Your child will need a warm, lined one with a waterproof outside that covers the ears for chilly days. We all know how hard it is to keep a hat on a child! Think about hats with ear flaps and ones that do up under their chin so we can keep their heads toasty.

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A cap, bucket hat or hat of a similar style to protect heads in the sunshine. Ideally they will cover your child’s face and neck.

All-in-ones, dungarees or trousers? Fleece-lined or layering up? There is a whole world of waterproof options out there.

Remember, it can be a really warm summer’s day that is chucking down with rain or a chilly winter’s day with biting winds so you might want to keep your child cool and dry, as well as warm and dry!

What our staff say: ‘Decent waterproofs are expensive so if you’re looking to invest in just one pair, I would get a pair of waterproof dungaree trousers. Some have child-friendly clips and your child (or a staff member) can undo these while keeping your child’s coat on in colder weather. They are generally better than trousers as they don’t leave any chilly gaps where tops and trousers don’t quite meet! Find ones with little stirrups that we can hook over your child’s wellies to ensure those puddle-jumping splashes don’t end up with soggy socks.' 

All-in-ones are fab and cosy, but they do leave your child chilly when they have to take it off while they’re on the loo outdoors. Again, fleece-lined waterproofs sound lovely but can get wet so having a separate layer of fleeced joggers and a jumper is better as we can always put a dry pair on. Thin waterproof trousers are fine for the occasional summer shower but heavy-duty dungaree waterproofs are the way forward year-round.’

Your child will definitely need one, or two, waterproof jackets. Firstly, what does ‘waterproof’ really mean? Retailers generally test their clothes for up to 2000mm of rain, 5000mm or 10000mm. A lightweight jacket up to 2000mm of rain would be fine for the occasional shower in the summer but we do still get heavy downpours! So we would recommend buying a jacket that would stay dry up to 5000-10000mm of rain. So it’s worth checking the label for this when you buy that ‘waterproof’.

You will need a thick, padded waterproof coat for the winter. Or get a great waterproof jacket that is slightly bigger and pop a padded coat on underneath.

- 1 pair of waterproof, padded, thermal mittens with a zip or elasticated wrist strap to get on and off easily - these can be put on for short periods to warm up hands when they're really cold

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- several pairs of thin gloves, either knitted or thin single layer. These can be useful on dry, cold days to be able to keep using their hands, but get wet immediately so more than one pair please!

What our staff say: ‘Padded gloves with fingers are really difficult to get on and off, especially when hands are already cold, so please avoid these. Children notoriously do not want to keep their gloves on! Being able to quickly put on and zip up a mitten to warm up chilly hands is key.

These are also one of the hardest things for us to reunite with their owner as there are several pairs of identical gloves and they are on and off all day so please make sure these are labelled.’

In average weather we recommend wellies with two pairs of socks. A thin cotton sock and then a thick wool or fluffy bed sock. Please keep several spares in your child’s bag.

In summer, we ask for footwear to be closed toe shoes - no sandals, jelly shoes etc. We venture out on walks and often climb trees and navigate tricky terrain. Your child’s usual trainers are fine, just be prepared for them to get dirty!

In cooler weather, we ask for children to always arrive in wellies or sturdy closed toe shoes. This could be a hiking boot or thermal boot. 

In very cold weather, we recommend one or two thin pairs of socks, along with a thick, fluffy or fleeced sock with wellies (our toes can get very cold in the winter!). Or you can invest in snow boots, a fur-lined boot, but bear in mind that these can get wet inside.

What our staff say: ‘It can be tricky to get wellies on and off feet in the winter! We recommend wearing two, sometimes three pairs of socks in very cold weather, which means that wellies can be a bit tight and tricky to get on - especially over their multiple pairs of trousers too. Think about sizing up your child’s wellies over the winter and taking all their layers to try them on. Wet Wednesday bubble boots are roomy and easy to put on and come with a removable thermal layer - great if it gets wet.’

During the day, your child’s bag is kept in a covered box. However, they can get wet on drop-off, pick-up, when accessing your child’s bag for a change of clothes etc throughout the day. We recommend getting a decent-sized waterproof bag. Please add a name keyring or write your child’s name on the outside of the bag in a marker pen.

What our staff say, ‘Where these waterproof bags are great for keeping your child’s spares dry, the lack of pockets can make it hard to find what we need. It’s really helpful to group your child’s clothes together in labelled bags/pouches e.g. trousers in one bag, socks and spare pants in another, tops in another..’

A good quality thermal layer will make a big difference to your child’s comfort at forest school. Merino wool may be more expensive but it does the job really well. A zip-up fleece is also ideal.

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Layers are important, check our recommended kit list for suggestions per season.