Forest School Club - Saturdays - Hartcliffe

Funded by Wessex Water Foundation, through Quartet, Forest School and Conservation sessions at the Heart of BS13 Climate Action Hub.

For 8–15 year olds, with younger siblings aged 5–7 also welcome with a responsible accompanying adult.

Led by our experienced Outdoor Leads, each session will combine playful outdoor learning with hands-on conservation activities such as stream clean-ups, coppicing, planting, and building habitats for wildlife. Light lunch and refreshments provided.

The programme will:
Connect children with nature through Forest School
Restore local biodiversity and habitats
Support community well-being and resilience
Equip young people with practical skills and confidence

By blending environmental action with child-centred outdoor learning, the project will inspire the next generation of nature champions while improving BS13’s green spaces for the whole community.

Light lunch and drinks provided.

Understanding Risk at Forest School:
Forest School is all about learning through exploration, play and challenge. Activities may include adventure play, tree climbing, den building, loose parts play, whittling, outdoor cooking, campfires, nature exploration and environmental activities.
All activities are supervised by staff and delivered in accordance with our risk assessments and insurance requirements. Equipment is regularly inspected and maintained where appropriate.
Unlike many indoor environments, Forest School encourages children to recognise, assess and manage appropriate levels of risk for themselves. This is an important part of developing confidence, resilience, independence and sound judgement.
Children have access to loose parts and open-ended play materials that they can move, build with and adapt during play. They may choose to construct dens, balance structures, obstacle courses or put up hammocks. While staff supervise throughout and intervene where necessary, children are encouraged to make decisions, assess risks and learn from the outcomes of those decisions within clearly defined safety boundaries.
Minor slips, trips, bumps, scrapes, splinters or falls can occur during adventurous play.
Adventure play equipment and loose parts are selected and set up within agreed safety limits, including consideration of fall heights. Staff continually monitor activities and adapt or stop them where necessary to maintain everyone's safety and wellbeing.
We believe these managed risks are an important part of children's learning and help develop confidence, resilience, problem-solving skills and sound judgement.
Outdoor Environment
As sessions take place in natural environments, children may encounter:
Uneven ground, mud, slopes and tree roots
Nettles, brambles and low branches
Insects including bees, wasps, mosquitoes and ticks
Changing weather conditions
We recommend checking your child for ticks after each session.

Clothing:
Please dress your child appropriately for the weather. We spend most of the day outdoors, so suitable clothing is essential.
Long sleeves and long trousers are recommended to help protect against scratches, nettles, insects and ticks.
Bring spare clothes and extra warm layers in a bag.
Waterproofs are recommended in wet weather.
Sturdy, closed-toe footwear must be worn. Please do not send children in sandals, Crocs or open-toed shoes.
In hot weather, please apply sun cream before the session, pack additional sun cream if needed, and ensure your child wears a sun hat.

Medication and Welfare:
Please ensure your child brings any essential medication, such as inhalers, EpiPens or other prescribed medication.

What else should my child bring?
We provide drinking water and food where advertised.
Children are welcome to bring:
A labelled water bottle
Extra snacks (please no nuts, due to allergies)
Please avoid bringing valuable items

Questions?
If you have any questions about the activities, risks or how we support children's safety and wellbeing, please get in touch.
If you would like to stay for part or all of a session to see how activities are delivered or help decide whether the provision is suitable for your child, you are very welcome to do so