Introduction

Every Forest School site is unique; you design it to meet the needs of the group and to fit the environment you are working in, usually in negotiation with the land owner.

The most important aspect is safety, some sites may require preparation (such as tree surgery, removal of debris etc) to make them safe and secure. The Forest School leader will regularly risk assess the site to ensure continued site safety, please see the Health and Safety page for more details.

The site may be within your setting’s grounds or an offsite location, however even if you are using an offsite location you will use your grounds for some of the initial sessions to prepare the children. The site should be a natural area (not necessarily woodland) and materials can be imported if you do not have them on your site. Your site could range in complexity from no field features to a fully constructed shelter and fire area with specially designed areas for hygiene, creative art, tool use, fast games, throwing games, flora monitoring amongst other ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within your settings grounds

If your Forest School site is within your setting’s grounds you will need to consider whether you want the children to access the area outside the normal Forest School sessions, such as playtimes. If not, some sort of boundary will need to be created. This could be temporary such as cones, ropes or markers, or permanent such as fencing or hedging.

You may wish to create a plan for your site. The School Grounds Advisory Team [link to David Yates team pages to follow shortly] can help schools and settings by creating plans free of charge. When planning your site, consider the sort of activities you want to be able to do. Some ideas are listed below:

• Fire triangle and seating circle will need a sheltered clearing.

• Areas of long grass and log piles are great for minibeast hunts.

• You may wish to designate a ‘digging area’ or a ‘flower picking area’

• If possible, include an area of Coppice Woodland, using Hazel and possibly Hornbeam and/or Sweet Chestnut. Only use the latter species in situations where they will not cause a problem if, for some reason, coppicing does not take place in the future.

• Include the following useful plants:

o Goat Willow (for weaving)

o Elder (for stems)

o Dogwood (for weaving)

o Honeysuckle (for natural rope)

o Scots Pine (for cones)

o Hazel (for poles)

o Silver Birch

o Holm Oak

 

It is beneficial for wildlife to include as wide a range of different types of native tree as possible.

Avoid planting large trees close to the boundary where they might annoy neighbours.

If possible, include a few fruit trees in an orchard area. If pears are used, there will need to be at least two in order to allow pollination. Many common wild plants are also edible such as blackberry and nettles.

While new trees are growing, some sense of enclosure and shelter can be created through the use of hazel or willow hurdles or screens.

A few trees with prickles (such as Holly) are usually acceptable if placed away from the edges of rides where people have to brush past, but Blackthorn is best avoided.

Include a composting system for leaf litter.

Materials can be imported if you have not got them on your site. You may consider importing large logs and poles (for creating shelters, seating etc), elder, willow, different seeds and leaves (for craft activities). You may be able to source these materials from local landowners.

 

Offsite Locations

If you are using an offsite location, a woodland environment is ideal. The site is likely to be more established than your settings grounds with some mature trees. The Forest School site should be an open clearing within the woodland, with clear, safe access routes to and from it.

The layout of the site and some activities will have to be negotiated with the landowner, especially if you want to establish semi-permanent structures such as a fire triangle, seating circle and shelters. If you are hoping to harvest materials, such as poles, and light a fire you will need to obtain permission from the landowner. You may also need to consider if other groups will be using the same area and for what purpose. If permanent features are not appropriate on your site; effective temporary shelters can be made with tarpaulins or parachutes hoisted over secure branches and small fires can be made in purpose-built containers that can be carried to and from the site. If more permanent features will be part of your site, ensure they are created with green wood and that strong cordage is used. These structures should be checked for safety as part of the pre-session risk assessment. Structures could include different shelters (tepee, lean-to, bender etc), various seating or benches, tables, fencing and fire area. These may take longer to build than the temporary structures, but are great opportunities for developing teamwork, problem solving and communication skills when they are constructed by the children.

 

Site Maintenance

Any Forest School site will require a degree of maintenance which will vary depending on the features of the site and how often it is used. The maintenance will need to be arranged with the landowner and it may be appropriate to create a management plan for the area. A management plan will outline what action needs to be taken and when to do it, to minimise disturbance to the wildlife. Possible site maintenance may include; coppicing areas, clearing areas of shrubs/bramble/nettles, removing invasive plant species, mowing & raking area of meadow, planting regimes, clearing pond vegetation, and checking and repairing of features such as fencing, paths, seating and shelters. You may need to negotiate with the landowner about who will be undertaking the work. Many of these jobs could be done within the Forest School programme by the children. Other options are; to invite parents to form working parties, add jobs to your NCC grounds contract (if site is on your settings grounds), or contact an organisation such as the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) to arrange a groups of volunteers.

 

Site Degradation

If your site is being used frequently you will need to be aware of signs of degradation such as soil erosion, and over use of trees/plants. These signs are things that can be observed when the Forest School Leader undertakes their regular risk assessments. If your site is becoming degraded, a possible solution is to use different locations on a rotational basis. This would allow each location time to recover between the periods of heavy use. Other options may be to limit the harvesting of materials from particular trees/plants and instead import materials from a more sustainable source. You could also limit access to particular areas or create ‘quiet zones’ at certain times of year, for example in areas where you are aware that birds are nesting.

 

Resources

• Example plans of School Grounds with Forest School areas: Litcham

• For advice regarding trees within your school grounds please contact the Arboricultural and Woodland staff at Norfolk County Council (NCC) who will answer any questions you may have relating to trees or NCC’s Tree Policy.