From this experience grew a passion for enabling young children to experience the richness and diversity of the outdoor environment and the chance to take risks, build confidence and understand themselves, their world and each other through play. Lucy started Bee in the Woods Forest School after having her own children and wanting to offer them the opportunity to imagine, create and make friends in nature's playground. Influenced by the children and families at Baby Bees and inspired by pioneers in Early Years Education who advocate child-centred, process rich learning through play over classrooms and outcomes, Lucy opened Bee in the Woods Nature Kindergarten in 2018.

Victoria is most at home when she is outdoors- in the woods, by the sea or in the mountains. She loves going on adventures and her hobbies include climbing, surfing and skiing. She also loves animals and spending time in nature. She shares her passions with the children she cares for.

Tracy enjoyed a year out to travel, experiencing some amazing parts of the world and has always loved being in the great outdoors. After having her son and regularly visiting Baby Bees, Tracy completed the Level 2 Forest School qualification. She enjoys sharing her passion for nature with our Kindergarteners, thinking creatively about the children’s play experiences and developing a fun, child-led curriculum.

Ali is a qualified teacher and trained and experienced in the Reggio Emilia approach. She has inspired our team over the years with her passion for listening to children and trusting their capabilities to create, design and develop their learning. Ali will make an inspirational leader at our new Stanmer site!

Before that, he taught gardening and vegetable growing in schools. Rob loves building dens and tree houses, enabling children to get lost in imaginative play and making natural crafts. He is an advocate of the transformational power of getting outdoors, both for physical and mental well-being and for learning about ourselves, others and the world around us.

She worked with Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPCA and the Forestry Commission, gaining her dormouse licence and working on ecological research projects. Wriggly is a mum and a creative Forest School Leader; running groups with Lucys Little Forest School and Baby Bees before joining our Kindergarten team to bring her teaching, Forest School, ecology and creative talents together!

She has also co-developed resources with Mosaic Black, an Asian and Mixed Parentage group, to celebrate cultural diversity and introduce primary-aged children to stories that promote inclusion and challenge bullying positively, with positive BAME role models. Al is inspired and happiest in nature and promotes meditation as a tool for re-connecting with nature, ourselves and children. When not at work, she spends time at her family woodland, where she manages the woodland hire business and hosts small events. Al lives in Portslade, with her husband and has two sons. She also practises Tai chi and loves to dance!

She has been working with the community arts group Same Sky for many years, and led creative workshops for children in primary and secondary education. She has also worked at various exceptional settings, including Trefoil Montessori Farm School, Dandelion Time and Reflections Nursery and Forest School, where she was the garden ‘Atelierista’. Her role there was to establish and maintain an edible garden with the children and be their creative outdoor educator. Kathryn has always loved being in nature and learning as much as she can about the natural world around her. This passion led her to participating in a year course at Wilderness Awareness School in Washington State, America. Whilst there, she was immersed in naturalist studies, tracking, bushcraft and survival skills, bird language, rites of passage, the art of mentoring and nature awareness. Inspired by her experiences, she established a nature-based Rites of Passage group ‘Roots and Wings’, for girls aged 10-13 years, which she continues to run at Wilderness Wood in East Sussex. Kathryn is also very interested in philosophical conversations with children and really listening to each individual voice.

Lauren has been a Psychology teacher for many years, teaching primarily GCSE and A Level. She felt inspired to pursue teacher training after spending 2 years working as a teaching assistant in a learning centre for children with complex needs who were unable to access mainstream education. In this role, Lauren was a key adult for a small group of children in year 7 and 8 who were experiencing severe anxiety and depression. Prior to this, she has worked with both primary and secondary aged children in a variety of settings including providing outreach for looked after children, as an assistant playworker for Women’s Aid, and as a Kindergarten English teacher in Phuket, Thailand.

Simone is a mum of three and has always had a love for the outdoors and nature. She is passionate about giving children the opportunity to play outside and enabling families to enjoy the wonders of the natural world with their children. When Simone is not in the woods, you will find her walking her dogs or crafting using the natural resources we find out and about.

She has worked at our Portslade Kindergarten as Bank Staff this year and has wowed us with her creativity and kindness; she brings a warm loving and playful approach to her work with early years and has a passion for connecting children with the outdoors.