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Home » Risk Assessment Templates » Forest Schools » Forest School Site Activity

Forest School Site Risk Assessment Template

Create a professional, comprehensive risk assessment for forest school site in forest schools settings. Tailor hazards and measures to your needs and download a professional PDF. Add your own branding.

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What this covers.

This template focuses on typical risks and controls for forest school site in forest schools settings. You can add, remove or adapt items to match your context.

Potential benefits

Develops independence, problem-solving, and teamwork skills outdoors.
Improves physical health and motor skills through active exploration.
Encourages resilience by allowing space for safe risk-taking and challenge.
Supports emotional regulation and wellbeing in natural settings.
Promotes curiosity, observation, and deep learning across the curriculum.

Typical hazards & measures

Manual handling injuries — Demonstrate safe lifting, restrict weight carried by children, supervise when moving logs or tools, encourage team lifting, monitor fatigue.
Terrain trip and slip hazards — Survey terrain before sessions, marking or clearing visible hazards such as roots, rocks, or slippery areas. Encourage suitable footwear and reinforce safe movement techniques, including slowing pace in hazard zones. Supervise closely on slopes, dense undergrowth, or wet ground, and add grip materials (e.g., bark chippings) where needed.
Wild animal encounters — Avoid known dens/burrows, supervise children near hedges or long grass, explain not to approach animals, wash hands after touching droppings or feathers.
Inappropriate clothing or footwear — Provide kit lists to families, check gear on arrival, offer spares if needed, explain impact of clothing on safety, adapt activity if multiple children ill-equipped.
Sharp litter (e.g. glass or metal) — Conduct litter sweeps before every session, brief children on what to avoid, cordon off any visible danger zones, dispose of sharp waste with protective gear, supervise movement.

How to use this template

Click Create Risk Assessment: Forest School Site to begin immediately.
Review suggested hazards and measures, then tailor as needed.
Download your PDF. Create a free account if you want to save.

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Select benefits

Select the benefits that apply - you can edit, remove, or add new ones during the wizard.

Select the hazards that apply - you can edit, remove, or add new ones during the wizard.

Select benefits

Builds connection with nature through regular immersive experiences. Develops independence, problem-solving, and teamwork skills outdoors. Encourages resilience by allowing space for safe risk-taking and challenge. Improves physical health and motor skills through active exploration. Promotes curiosity, observation, and deep learning across the curriculum. Supports emotional regulation and wellbeing in natural settings.

Select hazards

Allergic reactions and insect stings Gather allergy information from parents/carers in advance and carry any prescribed medication (e.g., EpiPen) on site. Avoid known allergens and identify insect habitats such as ant hills or wasp nests. Use repellents and encourage wearing long clothing where appropriate. Brief participants on safe behaviour near insects. Monitor for signs of allergic reaction and provide prompt first aid, including antihistamines with prior consent. Cold weather exposure Check temperature and wind chill, require layered clothing and gloves, offer warm-up breaks, limit exposure, cancel if unsafe, store spare warm clothing on site. Fire safety and emergency response Mark a clear fire circle with safe spacing and provide a detailed safety briefing before each session. Burn only dry, approved wood, avoiding resinous branches and all artificial materials. Supervise fire use closely and prohibit running near flames. Keep extinguishing equipment (fire blanket, water bucket) accessible and check it before every session. Monitor for sparks or spitting wood, and extinguish the fire if unsafe. Train staff and children in emergency procedures and conduct regular reviews. Getting lost in large sites Use brightly marked boundary ropes or flags, enforce buddy system, rehearse call-back response, provide maps for older children, assign adult to each group. Hot weather exposure Provide shaded areas, monitor UV forecasts, enforce sunhats and water breaks, apply sunscreen with permission, limit midday activity, adapt physical exertion to conditions. Inappropriate clothing or footwear Provide kit lists to families, check gear on arrival, offer spares if needed, explain impact of clothing on safety, adapt activity if multiple children ill-equipped. Low visibility (fog or low light) Reschedule if visibility is too poor, provide high-vis gear if dim, restrict boundaries, ensure whistles or call-back signals are heard clearly, carry torches as backup. Manual handling injuries Demonstrate safe lifting, restrict weight carried by children, supervise when moving logs or tools, encourage team lifting, monitor fatigue. Missing child or wandering Establish and mark clear boundaries, assign adults to corners of the area, use buddy systems, conduct frequent headcounts, brief on what to do if lost. Nettles and brambles Ensure paths are cleared before sessions, cut back vegetation, conduct regular site sweeps, brief participants, wear long trousers and gloves, flag scratch zones, and supervise bramble crossings. Overexcitement in open spaces Set clear behaviour expectations before arrival, use calming transition activities, rotate high- and low-energy tasks, ensure adult presence across space, debrief after energetic play. Overhanging tree branches Inspect canopy before each session, prune low or damaged branches if safe, avoid fire or sitting under unstable trees, monitor during wind, mark hazard zones. Public access or strangers nearby Supervise entry/exit points, inform participants of boundaries, keep group visible, remind children never to leave with unknown adults, monitor interaction discreetly. Sharp litter (e.g. glass or metal) Conduct litter sweeps before every session, brief children on what to avoid, cordon off any visible danger zones, dispose of sharp waste with protective gear, supervise movement. Students with additional needs Staff made aware of individual needs in advance. 1:1 support provided where needed. Instructions given visually and verbally. Activity adapted to be sensory-friendly if required. Staff monitor regulation and offer breaks without stigma. Terrain trip and slip hazards Survey terrain before sessions, marking or clearing visible hazards such as roots, rocks, or slippery areas. Encourage suitable footwear and reinforce safe movement techniques, including slowing pace in hazard zones. Supervise closely on slopes, dense undergrowth, or wet ground, and add grip materials (e.g., bark chippings) where needed. Toileting issues outdoors Set clear toileting protocol, locate and mark toilet area, provide wipes/sanitiser, offer privacy, teach hygiene procedures, ensure staff supervision if needed. Tools misuse (e.g. knives or saws) Train children before use, supervise 1:1 for sharp tools, enforce sitting position during use, count tools in/out, and inspect tools before each session. Toxic plants and fungi Survey the site for toxic species before sessions and provide visual ID examples to participants. Prohibit eating or touching plants or fungi unless directed by an adult. Reinforce handwashing before meals and supervise exploration closely, incorporating safe identification into activities where appropriate. Tree and log instability Inspect climbing trees and log seating regularly, test logs before use, avoid dead or fungus-infected trees, cordon unsafe areas, brief on not standing on stacked logs. Water bodies Mark boundaries clearly, supervise closely near water, conduct safety briefings, supply buoyancy aids where needed, carry emergency equipment, and review safe access routes. Wild animal encounters Avoid known dens/burrows, supervise children near hedges or long grass, explain not to approach animals, wash hands after touching droppings or feathers. Wind and falling branches Monitor forecasts, inspect trees before sessions, avoid areas with hanging limbs, relocate if high wind predicted, supervise movement near trees, stop activity during strong gusts.

FAQ

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Can I download a PDF?

Yes - download a clean, professional PDF at the end.

Can I edit a saved assessment?

Yes, personal and unlimited members can edit saved assessments from the account dashboard.

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