I'm Kat, Founder and Director of Wild City Collective CIC. I run our Forest School groups and projects. If you come to one of our events, chances are it will be my face you see. If you're going to send your kids off to the woods with me, you may have a few questions about what qualifies me! That's understandable.
My Vision I am passionate about enabling everyone to connect creatively with the outdoor environment around them, to help them to develop holistically in to happier healthier people. I believe that our outdoor environment is a wonderful free resource for all our children; unfortunately they just need a little help to carve out time and safe access to it in today's world. My vision is to see Forest School accessible for children of all abilities and backgrounds across all of the Reading area; I'm joined by many others in this vision.
My Formal Qualifications My Bachelors degree is in the History of Art, Architecture and Graphic communication. I draw on this experience to help my clients connect creatively with the world around them. It was a great foundation for my horticultural training a few years later.
I am also trained as a Horticultural Therapist and have years of experience working with children and young people across various settings helping them to access the outdoors as a form of therapeutic play. I have a Royal Horticultural Society Certificate in Horticulture (RHS Level 3) and training from Thrive in Therapeutic Gardening with children and young people with SEND.
I am a qualified Level 3 Forest Schools Leader. My training was delivered through Forest Schools Education which is a part of the Archimedes group. Forest Schools Education is the worlds most experienced Forest Schools Training provider, running for over 15 years.
I am qualified in Forest School First Aid and have Public Liability Insurance. I always complete a risk and benefit analysis when working with children and young people. I have a DBS clearance and am on the 'update service' for schools and organisations I work with to check.
I am part of a local network of Forest School Practitioners who collaborate and support each other with practical ideas, funding solutions and cheering on from the sidelines.
Kathryn Clark Founder & Director of Wild City Forest School and the Wild City Collective