All Visits
Sustainability is woven throughout every visit, with our beautiful woodland site serving as an outdoor classroom.
Reception and KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5 and Higher Education.
We have a wide range of topics available including Habitats, Materials, Renewable Energy, Food & Farming, Sustainable Buildings, Anglo-Saxons, Stone Age, Nature Art & Sensory Discovery, Forest Skills and Caring for the Environment.
Please advise us if you have specific curriculum or learning objectives and we will do our best to meet your needs creating a bespoke itinerary for your day.
Most topics can be adapted for different ages and abilities. Please contact us to discuss your group’s needs.
We have a wide range of activities available including shelter building, pond dipping, quadrat plant survey, orienteering, hapa zome leaf printing, chalk carving, green energy bikes, South Downs walk, seed bombs, fire lighting, campfire cooking, team games and much more!
We are happy to create a bespoke itinerary by combining activities of your choice.
We aim to accommodate each child’s individual needs. Please include relevant details on the medical form when booking so we can discuss suitable support.
Please wear suitable clothing for the weather. We have a limited supply of spare wellies, waterproof coats and trousers. We will cancel only if conditions are unsafe and will do our best to reschedule at a convenient time.
As a John Muir Award provider, we offer a programme in which children can become certified Wild Places Guardians by discovering, exploring and connecting with nature. The award requires 25 contact hours, combining learning about an influential environmentalist and the importance of conservation with practical activities and sharing their knowledge with others. It can be completed during a four-night residential stay or across six day visits.
Day Trips
We recommend a group of around 35 pupils, equivalent to one class. For the Food & Farming topic, we can accommodate two classes on the same day.
Arrive at 10am for an introduction, snack and toilet break, followed by activities until lunch at around 12pm. Afternoon activities continue until departure between 2pm and 2.30pm.
Around 4 hours.
Bring your own food and drinks and wear suitable outdoor footwear and clothing for the weather, such as a waterproof coat, warm hat, gloves and scarf, or a sunhat and sunscreen.
Please bring your own lunch; water bottle refill stations are available. From Wednesday to Friday, packed lunches may also be available from our onsite café for an additional charge.
We encourage you to minimise disposable packaging. A week before your visit, we will send an invitation letter with guidance on preparing a zero-waste lunch.
Your group will have exclusive use of a dedicated indoor area with tables and chairs, plus plenty of outdoor space in good weather.
The cost is £11 per pupil, with a minimum charge of £220. Accompanying adults attend free. Some topics incur an additional £1 per pupil for materials.
Schools where at least 30% of pupils receive Free School Meals can apply to our Fair Share Fund, reducing the cost by 80% to £2.20 per pupil.
Residential Trips
We offer 1 night – 4 night residential opportunities.
Our residentials include expert tutor-led activities from 9:30am to 4pm, break-time snacks, a large play field, and exclusive use of the accommodation building, with a contact always available. Meals include dinner at our onsite café, a continental breakfast and packed lunches, except on arrival day. Optional extras are available at an additional cost, including evening activities led by a tutor, a campfire, a storyteller, a farm tour and lunch on arrival day.
We are a popular choice for first-time residential groups because our nurturing approach allows only one group on site at a time. We tailor each visit to individual needs and can adapt the programme throughout the stay.
Our Eco-Hostel accommodates one class of up to 35 pupils and three adults, with a total capacity of 38. Larger groups can also use our Eco-B&B, which accommodates an additional 19 participants at an extra cost.
Our main accommodation is the Eco-Hostel. It includes a kitchen for adults only, a common seating area, bedrooms—most with a bunk bed, single bed and sink—and separate toilets and showers. Your group will have exclusive use of the hostel throughout your stay.
We provide all bedding and towels. Pupils should bring weather-appropriate clothing, sturdy footwear, indoor slippers, a book or cuddly toy, and a torch is useful during the darker months.
Our onsite School Warden lives in the hostel and is on call for out-of-hours emergencies. You will receive the duty phone number when you arrive.
Breakfast is continental-style, with toast and spreads, cereals with milk, and fresh fruit. Daytime snack breaks include squash, biscuits and fruit. A picnic-style lunch offers sandwiches and wraps with various fillings, crisps, fruit and a sweet treat. Dinner is served in the onsite café, with hot options such as pizza, jacket potatoes, curry and macaroni cheese, followed by cake or ice cream. Please note that all our catering is vegetarian.
Note any dietary requirements on the medical form, and we will do our best to accommodate them.
Outdoor learning offers many benefits, including improved mental health and well-being, a stronger connection with nature and an inclusive range of educational opportunities. Memorable, hands-on activities reinforce curriculum learning while building independence, self-esteem, communication and social skills.
Because every residential experience is tailored to the group, prices vary. Base costs for groups of 20 or more students, including three adults, start at £80 for one night, £147 for two nights, £211 for three nights and £278 for four nights. Groups of under 20 will have minimum charges applied.
Alternative Education & Youth Groups
We offer Alternative Education Provision for groups of up to four students accompanied by an adult. Using a child-centred Forest School approach, we make nature the classroom and focus on bushcraft skills. This is beneficial for students who struggle to access mainstream education.
All our educational offerings are open to home educators; we don’t charge any accompanying adults. We also run Forest School sessions on Mondays during term time: mornings are for children aged 2–5, and afternoons for those aged 6–16.
All our educational programmes are open to youth and community groups. We have welcomed Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Guides, Sea Cadets, foster groups and refugee groups to the Centre for activities.
The Young Natural Ambassador programme is a fully funded opportunity open to 14–21 year-olds, to earn their John Muir Wild Places Guardian Award with us over seven 1:1 sessions with our expert tutors. Continue your learning by joining our Young Natural Ambassador hub and meet with other like-minded young people.
Safety & Practical Information
All staff are DBS-checked and first-aid trained, and all Education, Accommodation and Catering staff have completed Level 2 safeguarding training. Relevant policies and risk assessments are in place, and our risk management statement is available on request. At the start of each session, we explain site boundaries and health and safety expectations. Our tutors also carry out ongoing dynamic risk assessments.
Yes, we hold the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge for Providers.
That we are a multi-purpose site open to the public with a natural burial ground.
Wear sturdy footwear and practical, weather-appropriate outdoor clothing that can get dirty.
We teach outdoors in all weather, so please arrive in suitable clothing. We have a limited supply of spare wellies, waterproof coats and trousers, as well as sheltered outdoor teaching spaces.
As a natural woodland site, some areas have uneven ground due to tree roots and animal burrows. However, several main paths are surfaced with tarmac or woodchip to improve access.
Group leaders and accompanying adults are responsible for supervising pupils and managing their behaviour at all times.
You will have access to an indoor space for the duration of your visit, including toilets and eating area.
Upon entering the site, please head to the right-hand side of the car park where there should be plenty of space to park a coach or mini-buses for the day.
Pre-visits are a prerequisite for a residential stay and highly recommended for a day trip. They can be arranged Monday to Friday, we do our best to find dates and times that suit.