Forest School kitchen installed thanks to volunteers
Four management consultants from PA Consulting put their project management and DIY skills to good use when they designed and built an outdoor kitchen for the new Forest school at National Star Ullenwood.
The outdoor kitchen, made predominantly out of recycled pallets, was designed with wheelchair users and ambulant students in mind with different level work surfaces and removable sinks.
The sturdy wooden structure now has pride of place in National Star’s new Forest school at Ullenwood and is already being used by learners for imaginary outdoor play and exploration.
Forest school’s holistic approach fosters a strong sense of community and belonging, enhancing students’ emotional wellbeing, social and communication skills and physical development, whilst nurturing a lasting, meaningful connection with the natural environment.
Tutor Jill Willingham, who leads Forest School activities said: ‘It has been magical to see the students work together in the new outdoor kitchen to create imaginary spaghetti bolognese and other dishes using natural materials such as water, mud, pinecones and twigs. The kitchen is a great addition to Forest school and we’re extremely grateful to the PA Consulting volunteers for building it for us.’
PA Consulting’s Richard said: ‘Our small team of management consultants, Alex, Sindooja, Ian and Richard were privileged to have been able to design and build the mud kitchen for National Star students, adapting the design as the day progressed and installing it in its home in the new Forest School.
‘We know from just a day outdoors, away from laptops and meeting rooms, just how important it is to be able to get outside and ‘do’ something in the fresh air, and we hope the students who use the mud kitchen enjoy it to the fullest extent they can.’
Last reviewed on 28/05/2026