Rose Hoare
Rose is the founder of Wheatfen Forest School. She is a Level 3 Forest School Practitioner, holder of a Working with Challenging Behaviour in the Outdoors qualification, and a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs. Rose enjoys running the Ents group, as it is her dream to inspire a new generation of naturalists and conservationists through forest school. When not in the woods, she loves gardening. At Forest School you’ll find her cooking over the fire, where she goes by the name of Rose Robin.
Lisa Bicker
Lisa is a qualified, experienced teacher, and took the leap to transfer her skills into the woods and joined Wheatfen Forest School 9 years ago, founding our ‘Seedlings’ group. She has worked with some of the children for 7 years or more, seeing them transition from one group to another, which is a rare privilege.
Lisa is fascinated about the positive difference that the outdoors makes to our future generations; and enjoys sharing the children’s individual journeys and learning paths through the woods…. Lisa is ‘Lisa Lark’ at Forest School.
Kate Denbigh
Kate is a Level 3 Forest School Leader, and founder member of our alternative provision team. Her forest school name is Kate Kingfisher.
Kate first encountered Wheatfen Forest School as a parent attending Tiny Acorns with her daughters many years ago. She fell in love with everything about it, decided to train as a practitioner, and the rest is history!
Natasha McLoughlin
Tash discovered Forest School with her own children and as a childminder 9 years ago, loved being outdoors, loved everything about the Forest School ethos and encouraged by Rose Robin has since become a Level 3 Forest School Leader.
When not leading Seedlings at Wheatfen Tash works at a mainstream setting offering Forest School sessions for alternative provision groups, refugee integration groups and KS2 children. Tash is passionate about the benefits of Forest School and is constantly witnessing how all the components of Forest School combine to provide a space where children thrive in all areas of their development.
Tash recently completed her Reframing How to work with Behaviour and Stress in the Outdoors qualification after attending the Jon Cree course.
In the woods Tash is normally known as Tash Teasel but sometimes Tash Pigeon.
Amy Shawcross
Amy is a qualified primary school teacher, Forest School leader and children’s yoga teacher. After realising early in her teaching career that the classroom didn’t allow all children to flourish, Amy became a Forest School Leader in 2015 and has been in the woods ever since! She has delivered programmes to a variety of ages and settings including parent and toddler groups, outdoor nurseries and has also set up Forest School provisions in several schools.
At Wheatfen, Amy leads both Saplings and our alternative provision Thursday group. Small, mighty and highly organised, at Forest School she is known as Amy Ant!
Amy believes that nature, along with self-directed exploration, opportunities for managing risk and building relationships is the perfect combination for children to become confident and resilient individuals. When not at Wheatfen, you’ll find Amy wild swimming, trail running or snuggled up with a good book.
Sorrel Muggridge
Sorrel has been a forest school leader since 2016. At Wheatfen Sorrel is the leader of Mighty Oaks and is part of our alternative provision team.
Sorrel is also an artist, who delivers participatory and site-specific art projects connecting people with their environment and each other. She is an associate artist at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, and regularly runs workshops and projects with SEN adults and older people living with Dementia.
Her forest school name is Sorrel Silver Birch. Like the Silver Birch she is an explorer, happy to find new places to grow and explore. She likes to dance in the wind and make patterns with the dappled shade of her leaves. She loves a campfire, sharing its light and warmth, enjoying company, food and good chats.
Christina Taylor
Christina has been leading Forest School in a range of woodlands and educational settings since 2015. From spending 3 years living off grid, she has developed a wealth of knowledge around woodland management, greenwood work and bushcraft. She loves all things outdoors from whittling to wild swimming, come rain or shine. Not shy of mud, she is often called the Muddy Pixie!
Judith Goodman
Judy is a teacher, forest school leader and a musician who lives in Surlingham. When she is not working in the forest, she spends all her spare time in nature. She can be found early in the morning, strumming her guitar to the marsh harriers at St Saviours or out on her rowing boat at Surlingham Broad. She loves swimming -which is why her Forest School name is Judy Otter.
Emily Hall
Emily has many years experience as an early years practitioner and local authority advisor, and is currently a level 3 Forest School student.
Having found a real love for all things outdoor learning while attending various events with her own children, she really loves supporting and facilitating children in our woods at Wheatfen, where she goes by the name Emily Egret.
Outside of the woods you may find Emily wild swimming or exploring in her micro camper.
Isabelle Mudge
Isabelle is a Forest School Leader at Wheatfen. She is a qualified teacher and also works within the education team at a local wildlife charity. She loves spending time outdoors, and is passionate about the positive effects that connecting with nature has on both people and the environment. Isabelle is fascinated by fungi, so her forest school name is Isabelle Ink Cap.
Inger Mak-Pearce
Inger is an experienced primary school teacher and qualified Forest School Leader. She runs the wonderful Beechnut Forest School in Norwich as well as moonlighting here at Wheatfen.
Inger got involved in creative outdoor education whilst working at a Rudolf Steiner school for children with special educational needs. Being Danish, her interest in Forest School was already underpinned by her own learning and belief in the benefits of creative play in nature, for all ages!
When not in the woods, Inger loves rowing on the river. Her idea of a holiday is cycling around the Outer Hebrides or camping under canvas in the Canadian wilderness among actual bears!
Every session is run by staff with appropriate Forest School, first aid and safeguarding training and DBS checks.