Take care of yourself

Part of the work of Hedge School is to invoke spaces & places where self-care is prioritized & people feel permission to come back into relationship with their needs. It’s helpful if you ensure you are sufficiently fed, watered & you have the medication & clothing you need to be present & safe in the space. Dressing appropriately for the weather is very helpful for you & for us! Do your best to listen & co-operate with all the instructions given & remain focussed & engaged with the task at hand. If you struggle with focus, energy levels, health know we can discuss this prior to the session starting and differentiated plans can be integrated to meet the needs of those who have restrictions on capacities. If you are unclear about the task, do let us know. We know how tricky it can be having neuro-divergence & staying on task whilst you're surrounded by noise & a group of strangers: we’re only too happy to help! 

Take care of other participants, staff & volunteers

Restoring our connection to place can bring up a cacophony of emotions for folk. For many, restoring our connection can invite grief, others empowerment, some elation. We encourage participants to respect the processes of other members of the temporary, intentional communities we are nurturing in Hedge School courses. As practitioners we will also do the same. Abusive discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated. Nor will bullying. Any behaviour of this manner is encouraged to be brought forward to the person holding the course so the course leader can deal with this accordingly. As outlined in our Tended Space section, we will strive to deal with this behaviour through nonviolent compassionate communication with those involved. 

Take care of the Earth & the environment

As humans, we could not support ourselves without earth. We could not eat, drink, clothe ourselves, or have shelter. The more we journey into place-connection & land-connection through the sharing of Hedge School offerings, we learn that everything within our ecosystem has a purpose. Perhaps the rock you want to displace & throw into the lake is the home to other creatures & insects. Perhaps the rotting bark you are kicking houses the lives of insects vital to soil health. Another foundational element of Hedge School pedagogy is de-centering the human as a dominant agent within the ecologies of place. Human, is one of many interconnected, interdependent organisms within a trans-contextual web of aliveness. Be mindful of your waste. Be mindful of indiscriminate use of resources & materials. Think about the impact you have in & on a landscape. All of the practices shared at Hedge School come with ethical principles outlined in the code of conduct. We do expect you to adhere to this conduct. This is part of being a learner at Hedge School. 

We will not accept or tolerate discrimination, abuse, or violence within Hedge School spaces. Please refer to the Tended Space section of these conditions. 

Participants are not encouraged or permitted to drink or take drugs whilst on the site or during the course duration. If learners are intoxicated on arrival they will be kindly asked to leave & return at a point & a time when they can be present in themselves & with the learning. We do not discriminate against those with alcohol or drug dependency, individuals with substance dependency are most welcome at Hedge School. However we do need to ensure Hedge School spaces are sober ones, where participants can fully engage with the activities, other learners & tasks at hand. 

Smoking is only permitted in areas where non-smokers are unaffected.

Sadly, we cannot permit pets on Hedge School courses. 

It is illegal to light fires on premises whereby you do not have landowners permission. For this reason fires are not to be lit outside of designated areas unless instructed otherwise. 

Earth-Care is one of the three codes of conducts at Hedge School. Leaving litter is a breach of all three codes of conduct. Therefore, all litter needs to be removed from the site at the end of a course. From there we will separate our litter into what is recyclable, what isn’t and dispose of any other objects ourselves. Please respect & clean litter before discarding it in appropriate bins. 

As outlined in the Self Care section of our code of conduct, we’d really appreciate it if you could dress appropriately for the weather. Hedge Schools do not have adequate resources to sufficiently dress participants if the weather changes. Session will be canceled if & when the Met Office issues severe weather warnings. If sessions need to be canceled we will give you as much notice as possible & reschedule canceled sessions to alternative dates. If weather deteriorates whilst we are out as a group, we vacate the site at the soonest opportunity.