Bad Weather Cancellation Policy

Forest School is an all year round outdoor activity and therefore subject to all kinds of weathers. We know that spending time in nature is good for our health but there are times when the weather is extreme and we need to protect ourselves or even stay indoors.
My Responsibilities
• To provide up up date weather information in challenging weather conditions and to communicate effectively and in a timely manner to allow parents and care givers to prepare for the expected conditions.
• To assess the safety of the site and access to the site and ensure that it is safe for children to travel to and attend forest school.
• To pay attention to the physical well being of children when they are at forest school by making sure they are appropriately dressed, helping them adjust what they are wearing if they get hot or cold by adding or taking away outer layers, encouraging them to exercise to keep them warm, resting if they are tired or too hot, making sure they have regular snacks and are hydrated.
Parents and Carers Responsibilities
• To check and if necessary respond to the group the night before and the morning of forest school in order to see any messages about the weather conditions and any cancellations.
• To ensure children and appropriately dressed for the weather conditions with appropriate footwear and have plenty of water and snacks with them.
Cancellations due to Bad Weather
• Our weather is increasingly unpredictable and this policy aims to be flexible and fair to both Wilderdays Forest School and parents and carers.
• There will be up to one bad weather cancellation per half term which is non refundable. (This does not apply to holiday sessions). On any subsequent instances parents/carers will be offered a free session in the next block or a refund.
• If the weather becomes unsafe during a session the session will be cut short and parents/carers will be contacted and asked to collect early. In this event we will shelter in a safe place which will depend on the circumstances. There is a fixed shelter on site, a polytunnel next door and buildings down the track by One Garden.