Green Therapy
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The Wildings occupies a fantastic 3 acre site in rural east Devon with orchards, fruit bushes, meadows and shortly, livestock. As a school we capitalise on the therapeutic and health benefits offered by green therapy to support the recovery and growth of our young people and forge links with our rural community. We support our students to nurture and conserve our land sustainably and organically.
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Our beautiful environment benefits our young people in 3 key ways:
Education
Horticulture
Produce
These key elements intertwine to encourage a positive lifestyle for our young people as well as inviting new skills, caring for the community which curates a holistic positive environment.
Education
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We implement the outdoors into our PSHE and Enterprise education through extending our curriculum to include teaching them to cook with nourishing organic ingredients and in the future creating work experiences through plant stalls to engage the community. Through this our young people will impact our communities positively as they fundraise for local charities.
There are a range of important features across our school site such as the football pitch which is often used 3 times per day. We utilise our football pitch for physical education, combining the therapeutic elements of young people accessing the countryside with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a joyful activity for our young people.
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The willow stand is another key feature. It is a planted resource much like a withy bed. It needs regular coppicing, providing wood for forest school activities e.g walking sticks, fencing panels, and willow structures.
Horticulture
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Our school is always looking for ways to utilise our surroundings to enhance student’s education and wellbeing. We are currently expanding our space using the no dig theory, this means leaving our soil undisturbed and therefore maintaining a healthy ecosystem. We are very conscious we have an asset; there are continuous possibilities in the future to expand our space for young people to learn from and enjoy.
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In 2026, we will introduce a small number of sheep, chickens and ducks to the site so that we can harness the positive impacts caring for animals can have on a young person’s wellbeing, and the positive effect conservation grazing has on biodiversity.
Produce​
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Food an integral part of each and everyday at The Wildings. We now have a polytunnel from which young people can cultivate organically grown produce to prepare, cook, sell and eat. We eat freshly prepared home-cooked food everyday and take great care in ensuring that it is tasty, nutritious, and well balanced. Our orchards supply us with apples, pears, fruit and nuts. This alongside 2 small grassland meadows and over 200m of native hedges all present an opportunity for learning key skills around sustainable management and set up life skills such as gardening.​​
