If you go down to the woods today

‘They should be wild, natural places that are not overly tidied and trimmed’

ANY prep-school tour these days is likely to take in its Forest School, complete with firepit, mud kitchen and stick shelters Eeyore would be proud to inhabit. The concept—Forest School refers to an ethos, not a place—originated in Scandinavia and has mushroomed across Britain, with the need for young people to appreciate their environment and enjoy time outdoors never more apparent than over the past year.

‘It has exploded, but there is no objective measurement,’ points out Gareth Davies, chief executive of the Forest School Association (FSA). Simon Fearnehough, whose firm The Hideout House Company ()sells living-wall tipis, firepit shelters, outdoor classroom pods and Nature-watch huts, agrees: ‘We’ve