Forest Fest 2022 – book early!
6th March 2022
The forest school weekend of the year is back 14-15 May and tickets are now on sale, with early bird offers up to the end of March. Book now for an event packed with; original CPD sessions, networking, discussion, games, campfire and an award winning curry, plus camping for those who want to make a night of it. Forest Fest is for everyone interested in forest school, whether you are Bradford-based or not, a member or not, practising forest school practitioner, training to be one, or just interested in forest school and want to find out more.
For further details, visit the Events page
New CPD – working in Bradford woodlands
1st March 2022
If you work in Bradford woodlands, or are planning to do so, you should take a look at this new CPD session. The Bradford Council Assistant Woodlands Manager, Ed Brightman will lead a walk and discussion about using the woodlands for forest school, including tree risk assessments, pests, diseases and invasive species and the impacts of forest school. Ed and fellow forest school practitioners will be on hand to answer questions and discuss how we can work together to look after the woods we use for forest school. Book tickets: Click here
Get Out More are recruiting
18th February 2022
Bradford social enterprise Get Out More CIC are expanding and recruiting for two new positions this spring: Forest School Practitioner and Operations Manager
Operations Manager
The Operations Manager is a key addition to our Senior Leadership Team and will manage the smooth running of Get Out More’s range of services, ensuring we are making best use of our people, processes and resources to deliver a programme which delivers our mission. You will be an exceptionally well organised and efficient individual used to dealing with a diverse workload and able to meet deadlines. You will be managing a small staff team and overseeing a range of projects so a strong communicator with good interpersonal, numeracy and IT skills is important to us.
Salary: £27,675 per annum pro rata plus pension contribution
Hours: 22.5 hours per week (with some flexibility with hours and workplace)
Closing Date: Monday 7th March, by midnight
Forest School Practitioner
To provide services as a forest school practitioner for Get Out More projects in schools, nurseries and out of school settings. You should be a skilled, experienced and enthusiastic Forest School Practitioner able to deliver a broad range of forest schools and outdoor learning activities for children, young people and adults. You will be passionate about nature and the outdoors and keen to share your skills with others. You must be confident, able and plan and deliver exciting outdoor activities that engage the communities with which we work and be able to work on your own initiative.
Hours: 18.75 hours per week –
Salary: £20,600 per annum pro rata plus pension contribution
Contract: 1 year with possibility to extend dependent on funding
Closing Date: Friday 18th March, bymidnight
For the Job Descriptions and details of how to apply visit the Get Out More website
Forest Fest is back – catch the Early Bird offers!
20th July 2021
After an online version last year, Forest Fest is back this September. Bradford Forest School Network’s highlight event of the year will be live and in person at Low Wood campsite in Keighley 18-19 Sept. This annual gathering of forest school practitioners and people interested in forest school looks set to be one of the most exciting yet with wellbeing sessions, reflective practice, grass sledging and axe throwing all on the programme, plus much more. There is camping available for those who want to make a weekend of it, or people can come for the day, all rounded off with a superb Keighley curry around the campfire in the evening.
Bookings are open now and there are very good discounts available for people booking before the 1 August. See Events page for details
BFSN Members Lobby Local MP
15th March 2021
In February, following a Twitter conversation, Ruth McBain & Annie Berrington (Get Out More CIC) virtually met with their MP for Keighley & Ilkley, Robbie Moore (Cons), to raise his awareness of learning in nature (including Forest School). They highlighted the growing need and relative safety of it, with a particular focus on the impact of Covid 19, lockdown and school closures on children and young people in their constituency. Joining them were Anne Hunt (CEO, Council for Learning Outside the Classroom) and Fiona Groves (Education & Policy Manager (UK), The Wildlife Trusts) who stated the incredibly strong evidence-base for the positive impacts of learning in & connecting with nature and the amazing projects and practice being delivered already.
The team requested support for the Nature Premium campaign and the Turning Learning Inside Out Consortium . Robbie Moore agreed to lobby for the role of contact and connection with nature as part of Covid-19 recovery planning with the aim of making school-based experiences mandatory (& thus funded), to lobby Select Committees (including EFRA which he sits on, Education & Health), to talk about the subject in chamber (when allowed) and to regroup to provide feedback.
Thanks go to FSA Directors Sara Collins and Sarah Lawfull for their support throughout the whole process. Any feedback will be reported back here, in due course. In the meantime, please feel encouraged to make contact with your own MP and become advocates for nature connection (eg through Forest School) and the Nature Premium. Please also highlight the Nature Premium petition through your own spheres of influence (social media, local press, friendship groups, clubs, schools etc) because we all have an important message to share about the need to facilitate nature’s role in nurturing ALL children.
New! Forest School CPD on Zoom
11th January 2021
While we can’t meet together, we’ve taken some forest school support online with the first of a series on online CPD sessions to help people get set up with forest school. Bradford Forest School Network member Get Out More CIC is running a couple of after school Zoom session targeted at Bradford schools in their Forest Pathways programme, but the invitation is extended to members of Bradford Forest School Network and anyone with an interest in the subject. The days are still cold and short and we can’t go anywhere – its the perfect time to develop forest school skills ready to get going with forest school later in the year.
27 Jan, 3.30pm: Forest School Basics: your questions about set-up, finding sites, getting the right insurance, sourcing equipment etc answered by experienced forest school practitioners.
9 Feb, 3.30pm: Risk Assessment for Forest School; the what, how and why of assessing and managing risk at forest school with Annie Berrington and Clare Proctor of Get Out More CIC
Tickets are free to schools in the Forest Pathways programme and full members of Bradford Forest School Network, and just £5 to anyone else.
Go to the Events page to book your tickets.
Covid-19: BFSN Support for Practitioners
8th October 2020
The global pandemic presents us all with many challenges, including here in Bradford where infection rates are high. But with the knowledge that infection spreads far less easily outdoors and that children and adults will benefit from time spent in nature, Bradford Forest School Network is keen to support practitioners to deliver forest schools as safely as possible.
We are running a second ‘Apapting your Forest School to Covid-19’ skills share later this month to share and develop ideas to deliver forest school activities during the pandemic. Members can have a look at the Covid 19 risk /benefit analysis on the Resources page which we’ve drawn up to help each other consider all the risks and how we can put in place measures to mitigate them.
If you are not already a member, sign up now to receive the newsletter and details of other training that is planned for this autumn and winter. Its free to be an Associate member and just £30 to get the added benefits of Full membership
We’re back!
3rd July 2020
Bradford Forest School Network is planning to resume its programme of support, events and meetings as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
Our annual AGM will take place on Wednesday 15 July, via Zoom. All are welcome to join the conversation, help elect officers for the various roles and plan for the year ahead. Contact us for the zoom link if you’d like to join in.
We’re kickstarting our events programme on 16 July with a Skills Share on Adapting to Covid-19 Tickets are free to full members and just £5 for associate and non members.
Watch this space for more training and skillshares which will be programmed as restrictions allow
Covid-19 and Bradford Forest School Network
18th March 2020
Bradford Forest School Network has put all its events on hold until further notice. We hope to reschedule later in the year and once again be able to provide a full programme of support to our members and forest school practitioners beyond our network.
We recognise that the current crisis will mean many of our members are unable to work, and for some that means they are also unable to earn a living. This may be a daunting and anxious time, especially for those who work on their own. We would like to extend our support to any forest school practitioners at this time. Please stay in contact e.g through the Facebook page. Reach out, ask questions, or just vent frustrations. We will try and post information, ideas and leads that may be useful. We are a community and are here for each other.
Woodland Heritage Activity Programme at Hardcastle Crags – CANCELLED
3rd February 2020
This event has been cancelled and will hopefully be reschuled for later in the year
The Celebrating our Woodland Heritage Project has some exciting activities at Hardcastle Crags this winter. The project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Yorkshire Water, Newground Together and the Green Bank Trust and supported by the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at University of Bradford is slowly coming to a close after over 3 years of community archaeological investigations, forest schools, festivals, workshops and a conference across the South Pennines.
But before it closes you can take part in some fascinating workshops over in Calderdale. See below for details and go to the National Trust’s Hardcastle Crags events page for booking details.
Sunday 16th February – Charcoal Clamp construction
- This one day drop in workshop to build a demonstration traditional charcoal clamp in the woodland on the location of an original charcoal burning site.
- Outdoors activity – wear warm clothing and gloves, and sturdy footwear
- Sun Feb 16th 2020, drop in session,
Sunday 23rd February – Willow fence making
- Workshop building a 6m section of living fence ( Grant, this is your call, and we can make a non-living fence if preferred)
- Outdoor workshop – wear warm clothes and footwear
- Sun Feb 23rd 2020, 2 sessions (6 places per session):11am – 1pm; 1.30pm -3.30pm
Sunday 15th March – Willow Pig Sculpture
- We’ll be working on parts of a life-size willow pig sculpture over the day.
- Indoor session, but dress warmly
- Sun Mar 15th, 3 x one and a half hour bookable sessions, with 6 spaces on each session: 10-11.30am, 12 – 1.30pm, 2 – 3.30pm
Wednesday 25th March – Building a life size wood logging horse
- We’ll be working on building Nathan, the heavy horse in situ
- Outdoor activity in the woods, dress warmly
- Wed Mar 25th, 2 x 2 hour bookable sessions, 6 spaces per session: 10.30 – 12.30pm, 1.30 – 3.30pm
