the middle of a woodland watching children learn about the world around them and discovering and experiencing the joy of being outdoors and the natural world. The positive effect that forest school can have on all children but, in particular those with low self-esteem is the main reason why I am so passionate about this way of learning and why I feel that it is something that all children and young adults should have a chance to experience.