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I talk to Ellie Smallcombe who is living the dream on her small holding in Wales with her family. Ellie was a Special Needs teacher who trained as a Forrest School teacher before starting her own business.
Ellie describes her journey building her business with her own small children and her plans to scale for the future. This fascinating chat explores ways to create an outdoor education company and the practicalities behind the scenes!
In this episode, we also explore:
Getting the most out of training opportunities at school (2:00)
Insurances you need to run a forrest school & finding land (7:00)
Training in "beach school" and "outdoor curriculum coordinator" courses (13:40)
Creating a blog and writing an outdoor curriculum (14:55)
How the inspection framework works with outdoor education settings (17:00)
The practicalities of setting up (20:02)
Challenges in setting up the business (22:31)
Links and Resources
Tyddynbryn
Ellie's Blog
"It's a lot to learn but it's totally doable."
“ Get the kids outside!”
If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom!
Looking for clarity & confidence around your decision to leave teaching plus ideas for what to do next? Our much-loved FREE Stay or Go? Workshop is back for 2026! Sign up here and we'll send it straight to your inbox on Saturday 4th April ✨
By Joanne Howard5
55 ratings
I talk to Ellie Smallcombe who is living the dream on her small holding in Wales with her family. Ellie was a Special Needs teacher who trained as a Forrest School teacher before starting her own business.
Ellie describes her journey building her business with her own small children and her plans to scale for the future. This fascinating chat explores ways to create an outdoor education company and the practicalities behind the scenes!
In this episode, we also explore:
Getting the most out of training opportunities at school (2:00)
Insurances you need to run a forrest school & finding land (7:00)
Training in "beach school" and "outdoor curriculum coordinator" courses (13:40)
Creating a blog and writing an outdoor curriculum (14:55)
How the inspection framework works with outdoor education settings (17:00)
The practicalities of setting up (20:02)
Challenges in setting up the business (22:31)
Links and Resources
Tyddynbryn
Ellie's Blog
"It's a lot to learn but it's totally doable."
“ Get the kids outside!”
If you're looking for step-by-step support to find and secure a new job or start your own business, check out the Adventures After Teaching Academy which will help you successfully leave the classroom!
Looking for clarity & confidence around your decision to leave teaching plus ideas for what to do next? Our much-loved FREE Stay or Go? Workshop is back for 2026! Sign up here and we'll send it straight to your inbox on Saturday 4th April ✨

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