Forest School Risk Assessment
A starter forest school risk assessment covering the fire circle, tool use, trees and branches, plants and fungi, and the weather. Add your site and your own routines, then keep it with your session plans.
Starting points – Check every row against your school's policy and the venue's own risk assessment, and add what is specific to your group.
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This supports, but does not replace, your school's or employer's policy. The visit leader, EVC or head teacher must check and approve it.
How forest school risk assessments work
Forest school is built on supported risk-taking: children learn to use tools and fire, and to climb, because adults plan carefully. Most leaders keep three layers: a site risk assessment (the woodland and its hazards), activity risk assessments (fire, tools, shelter building), and a quick daily site check before each session. This template gives you a starting point for the main hazards; add your site and the routines you've taught, such as the fire circle rules and tool talks.
Before
- Check the site after storms and before each block of sessions
- Agree the kit list and send it home; plan spares
- Check pupils' needs (allergies, asthma, mobility) by initials
- Make sure the lead has the right forest school or first aid training for your setting
On the day
- Daily site check: fallen branches, litter, fungi, water levels, weather
- Tool talk and fire rules before use
- Head counts at the start, at transitions and at the end
Afterwards
- Leave no trace; check tools are all back
- Note changes to the site and update the assessment
Benefits belong in the assessment too
HSE encourages schools to weigh the benefits of an activity alongside the risks. A short line on why the session matters (confidence, physical skills, learning outdoors) helps your EVC or head see the whole picture.
Keep pupils' details out of it
Write "Pupil A" or initials, and say where the confidential plan is kept ("held by the visit leader"). Names, medical details and contact numbers belong in the school's own system, not in a risk assessment that gets printed, emailed and left on a coach seat. Everything you type here stays in this browser.
Sources and further reading
- HSE: School trips and outdoor learning activities – tackling the health and safety myths
- OEAP National Guidance (oeapng.info)
- Going Out There (Scotland)
We link to these so you can read the original guidance; we haven't copied it. Check for updates, and follow your school's or local authority's own policy where it says more.
Questions teachers ask
Does forest school need a risk assessment every week?
Usually you keep a site assessment and activity assessments, reviewed regularly, plus a quick site check before each session. Update them when something changes, such as after a storm.
How do I risk assess fire at forest school?
Set a fire circle with clear boundaries and rules, keep water and a fire blanket nearby, teach pupils how to move around the fire, and make sure an adult trained in fire lighting leads.
Can children use knives at forest school?
Yes, many settings teach tool use, with a tool talk first, one-to-one or small-group supervision, and tools counted in and out. Follow your setting's policy.