Forest Schooling UK has been given the green light by the Department for Education to open Berrylands School, a new full-time special school for young people aged seven to 16 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

Based in Kingston, the school offers a very different approach to education for young people whose experiences in mainstream settings have often been marked by exclusion, anxiety, trauma and repeated disruption.

Berrylands School has been created not as a "last chance" provision, but as a genuine school community built around relationships, emotional safety and meaningful learning.

Unlike traditional schools, education at Berrylands happens predominantly outdoors.

There are no long corridors, bells or rows of classrooms. Instead, young people learn across natural spaces, shepherds' huts and small purpose-built learning environments designed to feel calm, safe and non-institutional.

For many young people with SEMH needs, conventional school environments can heighten stress and dysregulation.

Berrylands School has been intentionally designed to do the opposite, creating spaces where young people can settle, connect and begin to rebuild confidence in education.

Most young people will transition into Berrylands School through Forest Schooling UK's established part time Alternative Provision, meaning trusted relationships with adults and peers are already in place before they begin full-time schooling.

advertisement

The cohort remains intentionally small and staff know the young people well, routines are familiar and trust is not lost at the school gate.

Working in partnership with Thames Water at its Hogsmill Nature Reserve site, the school also operates entirely off-grid.

Electricity is generated through on-site solar power, while resources are used carefully and sustainably as part of daily school life.

Leaders say this reflects the school's wider ethos of responsibility, resilience and connection to the environment rather than serving as a branding exercise.

The unique curriculum at Berrylands School is built around the pace and needs of the individual young person rather than rigid age-based expectations.

As they grow, some young people will move towards GCSEs and formal qualifications, while others will follow vocational, practical or apprenticeship pathways.

Progress is measured not only academically, but through confidence, emotional regulation, relationships and readiness for life beyond school.

Stephen Simpson, Head of Forest Schooling UK, said: "Berrylands School exists because I've seen first-hand that mainstream education simply does not work for every young person.

"Over the last 25 years in education, and through raising my own adopted children with SEMH needs, I've learnt how quickly young people can begin to believe they are the problem, especially when the environment around them isn't right.

"Our team are incredibly proud to be opening a school that does things differently, a school where relationships come first, where young people can literally breathe, find space, build trust again and rediscover a sense of success.

"We want families to know this is a real school with high aspirations for all, high expectations and a huge amount of belief in the young people who come here."