About Forest School SNPT
Forest School Swansea Neath Port Talbot was set up in 2001 as a charity and company limited by guarantee aiming to provide Forest School opportunities for children and young people across the whole of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. Our aims are to raise self-esteem and self-confidence and raise awareness and appreciation of the natural environment.
We now have 5 part-time staff, a team of Leaders and Assistants employed on a sessional basis and a pool of volunteers.
What We Do
Project Delivery
On-going sessions
Visit our Whats On page
Projects
To be confirmed
Staff Development and Teambuilding
– a special half day or day to inspire your staff, get them out of the office, face individual and team challenges and have fun. More details here or Contact us to book
Forest Fun Parties
– “That was the best party…EVER!” – Tom (age 8) More details here or Contact us to book.
Training
We are excited about spreading the knowledge and training others to deliver Forest School and use the outdoors for learning and play.
Accredited training
We offer a wide range of Outdoor Learning and Forest School courses both unaccredited and fully accredited by Agored Cymru. Many of our courses are also now accredited by the Institute for Outdoor Learning.
INSET & CPD Days
We can design bespoke training for groups or schools across all Key Stages. Find out more about Inset days.
Locations
We have a variety of special Forest School sites across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot so we can match a group to the best site for their needs. The woodlands are provided by The Penllergare Trust, City & County of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Natural Resources Wales, Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trust of Wales.
Information & Support
We can provide information, support to get you started on your outdoor learning journey and to support your project. We are keen to work in partnership with you to get more people outside. Contact us
Who We Are
Jackie Dorrian
Forest School Manager
Jackie is the Manager at Forest School SNPT, taking care of our operations and administration. Jackie has a wealth of experience in the field of children’s play and working in nature. She has worked in the public, private and voluntary sector, using her breadth of knowledge and experience of project management and operational management. One of her passions is working in an holistic way. She is delighted to be working as be part of a team of like-minded individuals.
Katy Gibbon
Forest School SNPT Training Administrator
Katy has recently joined the team as Training Administrator. As a mother of three children and a lover of the outdoors, with experience of play development and working as a TA Katy has developed a real understanding of the benefits of nature on the physical and mental health of children and young people. She believes that everyone should have the opportunity to connect with nature and benefit from its capacity to enable individuals to build confidence and self esteem, creating healthier and happier individuals.
Sasha North
Forest School Administrator
Forest School
Karen Jones
Forest School Leader / Trainer
With a degree in Environmental Education and a PGCE in Secondary Education, Karen brings a woodland management and science background to her role. She runs Seedlings sessions and delivers training at all levels.
Emma North
Forest School Trainer
I joined the Forest School SNPT family in 2010 after completing my Level 3 Forest School Leader
Training with them.
I was sat in the woods one day with a group of hard-to-reach young people, I was supporting them
through my work with Fairbridge. We were working with Forest School SNPT and watching the way
that the practitioners engaged with the young people, and seeing first hand how effective the Forest
School approach was I said to myself I want to do this! Fairbridge offered Adventurous activities and
personal development training to what they described as the hardest to reach young people. This
was a great approach, but Forest School went deeper somehow, was more connected and looked at
the young people as whole individuals rather than a set of problems to be solved. I was inspired and
did my leader training.
I have been working as a Forest School leader since then, working with all kinds of groups and
individuals in many different settings.
Alongside this I have worked with many other organisations delivering outdoor learning of one kind
or another. Nature connection is my passion – experiencing nature and the natural world brings out
the best in people, I have always believed this and experienced it, it is no surprise to me that
scientific research has caught up!
I have a degree in Biology, and qualifications in teaching, play, youth and community work and art –
so an all-round creative, connected individual!
I am now also delivering Forest School training, alongside Karen. It is fantastic to be able to pass on
the passion I have to other like-minded individuals. With the changes to both the curriculum in
Wales and people’s attitudes to the benefits of being outdoors in nature I believe we are well placed
to make a real difference to people’s lives. What a wonderful thing to be able to say!
Pixie Taylor
Forest School Leader
Pixie has been a Forest School leader since 2002 and has been a part of Forest School SNPT’s inspiring and nurturing team ever since. A lot of her childhood was spent playing outdoors and having all sorts of adventures in wooded and wild places. She feels passionately that is vital for us to enable and encourage children today to connect with the natural environment.
Sessional Staff Team
We have a fantastic team of sessional Forest School Leaders and Assistants who work for us. If you are interested in working with us visit our Training Courses for guidance on the relevant qualification you’d need and then get in touch.
Volunteers
Some volunteers come out to Forest School sessions and support staff on a regular weekly basis and others for occasional days now and then. To find out more about becoming a volunteer visit our Volunteering page.
Other ways to get involved
There are lots of other ways to support us. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and share our news. Spread the word about the great benefits of Forest School and getting children outside (see for example The Wild Network) . Sign up to our newsletter for regular updates about what is going on. Make a small donation via our Local Giving site.
Management Committee
The Management Committee meets every three months to oversee the running of the organisation. There are currently 6 members who are also Directors of the company plus some advisors and observers from client groups and partners, giving us support and ensuring our users have a voice in the management of the organisation. Jess Kidd is the current Chair of Forest School SNPT.
Annual Report
Our Annual Report for 2022/23 can be downloaded here
DBS Checks
All staff and volunteers working with our clients have undergone a Disclosure and Barring check.
People we like
Who funds and supports us in 2018
City and County of Swansea (CYP Fund and Gower SDF fund) Co-op Local Causes Postcode Local Sport Wales