The forest school sessions are available all year round. Many of the environmental education sessions are available all year round, but some are best done at certain times of the year. For example, the worm survey (KS3) is best done in the winter or spring when the ground is softer, but the plant life cycles and reproduction session for Year 5 is best done in April/May when the bluebells are out. Therefore, it is best to check the best time of year to do the session you’d like to book.

The classroom in the Bluebell Centre has space for 30 children and accompanying adults. If you would like to bring more than one class to the reserve it is best to book sessions on different days.

Yes. The sessions shown are two hours long, but you can book two sessions and come for a full day.
Alternatively, you can book an environmental education session and a forest school session and come for a full day. This has the advantage that the class can be split into two smaller groups and so each child will have a greater chance to participate fully in both sessions.

Morning sessions are usually 10am-12 and afternoon sessions 1-3pm, but we are flexible and happy to move the start time to suit you.  Half day sessions are two hours long.

Nicola has more than seven years experience teaching biology up to the age of 18. She is a Trustee of the Selborne Society and also organises and runs Perivale Wood Rangers. In addition, Nicola is an examiner for Cambridge International Examinations, where she is the Principal Examiner for the Alternative to Practical paper for IGCSE biology and Team Leader for the Extended Theory paper for IGCSE biology.

The forest school sessions are delivered by Gillian de Soyres.

Gillian is an Advanced Forest School Practitioner. She worked for a leading environmental charity for 8 years and specialised in creating environmental learning resources and running large scale community and corporate environmental events. Gillian has experience developing and delivering education and youth environmental, conservation and gardening projects.

Both Nicola and Gillian have DBS checks and First Aid training.  All the sessions are planned with a full risk assessment, available upon request.

The education programme is currently being funded by Heathrow Communities for Tomorrow. We are asking that primary schools contribute £100 per half day session (£200 for a full day session) and secondary schools contribute £150 per half day session (£300 for a full day session).

The map below shows the areas covered by the funding. If your school or group is outside this area please contact us to find out the cost of the session.

If you would like to bring a community group to the reserve please email us for the prices of other sessions at environmentaleducation@perivalewood.org.uk

All invoices should be paid two weeks before the date of the session booked.  If you have to cancel the session for any reason this must be done at least two weeks before the date of the session to get a refund or to rebook.

We would only cancel the session in extremely bad weather, e.g. in high winds when it would be dangerous to enter the woodland. If there is light rain we can put up a tarpaulin over part of the Central Clearing where we take most school groups. We also have use of the new classroom in the Bluebell Centre and the session can be adapted so that more time is spent inside.

Most of the paths are suitable for wheelchair and pram use, although if the weather has been bad then there are some sections that become muddy. The Bluebell Centre and toilet has disabled access.

Yes it is possible to do this, but your visit must be booked in advance. The reserve is gated and locked and so someone must be onsite to let you in and out of the reserve.

Generally, we are outside for the duration of the session whatever the weather. This means that all children must be appropriately dressed. When the children are not dressed adequately it spoils their experience. It is extremely important that you check the weather forecast and prepare your group accordingly.

We highly recommend that children wear a waterproof jacket.  Waterproof trousers or a waterproof all-in-one suit are also recommended.  There are two main reasons for this. The first is protection – from things that can ‘sting and prick’ and the second is for protection from the elements – mud and water! Strong waterproof footwear is essential – wellies are really good in wet/ muddy weather. Perivale Wood has brambles and nettles so everyone coming to the wood (including all adults) must be in long trousers and long sleeved tops with sturdy shoes/wellington boots. Young people can wear their own gloves. We also recommend that you ensure your young person has the appropriate sun protection to include sun lotion applied prior to their attendance and head wear for example a sun hat or a cap. It is very important that all children are wearing insect repellent during the late spring, summer and early autumn.

There is on street parking outside the reserve. This is unrestricted at the weekends, but during the week you have to have a residents parking permit between the hours of 9-10am and 2-3pm. The nearest unrestricted parking is on Bilton Road, about 5 minutes walk from the reserve. There is also pay and display parking outside Perivale station.

The entrance to the reserve is from Sunley Gardens in Perivale (UB6 7PE) – a short walk northwards from Perivale London Underground (Central Line) station.

The nearest bus stop is for the 297, and the E5 and 95 both stop on Teignmouth Gardens, a short walk away.

Yes you can bring food to the reserve, but are reminded that all litter should be collected and taken away.

We offer bespoke sessions to suit your needs. Contact us at to find out more about what we can offer.

Yes, many groups like to come for a full day and combine an environmental session with a forest school session. If you would like to do this we would split the group into two so that one group does a forest school session in the morning and then an environmental session in the afternoon. The other group would do the environmental session in the morning and the forest school session in the afternoon. This way the children have a greater learning and outdoor experience as they have more contact time with the equipment, the activity and the teacher.

All children coming to Perivale Wood Rangers need to be accompanied by an adult, who is responsible for them at all times.

We understand what it is like to be a parent and that children all have different needs.  We work towards all children attending without parents/carers but understand that for different children this will take varying amounts of time. We welcome parents to come along if they feel it is what is best for their child but we encourage parents to step back and let the child lead the play.

From 5+ we encourage the child to be an independent forest school participant. For forest school to work its magic it is imperative that the child take ownership of his/her learning. It is for this reason that we encourage children to wander, wonder, explore and go ‘off task’ if that is what they are interested in doing.  Even if a child seems bored we encourage adults to stand back to let children discover for themselves; if needed we can offer a small prompt/idea.

Perivale Wood is open to members of the Selborne Society and their guests. The reserve’s perimeter is fenced and the only entrance is via a locked gate on Sunley Gardens. Information about how to become a member can be found at SelborneSociety.org.uk

Information about the Selborne Society and how to become a member can be found at SelborneSociety.org.uk

Yearly membership costs £10 for an adult, £15 for a couple at the same address, £3 per child.

Lifetime membership is £200 and joint lifetime membership is £350.