Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA)

The Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA) is delivering the largest environmental engagement/outdoor learning campaign in Northern Ireland. Learning Without Walls is the Northern Ireland campaign to make sure every pupil aged between 3-18 has the opportunity to be taught outside for at least one hour every week. A mammoth task with over 300,000 children attending school in Northern Ireland, potentially benefitting every family in the country. NIFSA has been delivering outdoor learning/engagement programmes since 2008. In that time NIFSA has developed the only suite of Forest School qualifications in Northern Ireland. Trained and accredited over 1,200 teachers and classroom assistants to become Forest School Leaders and take their learning outside. NIFSA has officially recognised 321 Forest Schools in Northern Ireland, a third of the whole school estate. Currently 10,000’s children are being taught outside on a regular basis thanks to NIFSA. NIFSA is looking for support from business for the Learning Without Walls campaign. Business can support either locally – supporting one school maybe develop their school grounds, regionally – supporting a number of schools in maybe one Council area or nationally – contributing to the core of the campaign supporting every school and pupil in Northern Ireland. Children spend less than 24 minutes outside every day. We need to redress the balance and get children enjoying being outside again.