Frequently Asked Questions

It’s impossible to say exactly: we do not run programmed activities and move children from one to the other at set times. In fact that’s the opposite of what we do: we believe that children spend far too much time having their time organised and examined by adults, and that they need time and space to make their own decisions and follow their own interests. We try to give them that (as far as we can). So, we often have plans for a particular day that get quickly abandoned when it becomes clear that the children want to do something different! However, there are a huge number of things that we can do, and they include: den building • assault courses • rope bridges • wild art • fire lighting (on sites that allow it) • weaving • potion making (but not drinking!) • face painting • storytelling • tracking and trailing • stealth and hiding games • ninja frisbee • kite flying • minibeast hunts • leaf printing…
We could go on, but hopefully you get the picture: the day can go in lots of directions (sometimes more than one at a time!) and it’s that set of possibilities, and the power to decide what happens, that is so empowering for many of the children who come to us. But it does mean we can’t tell you exactly what they’ll be doing on a particular Tuesday in June. Sorry.

We have a number of different sites across London and the South East. Click here for the list of locations.

Click on the Book Now button on the home page to bring up a list of all the sites. Click on Book Now to the right of the location you are interested in and it will show all the dates we are running on, with the number of spaces left on each day. Use the arrow buttons to scroll through the weeks.

The quickest way is to book through our website using the Book Now button on the homepage.
 Click on Book Now to the right of the location you are interested in and it will show all the dates we are running on, with the number of spaces left on each day. Use the arrow buttons to scroll through the weeks. Select the number of children you want to book in, click on the date you want, then click Continue and follow the instructions.

If you have any problems you can call us on 01483 424400.

Depending on the site, the days either start at 10am and finish at 4pm, or start at 10.30am and finish at 4.30pm. When you select a site from the Book Now list the start time will be shown.

We cannot accept children any earlier than the stated start time. Our staff will be setting up camp and will not be there to supervise your children before then. Also please be aware that all children need to be signed in by the parent/carer with the Site Leader, so you should allow at least 15 minutes for the registration process.

If you are running just a few minutes late don’t worry, the group will be at the drop-off point for a little while.
 However, if you are going to be more than 10 minutes late please call the office number 01483 424400. If it goes to voicemail, please leave a detailed message. We will do our best to accommodate your late arrival, however if you are late we cannot guarantee that someone will be able to meet you.
 If you are late then we can give you instructions to find the group and you will need to walk through the woods to find them. Please ring 01483 424400 – please bear in mind that head office needs to contact the leader to find out where they are. If the leaders are busy with the children they may not answer their phone immediately, so it can take a while for us to get back to you. It’s much easier if you are not late!

Please call us on 01483 424400 to tell us if you will be more than a few minutes late in picking up your child. If you are more than 15 minutes late in collecting your child, without having agreed this with us previously, we will call the emergency contact details you have provided to find out the cause for the delay, and how long it is likely to last. We’ll do our best to contact you and always leave a message if we can. Please note that if you are more than 15 minutes late to pick up you will be charged an additional £15 for every half hour, or part thereof. While waiting to be collected, we’ll look after your child and give them as much support and reassurance as necessary. Try to keep us informed though – it’s scary for them (and us) if you don’t turn up when we think you should.

Depending on the site, the current cost for a day is £47 or £53. Broadly speaking, sites inside the M25 are £53 and outside the M25 are £47. (We reserve the right to amend the cost at anytime, but once you have booked and paid you will not be subject to an increase for that booking).

No, sorry we do not accept childcare vouchers.

During the pandemic we are running with very restricted group sizes, so we are not currently offering any bulk purchase discounts.

Please click here for full details on what you need to ensure your child brings with them.

Please click here for details and maps for each site.

As a small business, we’ve always tried to offer the sort of customer service that we’d want to receive. So, in the unlikely event that one of our products gets to you in a poor condition, or if you have any concerns about it, please email us at info@wild-learning.net

Should you need to return any product, simply post your order to us within 14 days, explaining why you are unhappy with it. Please pack it carefully: it must be unused and in its original condition. We also recommend that you return the item via registered mail, as we are unable to help if it doesn’t make it back to us.

Once we received your package we will then arrange either an exchange or full refund.

Return your item to:

Wild Learning

4 High Ridge

Godalming

Surrey

GU7 1YE

Yes. We run parties throughout the year at most of our sites. you can find more information about our party service on our Birthday Parties page.

We continue to keep our group sizes, social distancing and hygiene procedures under review as the UK emerges from the pandemic. For more information on our coronavirus procedures please email us at info@wild-learning.net.

Our days are suitable for children from age 5 upwards.
 We cannot accept children who have not had their 5th birthday as we are not insured to take children under 5 years. We ask for every child’s age on the booking form. If we discover on the day that a child under 5 has been booked in on the pretence that they were already 5 years old, we will insist that they are collected immediately and no refund or credit can be given.

We do not have a fixed upper-age limit but experience suggests that by the time they have started secondary school, most children consider themselves “too grown up” to be running around with younger children…but if your 12 or 13 year old really wants to come, they are welcome to!

If you have a child with special needs and you would like him or her to attend then please call us before booking on 01483 424400.

We will be happy to talk to you about your child’s needs and how we can help. If we can possibly accept them, we will. There is more about our criteria for accepting children with special needs here and please also see our section on Special Educational Needs in our terms and conditions.

However, our sessions are not suitable for every type of special need. We work outdoors, in woodland settings, with few or no physical boundaries, and our days are physically strenuous. Additionally, we encourage a fluid, child-led approach to activities, which can result in plans changing with very little notice if the group decides it wants to do something new. Finally, we have large(ish) groups of children (up to 30), who may all be strangers at the beginning of the day.

The Scandinavians have it right: “No such thing as bad weather,” they say, “only the wrong clothes.” We insist that your child brings waterproof trousers and coat if there is the chance of rain, and we will carry on unless the weather turns extreme.

Courses will not run if the Met Office weather forecast shows a predicted wind speed (gust or continual speed) of 42mph or above for any part of the day, or if heavy snow is forecast. In these circumstances we will make a decision to cancel by 4pm on the previous day. We will inform parents/guardians by email and text using the information you supply at booking. We will also put a note on the home page of our website. If we cancel because of adverse weather you will be offered a day in lieu.

If unpredicted high winds, lightning, heavy snow or the likelihood of them develops over one of our sites during a session then we will evacuate the site immediately. In that instance we will contact you via the emergency numbers you give at booking and ask you to arrange to collect your child from the drop-off point. We do not offer refunds or days in lieu for cancellations due to lightning/high winds developing during the day.

We use either a drop toilet or a bucket toilet, with a toilet tent for privacy, depending on site requirements. The children are shown the toilet and told how to use it, and there is help available if they need it (usually they don’t). It’s surprising how often the toilet features in the highlights of the day!

The toilet is disinfected at the beginning, middle and end of each day. We teach hand washing drill to all the children when we demonstrate the toilet.

Please see our handwashing page here for information on handwashing. Children wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before meals. Apart from that we encourage a little healthy dirt.

If you cancel your booking more than 21 days before you’re due to come to us, then we’ll either refund your money or offer you a credit note. Cancellations made with 21 days’ or less notice but more than 7 days’ notice will qualify for a credit note for a day in lieu.

If you need to cancel because of illness then see below.

Please ensure that your child is well enough to come to our activities. In particular if your child has a fever or has suffered from vomiting or diarrhoea within 48 hours then please tell us and remove your child from the day. In these circumstances we will offer you another date in lieu, provided you inform us before 8.00 am on the day they are due to attend. You can let us know about an ill child by calling the office number 01483 424400 and either speaking to someone or leaving a voicemail, or by email. If your child becomes ill with any of these symptoms during a session we’ll contact you and we’ll expect you to make arrangements to take them home. We do not offer refunds in the case of illness during the day.

Please also see our specific policies in connection with COVID-19 here

Occasionally, yes. Please email info@wild-learning.net if you would like more information about our birthday parties.

Not at the moment. We tried it and it didn’t work for us.

Yes we do work with schools, both on their premises or on our sites. We can do one off days, a week at a time, or one day a week for a term (or longer).

For more information, please email schools@wild-learning.net or ring 01483 424400.

No we don’t do after school clubs, sorry.

All staff are Enhanced DBS-checked. Site Leaders all have Forest School L3 qualifications or equivalent, and many years’ experience of working with children in the outdoors. All our staff also have a specialist outdoor First Aid qualification.

We always operate with a minimum of two staff and an adult:child ratio of 1:8 maximum. It is often more adults with fewer children than this.

Yes. Our OFSTED registration is 2625006.