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Meet The Team

Our skilled freelance Forest School practitioners help people connect with nature through accessible, therapeutic outdoor experiences, including support for students with SEND and SEMH needs.

Before appointment, all Canopy Forest School freelance team members complete safer recruitment checks, including references, employment history checks, identity and right-to-work checks. Each Level 3 Forest School Leader also holds appropriate insurance, an enhanced DBS certificate, and Level 6 outdoor first aid certification.

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Founder & Forest School Leader

Emma Clode

Emma has over 20 years’ experience as a primary teacher in England, Switzerland and Norway.​  She founded Canopy Forest School in 2021, inspired by her time teaching in Norway and the Scandinavian open-air culture of “friluftsliv”. Outdoor learning remains central to her work, shaping her teaching practice, curriculum links and teacher training.

 

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she completed a Level 3 Forest School Leadership course and has continued on this path ever since. She is passionate, creative and committed to helping people connect with nature while developing practical, personal and interpersonal skills.

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Forest School Leader

Sarah Perrin

Sarah is an Outdoor Learning and Forest School Educator with 15 years’ experience, including work with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Wessex Rivers Trust. She delivers engaging, hands-on environmental education for all ages. A qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader, she helps children build confidence and thrive outdoors, especially those who find the classroom challenging.

She is passionate about nature connection and wellbeing, with experience leading adult wellbeing sessions and supporting teenagers through Winchester Youth Counselling.

Her fundraising work for Cancer Research, Greenpeace and VSO strengthened her communication skills and commitment to positive change.

Sarah supports Canopy’s ethos, promoting outdoor education, nature connection, sustainable living, wellbeing and care for the natural world.

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Forest School Leader

Sam Dawson

Sam is a qualified teacher and Forest School professional who trained as a Forest School Leader in 2010. She has led programmes for pre-schools and primary schools, including weekly sessions at an infant school, and has over twenty years’ experience creating and delivering outdoor learning at Testwood Lakes for the local Wildlife Trust. She has also developed National Curriculum-linked programmes, worked at outdoor education centres including Stubbington Study Centre, and holds a degree in Countryside Management.

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Forest School Leader

Suzie Mclldoon

Suzie is a qualified primary school teacher with a passion for working with young children and inspiring a lifelong love of learning. Her interest in outdoor education grew after discovering Forest School when her own children were young, leading her to join and later co-manage a local Forest Pre-School.

She enjoys bringing nature into her teaching and believes children learn best through active exploration and discovery. With experience in both mainstream education and Forest School, Suzie has seen the positive impact outdoor learning can have, particularly for children who find traditional settings challenging.

A strong advocate for Forest School, Suzie values the way it supports well being, resilience, confidence, independence and positive mental health, while helping children connect with nature, take risks and solve problems. She especially enjoys open-fire cooking and natural crafts.

Outside work, Suzie is a busy mum of four who enjoys supporting her children’s interests and spending time outdoors, especially walking her dog, Marley.

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Forest School Assistant

Beverley Hughes

Beverley is an experienced Forest School assistant who has worked with the Outdoor Learning Company for many years. She has also been a learning support assistant in various settings, a Community Outreach Volunteer, and a Youth Conservation Assistant. In addition, Beverley is a wellbeing and yoga coach and runs Earth School Yoga Movement, offering lessons for children and adults.

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Forest School Assistant

Rowena Cowton

Rowena studied Wildlife Ecology at university, inspired by a passion for protecting the natural world. She believes engagement and community outreach are powerful conservation tools, helping people understand nature and take action. Forest School fosters this connection by offering access to green spaces, nature-based learning, and a safe place to explore, grow, and learn together. Rowena most enjoys seeing children build the confidence and resilience to embrace new experiences and problem-solving with enthusiasm. She is a Level 2 Forest School Assistant and is training to become a Level 3 Forest School Leader.

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Our Qualifications and Experience

  • Level 3 Qualified Forest School Leader

  • Qualified Teacher Status (PGCE)

  • MA Inclusion (Social, Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties)

  • Certificate in Therapeutic Skills for Outdoor Leaders

  • Therapeutic Forest Approved Practitioner

  • Outdoor First Aid-SCQF Level 6

  • Level 2 in Food Safety and Safety for catering

  • Enhanced DBS​

  • Fire Warden Training​

  • Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead

  • Forest School Public Liability Insurance

  • Forest School Association Member​

  • Institute of Outdoor Learning Member

  •  Wildlife Ecology Degree

  • Countryside Management Degree

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