The Outdoors Group Podcast

We've taken a bit of a mid-season break from our theme of training that has been woven throughout this series because we had an amazing opportunity to connect with someone that we didn't want to turn down! In this episode, it was an absolute pleasure to talk to Maria José Obando from Little Paws Outdoor Classroom in Vancouver about the provision that she runs in the city. We discussed what her sessions look like, how it is running sessions in a very urban space and her plans for Little Paws. We chatted about the outdoor education scene in Canada and her experience of the benefits of Forest School sessions for the children she works with. It was such an uplifting and positive conversation to have and we're so grateful to Maria for her time. You can find out more about her work at www.littlepawsoutdoors.com.

In this episode, we were absolutely delighted to be joined by Tamara Norris, an outdoor educator based on the island of Lamma in Hong Kong. Tamara joined us to talk about her experience of doing her Forest School Leader Training with us and how she uses it now on the other side of the world. We talked about how a Canadian childhood has embedded her love of outdoor learning, the challenges of risk assessing in a setting where poisonous snakes are present and how the changing climate is affecting her sessions. We also discussed how it is delivering Forest School sessions in a culture that is risk-averse and her approach to this.It was a joyful and vibrant conversation, and it was such a pleasure to hear about the incredible work she's doing in Hong Kong and China.

In this episode, we were delighted to venture out of county to visit The Donkey Den, which is just outside of Taunton. We were there to talk to Claire and Mark, who both completed their Forest School Leader Training with us about their experience of training and the incredible work they do. We spoke about what Equine Facilitated Learning looks like for them, the bereavement support work they do and how their work has gone from strength to strength since opening. We also discussed why we need Forest School more than ever and their colleague Caroline joined us to tell us about her experience of doing Forest School Leader Training at Bridgwater College - the OG (original!) Forest School trainer in the UK! It was a really fun and informative episode and we loved every minute of our time on their beautiful site! To find out more about what they do, visit https://www.thedonkeyden.org/.

In this latest episode, we were delighted to head to the beautiful Dartington estate to sit by the river and chat with Emilia Bishop. Emilia is an experienced First Aid trainer who delivers our Paediatric & Forest School First Aid courses. We met up to talk about her very unique approach to first aid training - one that is run entirely outdoors, is trauma-informed and completely power point free! We spoke about why she runs courses the way she does, the importance of delivering training in the areas where you might end up giving first aid and her passion for first aid training for all. It was a really interesting and thought-provoking conversation and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did having it! For information about the First Aid training we deliver, please head over to www.outdoorsgroup.co.uk/first-aid.

In this episode, we were delighted to sit down and talk with Sue Searle, Managing Director and Principal Ecologist at Ecology Training UK. Sue joined us to talk about her journey to ecology, and the work she does training a whole new generation of ecologists.We talked about her decision to become a Forest School Leader, her experience of training with us, what she wants to do with it and why she thinks it's so important for those working in outdoor education to have a strong ecological understanding of the spaces they work in.You can find out more about the training her company offers over at www.ecologytraining.co.uk.

In this episode, we were delighted to be back in the woods at Exmouth Forest School. This time, we were meeting Jen Lovatt, a recent attendee on one of our regular Forest School Leader Training courses. Jen joined us to talk about her journey that led to her finding herself in the woods earlier this year, what surprised her when got there and her experience of the training. We also chatted about what she loves about Forest School and what she hopes to do next. If your interest was piqued and you'd like to find out more about our training, you can do so at: ITC Level 3 Forest School Leader Training - The Outdoors Group.

In this episode, we were absolutely delighted to visit Escot Forest School and sit down with the Site Lead, Chris Moore. We chatted about how he found his way to the world of Forest School and outdoor education, his experience of training with us almost a decade ago and talked about what it's like managing one of our Forest School sites. We chatted about his late discovery of his love of woodwork, how he uses D&D during sessions and talked about the realities of what his job looks like on a daily basis. It was a really fun and interesting conversation to have and we hope you enjoy listening to it!

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by Gemma Meredith-Chapman, our new Outreach Manager at The Outdoors Group. She joined us to talk about her new role and her plans for this area of the business. We discussed the benefits of Forest School sessions for school groups and in particular, how it can help learners struggling with anxiety or those with SEMH (social, emotional & mental health) needs. We also talked about community building and how we work with local groups to provide natural spaces for those who want to incorporate some outdoor wellbeing into the work they do. Gemma shared some of her plans for her new role as well as telling us about some of the work she's currently doing, including her work with an Outdoor Therapist with refugee women from Exeter. It was fantastic to hear what her plans are, and we look forward to seeing this side of the business develop over the coming weeks and months. To find out more about the Outreach provision that we offer, please visitOutreach Programmes from The Outdoors Group.

In this episode, I was joined by our Executive Headteacher Robyn Vincent and our Executive Deputy-Headteacher, Jonathan Breeze to talk about a very current topic. They joined me to discuss toxic masculinity, feminism and how they address these very sensitive and important issues with the learners at The Outdoors School. It was a really interesting and thought-provoking discussion, and we talked about role modelling, being open with the young people we work with and a whole host of related topics including fake news and the pressures that young people face from social media. *This episode comes with a trigger warning as we discuss sensitive issues including eating disorders and suicide.

In this episode, we were so delighted to be joined by Dr Jim Rogers. Although with his incredibly impressive bank of knowledge and experience we could have been talking about a lot of different topics, this time he was with us to talk about the Danish school trips he organises and Nordic Schools. We discussed why he started running these trips, what they look like and started to delve into what it is about schools in Denmark that is so different for our schools in the UK. We talked about the importance of collaboration, about not forgetting to celebrate our achievements whilst looking at improvements and a whole host more (including wild swimming!) We referred to several things in the episode that we promised to put in the show notes so for those of you interested in those links, here they are: PISA: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa.html#publicationsTIMMS and PIRLS: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/Oracy: www.greatoracytoolkit.co.uk Where you can find out more about Jim's work: www.drjimrogers.co.ukNordic Schools: www.nordischools.eu

In this episode, I was absolutely delighted to be joined by Rob Himburg, Director of Upland Hills School in Michigan. We met on teams to discuss the history of this very special school, their unique approach to education and what they mean by the phrase 'a love-based education.' We chatted about how the outdoors is woven into everything they do, the benefits of mixed age groups in schools, what learner-led education looks like for them and heard some fantastic examples of this all in action. We also discussed the work Rob does for young people with ADHD and their families, running summer camps as well as hearing a little bit about his psychology background that informs a lot of the work he does. It was an inspiring and enjoyable discussion and we're very grateful to Rob for his time and the nourishing conversation! If you'd like to find out more about the school, you can do so over at https://uplandhills.org/.

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined by educational management consultant and lecturer Flo Besse, and deputy head of The Outdoors School, Jon Breeze. We met to talk about the rather heavy topic of 'behaviour'. We discussed what we mean when we talk about behaviour and the mainstream approaches to managing behaviour and behaviour policies. We talked about why punitive and tariff-based behaviour policies don't tend to work and proposed a radical alternative, that we use ourselves at The Outdoors School. We discussed adults applying their own biases to behaviour and talked about treating children in a more understanding way, supporting them with any behaviours that might be having negative impacts on themselves and those around them, rather than applying a punishment that doesn't get to the root cause behind the behaviour. It was such an interesting discussion and one we really enjoyed having - we hope you find it an engaging and useful conversation to listen to!

Following her workshop at our Outdoor Learning Conference earlier this spring, we were delighted to be joined by Anna Harrison for this episode. Anna works as a Nature Engagement Officer for the National Trust, on the Killerton estate. She joined us to talk about the work she is doing within the National Trust, the community-based approach they take to conservation and her experience of working on this huge and diverse estate. It was a really interesting and inspiring conversation, and we loved hearing about the collaborative approach she's been taking with other conservation organisations and local community groups.

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined once again by Adrian Ferraro, from The Bioasis. We sat down with Senco & Assistant Headteacher at The Outdoors School, Hannah Brewer, to talk about resilience. We chatted about the mental health crisis that is currently facing children and young people and dipped our toes into some of the possible causes. Then we took a deep dive into resilience and growth mindset, talking about why resilience is such an important practice for people of all ages and how we can support the young people we work with to build resilience in positive, meaningful ways. As always, it was a fantastic conversation and one that left us thinking about the topic for days afterwards. There was a lot to digest and to take on board and we felt really inspired and encouraged as a result of the meeting of minds.

In this episode, we were delighted to sit down with the Head of our Alternative Outdoor Provision, Nigel Stanley. Nigel joined us to talk about our approach to alternative provision at The Outdoors Group. We talked about how this area of our business works, what this provision looks like for the young people we work with, why it works so well and our plans for the future. We also discussed how we can embrace an unstructured Forest School approach whilst also providing structure for those of our learners who may need it. For those wanting to know a little more about what we do, or pondering about how the outdoors can be the perfect setting for Alternative Provision, this is the episode for you!

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by Rob Cartwright, Core Intervention Lead at The Outdoors School. We spoke about what his role involves, the approach to literacy and numeracy that we take and how we work with learners who might previously have struggled to engage with these key building blocks of learning. It was a really interesting and enjoyable conversation and a pleasure to hear Rob talking so passionately about literacy and the work he does.

Ahead of his appearance at our upcoming Outdoor Learning Conference, we were delighted to be joined by Mike King for this episode. We connected online to discuss his experience of outdoor education and in particular, his work with learners with SEN (Special Educational Needs). We chatted about his school, Releasing Potential and how they are breaking the mould and doing things very differently in the way they work with their learners. We also spoke about his experience of being part of the Insitute of Outdoor Learning and discussed, in great depth, Glasser's Choice Theory. I found it to be a really interesting and thought provoking episode and can't wait to hear more from him at the conference. If you're listening to this before the 24th February 2025 and work in education, why not consider joining us for our free Outdoor Learning Conference in Exeter. You can find more details at www.outdoorsgroup.co.uk/outdoor-learning-conference-2025. We'd love to see you there!

In this episode, we were delighted to be sitting outside in the sun at our South Brent site to talk to two parents of some of our learners from The Outdoors School. Amongst other things, we talked about their previous school experiences, why they chose us for their children, their first impressions and how their children found it and the progress their kids have made during their time with us. Community is such a cornerstone of what we do, and it was so important to us to be able to represent the parent voice of The Outdoors School on this podcast as they are such a vital part of our school community. It was an enjoyable and touching conversation to have, and we felt so fortunate for the opportunity. We hope that you enjoy listening just as much and to find out more about what we're doing at the school, head over to www.theoutdoorsschool.co.uk.

In this, our first episode of Season 6, we've been joined once more by one of our directors Shev Pring to talk about the concept of experiential learning. This educational approach is at the heart of everything we do here at The Outdoors Group and this conversation was well overdue on the podcast! We discussed the history of this approach and the contributions made by the forefathers, David Kolb and John Dewey before looking at how it works in practice, what makes it so effective and why it's a fantastic way to approach education. We mused on the difference between a learner being intrinsically and extrinsically motivated, how this might affect the embedding of their learning and Shev gave some fantastic practical tips for those looking to incorporate experiential learning into their teaching or facilitation. It was a really interesting and engaging conversation to be part of and as always, we hope that you enjoy listening just as much as we did making the episode!

For the final episode of season 5 of The Outdoors Group Podcast, we were delighted to be invited to On The Hill, who are based in the beautiful Teign Valley in South Devon. We met one of the directors of this community interest company, Jo Clark, to discuss the story of On The Hill. We chatted about where they originated, the land based learning that they do and most importantly, what drives the work that they undertake. We discussed connecting young people with the world around them and the food they eat, the importance of having breaks from screens and why community is at the heart of everything they do. It was such a nourishing and engaging conversation to be part of and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much as we did having it! To find out more about the work they do, head to https://www.onthehill.camp. This was the season finale of Season 5 and what a way to go out! If you'd like to discuss being a guest on our next season, please drop us an email on marcomms@outdoorsgroup.co.uk. But until then, as always, thanks for listening!