Nature Ranger Centres and Clubs

Local after-school and holiday programmes

in partnership with local nurseries and primary schools

Get your school to become a NIFSA Nature Ranger Club

A great way to support and expand your outdoor learning programme for pupils and families.

Working in partnership with NIFSA, dedicated Nature Ranger Leaders staff from your school would be trained and supported to run after-school and holiday clubs.

Fairview Nature Ranger Club, Ballyclare

Based in Fairview Primary School, Ballyclare.

Forest School sessions are taken by experienced NIFSA staff every Wednesday during term time. P2-P3 are between 2-3pm and P4-P7 are between 3 and 4pm. Pupils learn new skills, explore nature and have fun playing with their friends. Brilliant for mental and physical health. Please bring outdoor clothing and stout footwear. Each session costs £5.

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Clandeboye Nature Rangers

Based in Clandeboye Estate, Bangor. Home of the late Lady Dufferin, Patron of NIFSA, Clandeboye Nature Rangers operate an after school service for families in the North Down area.

Children are brought to the Clandeboye Nature Ranger Centre and here they change into their outdoor clothing. With our team of qualified and experienced staff, the children spend the afternoon exploring their natural environment, making new friends, playing and benefitting, both mentally and physically, from being outside in the fresh air.

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Everything you need to know:

What to wear

in autumn and winter

Handbook

History

The first Nature Ranger Programme was set up at Clandeboye in 2018 by Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA) and is supported by the Dufferin Foundation. NIFSA was set up 2008 as an independent charity in Northern Ireland and its aim is to promote the Forest School ethos to educational establishments and like-minded organisations throughout the country.

Ethos

The ethos of Forest School is based on a fundamental respect for children and young people and for their capacity to instigate, test and maintain curiosity in the world around them. It believes in children's right to play; the right to access the outdoors (and in particular a woodland environment); the right to access risk and the vibrant reality of the natural world; and the right to experience a healthy range of emotions, through all the challenges of social interaction, to build a resilience that will enable continued and creative engagement with their peers and their potential.

Not for profit

Nature Rangers are delivered and managed by the Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA). NIFSA is a not-for-profit organisation. All money received by NIFSA is used to train more Forest Schools in the local area and support existing Forest Schools.

Registered by Social Services

Nature Rangers are registered by the local Social Services agency. This ensures all staff are fully trained and experienced and policies, practices and procedures are to the highest standard. This gives parents the confidence to know their children are safe and in the best possible environment.