foreword

Thanks for being part of Compass Forest School, where we help swamped primary schools lower exclusions of pupils with SEMH needs in 90 days, using Forest School.

We can’t wait to see what you will achieve with us as we chase down our vision of being the guiding light for Alternative Provision in the UK.

We will do everything possible to create a safe, fair and specialist workplace, but we need your help.

We’ve created this handbook to guide you in what’s expected of you and what you can expect from us. Read it carefully and come back to it whenever you need to.

GUIDE

This this handbook should be read from start to finish during your first week with us. Unlike your Year 3 spelling tests, you're not expected to memorise it.

Dip back into whatever chapter is relevant whenever you need clarity on something. The Handbook should be considered as the headline, not the whole story. 

That's where our policies and processes do the heavy lifting. These are lovingly referred to as Playbooks. Relevant links to these appear throughout the Handbook to give depth.

We review this handbook annually to keep it current with legislation and how Compass actually works.

Spot a mistake, an inconsistency, or an idea to make it better? Contact your designated Senior Crew Leader.

Armed with a cobbled together set of kit, a car, an agreement and dumb optimism our company's owner, Mark, set out to test the water in 2017.

Branded as Eco Ed in the beginning, school holiday camps became a reliable side hustle fitting neatly around his, then, day job of Early Years teacher.

With being consistently asked to do more with less and worse patience for ticking boxes, he decided the best thing to do was to leave the classroom and go all in on Eco Ed.

September 2019, that's what happened.  In March, 2020 a small blip happened. Covid. Complete shut down. The world spun on its arse.

Eco Ed looked as if it would disappear as quickly as it came into existence. Through sheer stuborness and a refusal to give in, Eco Ed came howling into the new world.

Revived, clear and now armed with better business knowledge, things got crazy from 2021 and they’ve stayed crazy ever since.

2022 was the year Alternative Provision became the focus and we rebranded as Compass Forest School. By 2023, Compass was in a position to bring on it's first Crew member.

Here we stand today with an ever growing Crew. What should be crystal throughout this story is that things will always be against us.

It's discipline and an HGV full of belief that got us this far. And will take us into the future. For nature. For education. Powered by community. For us all.

history

WELCOME

Why Compass exists, our story, and what we believe. Here you'll find Foreword, Guide, History, Purpose, Charter, Pillars, Numbers and Growth. 

PILLARS

PURPOSE

CHARTER

NUMBERS

Today, children aren't taught the life skills to meet their needs before academic learning gets thrust on them.

Then, we wonder why they find the school environment hard to deal with.  Alternative Provision means one thing to us:

The extra pair of hands a school or LA calls in when wellbeing becomes the priority before curriculum. Compass uses Forest School to build the skills a child is missing most.

So they can manage school better. Lowering a child's risk of exclusion. And make the progress we know they can. Nothing new.  Just back to the basics that work.

These are hills we’re prepared to die upon. Things we believe in and won't compromise on. Like the North Star, they guide Company wide decisions. 

• We believe in radical transparency. From our pedagogy to our financials, nothing is hidden in fear of our ego.

• We believe in being a great employer. Our long-term destiny depends entirely on how well we look after our Crew. Period.

• We believe in independence. In an industry dominated by franchise, we stand for authenticity and natural.

• We believe in sturdy Alternative Provision that people value, trust and talk about to their friends and family.

• We believe Forest School can be a force for good.

Our company's DNA rests on four core strands:

• Nature — making sure we, and future generations, have a planet to run sessions on is our second-biggest focus. Forever.

• Education — Forest School is our number one focus, forever. Every decision ties back to world-class delivery.

• Tribe — our collective Tribe determines our destiny. Our environment is what makes us who we are.

• Crew — we work in dog years, and every second counts. We grow fast, evolve constantly, and share everything as we go.

We're proud of what Compass has built so far. Ask your Crew Leader for the very latest, but here's roughly where we stand:

• [X]+ sessions run

• [X] families supported

• [X] Crew members

• [X] Ofsted inspections completed

• Average reintegration within [X] days

Compass is a high-growth company, and we're not planning on slowing down. We need more sites and more Crew to reach the children who need us most.

Growth creates opportunity for all of us, and a healthy dose of chaos behind the scenes. We wouldn't have it any other way.

GROWTH