Nature Circles is a daily outdoor intervention that supports children’s emotional regulation, helping them feel calmer and ready to learn throughout the school day. It is designed for primary school children with SEMH needs, neurodivergent profiles, or those needing extra support with transitions.
Programme training is led by a clinical psychologist, speech and language therapist, and occupational therapist, giving you practical, evidence-based tools to support emotional regulation, manage sensory needs, and build a sense of belonging for every child.
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Nature Circles is delivered in the outdoors, giving schools a simple, affordable way to support young people's mental health and wellbeing. Even short periods of time outdoors have been shown to improve children’s focus, lower stress levels, and support emotional wellbeing.
When schools are trained to use the outdoors intentionally- with evidence-based strategies designed by clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists- the impact can be transformative.
Schools don’t need a forest school or large outdoor space to benefit - a playground, sensory garden, or small outdoor area is more than enough to run the sessions effectively.
Teaching Assistants, pastoral staff, or other school staff can deliver Nature Circles. No previous outdoor experience is required. We provide you with everything you need to run sessions confidently.
Nature Circles provides an accessible way to embed emotional regulation throughout the day, reducing the frequency of behaviour incidents and helping children return to learning more quickly after transitions or disruptions.
By building children’s self-regulation, sensory awareness, and sense of belonging, it supports classroom calm, better concentration, and improved readiness to learn. Because the intervention is short and consistent, it becomes part of school culture rather than an extra burden.
Nature Circles is for primary school children with SEMH needs, neurodivergent profiles, or those needing extra support, particularly during transitions such as the start of the day and after lunch.
Each intervention runs for 10–20 minutes, once or twice a day, with the same small group of up to five students to build consistency and trust. Sessions follow a clear structure, beginning with grounding activities before moving into nature connection and movement, then finishing with a short chat, breathing or reflection exercise, and a calm transition back to class.
The programme is built on evidence-based techniques designed by a clinical psychologist, speech and language therapist, and occupational therapist. Staff learn specific, research-informed strategies and gain practical tools to support emotional regulation, mental health, and wellbeing so that sessions are safe, effective, and easy to deliver in any school setting.
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When you join the programme, you gain everything needed to deliver Nature Circles confidently and effectively in your school. Training is provided by a multidisciplinary team including a clinical psychologist, speech and language therapist, and occupational therapist, ensuring you learn evidence-based techniques that are practical and easy to apply.
You’ll receive a comprehensive toolkit with resources such as an activity menu, nature-connection cards, grounding and sensory tools, and a full session manual, alongside clear guidance on risk assessment and safety. We also provide ongoing support during rollout, including templates, checklists, and advice on adapting sessions to your school’s outdoor spaces.
At the end of the training, you will be awarded the Certificate in Outdoor Emotional Regulation Support, certifying you as a Nature Circles Facilitator within your school.
Your toolkit includes:
Full session manual
Activity menu and nature-connection cards
Grounding and sensory regulation tools
Templates, checklists, and rollout support
The next course starts on 2nd March 2026
Nature Circles training is designed to be accessible and flexible. We encourage schools to join our blended programme, which includes one in-person training day where staff experience the activities first-hand. However, we recognise that this presents barriers for some settings, so the in-person day can also be delivered fully online if needed.
Most of the training is self-paced, allowing staff to work through materials at a time that suits them. In addition, there are specialist live webinars led by our multidisciplinary team of clinicians and therapists, which can also be watched back as recordings for maximum flexibility.
The course costs £395 and can be paid via invoice or in 12 instalments of £33.
The online content begins on 2nd March 2026, the in-person day takes place at Nationwide Cycling Academy, Philips Park, Prestwich on Thursday 23rd April.
The online content begins on 2nd March 2026 and the full course is available online.