OUR TRIBE
Meet the gang!
MEET TESS...
Founder/Director
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Level 3 accredited Forest School Leader
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Outdoor First Aid trained
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Level 3 Childcare qualification
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BA Hons Portsmouth University
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DBS Checked
Tessa’s passion has always been working with children. With an innate creative flare she has always been one to invent games and tasks and as a child spent much of her time surrounded by pens and pencils under her cabin bed.
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Getting messy is part of being a kid and as a champion mud pie builder, Tess encourages young people to thrive and to be themselves. Nature inspires her and she believes it is important to pass on that inspiration to the next generation.
In 2017, her and her husband set off to explore the world for a year with backpacks the size of bears. She experienced nature at it’s best and got to see animals up close in the Amazon. She even camped on the jungle floor a few times making friends with a few...bugs. Spending time in such diverse cultures made her realise how dependent we are on man-made materials . She wants to bring this insight into the school, by using natural and sustainable resources.
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Following several years as a qualified nanny, Tessa has built a firm reputation for her unique creativity, patience and inspiring persona. She brings this warmth and energy into the Forest School to deliver a unique experience.
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All of this has led to her pursuing her ambition to create the Bushy Tail Tribe Forest School. She has formed an ever evolving world of escapism that each young person contributes to. Within the gorgeous private woodland lies a safe and magical place for children to learn, grow, explore and be inspired.
MEET GAIL...
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Level 3 accredited Forest School Leader
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Outdoor First Aid trained
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DBS Checked
Gail is a mother to everyone. Her and her husband Mark, bought Fan Cottage Woodland five years ago and have never looked back. When they first purchased the woodland, it was overgrown with invasive species, dead trees and overcrowded areas. Their knowledge of caring for a woodland was very limited. They were inspired to create a healthy natural place where they could enjoy with their close family and friends. Over the years, they have brought the woodland back to life and have watched it thrive due to their hard work. After a year, sunlight started reaching the ground layer, which allowed new plants and trees to flourish, encouraging wildlife.
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Gail felt that this wonderful place should be shared, so when Tess came to her with a proposal of running a Forest School in the woodland, she jumped at the chance of being supportive. She worked hard with Tess to create and run a place where children can be inspired to learn through nature. Gail looks forward to seeing the children each week visit the forest school and takes on the role of teaching them how to use natural resources in arts and crafts.
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As well as getting muddy outdoors, Gail loves baking cakes, travelling and spending time with her ever growing family.
Gail has supported Bushy Tail Tribe and has worked together with Tess to make it what it is today.
MEET MICHELLE...
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Level 3 accredited Forest School Leader
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PGCE Qualified - Secondary Science (University of the West of England)
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BSc Hons - Biology (University of Bristol)
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Outdoor & Pediatric First Aid trained
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DBS Enhanced Checked
Michelle has been fascinated by all things natural for as long as anyone can remember. As a child, the influence of the books of Gerald Durrell would mean her parents would often find her examining insect life in the garden or, when on holiday, spying on crabs in the rockpools of the British coastline.
Her love for the environment took her through a sicence degree and teaching conversion, and she spent several years inspiring Secondary and then Primary school children in London & Surrey. Building on this experience of formal, classroom teaching, Michelle then chose to move into environmental education, teaching school groups and the public in such activities as pond-dipping and bat walks, at the WWT London Wetland Centre. She then went on to manage education for the whole reserve, before her own two children appeared on the scene, equally enchanted by the flora and fauna of this part of the world.
Michelle is now a Level 3 qualified FS Leader, and her passion for the subject matter can be observed in an encyclopaedic knowledge of species and habitats. Her teaching method embraces the children's independence and encourages creativity, and she is a calming and magical influence within the Bushy Tail Tribe. When not at work, she and her family (plus dog) will be found exploring the Great British Outdoors, all with the same smile she wears at Forest School.
MEET MADDI...
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Level 3 accredited Forest School Leader
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Food and Hygiene trained
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Outdoor & Paediatric first aid trained
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Level 3 in Education and Training
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DBS checked
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Maddi is a mum of three, and after taking her children to Bushy Tail Tribe Forest School she realised not only how much the kids enjoyed, learned and thrived there but also how much she loved it herself.
She spent 16 years working for a ski and mountain activity company, but on being made redundant she started a home beauty salon while also being a Forest School Assistant. Both occupations meant she could work around her young children and be there for them during their early years.
She is passionate about their development and soon realised how important it is to get them outdoors, building their resilience, self-esteem and emotional intelligence.
After being introduced by Tess, Maddi started taking her children to stay-and-play groups here at Bushy Tail Tribe Forest School. She loved it so much that she started working here as a Forest School Assistant and has never looked back!
In 2023, she completed her Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification, and now she is very excited to continue working here, encouraging our learners to develop important life skills.
She also holds a Level 3 Award in Education and Training. She has a passion for education, teaching work-related learning to students aged 14-16, as well as teaching learners aged 16 and over.
