Education & Learning Award 2025
Congratulations to Gold winners Children of the Forest, and to Silver winners Madley Primary School.
The Education and Learning Award recognises those who increase awareness, understanding and skills related to the environment, particularly forestry. Sponsored by The Duchy of Cornwall and PEFC, the award highlighted the critical importance of engaging children and young people with forestry and woodland management.
Gold winners: Children of the Forest
"One of the best ways to engage and learn is by being able to ‘do’, to experience real life examples and get stuck in with some hands-on activities that inspire and motivate you to do more. That is what you get when you join a session with Lewis. The children and young people are at the heart of everything that he does."
Children of the Forest earned gold for Lewis Ames’ innovative work near Uffculme, Devon, where a lack of set curriculum particularly supports neurodiverse children. He follows the children’s interests intuitively, creating an environment where critical thinking, idea-sharing and self-directed engagement thrive.
Lewis was commended for his efforts to implement sound woodland management practices, as was his 200-episode podcast which reaches 3,000 listeners per episode internationally.
“It means a great deal to have our work recognised,” said Lewis. “We’ve been working in Forest School for over a decade, and we feel very fortunate to combine our in-person sessions here in Devon with our far-reaching podcast. This gives us the flexibility to develop holistic, non-judgemental and authentic communities on the ground, while also sharing our reflections with thousands of listeners every week as we explore what it means to hold space for people in nature.”
Silver winners: Madley Primary School
"What stands out with this entry is how outdoor learning has been incorporated throughout the school and the strong links made with the national curriculum. The school has a waiting list, and pupils attend from a wide area, clearly demonstrating how well regarded the school is in the community.
Silver was awarded to Madley Primary School in Herefordshire, which has embedded outdoor learning throughout its curriculum. Judges described the school as an exemplar for how to embed outdoor learning into school teaching, with outdoor learning creatively woven throughout every topic from early years to Year 6. The school’s partnership with The Duchy Of Cornwall has flourished over a number of years allowing its pupils to experience a working woodland, inspiring the next generation of foresters.
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