Forest School

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

Being part of a Forest School helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it.

Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.

  • What is Forest School?

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    Quality Forest School has six key principles that shape and govern the Forest School ethos. There are many forms of outdoor education and all have enormous value, however, Forest School is unique in its reach, delivery and effect. These six principles are:

    1. Is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off or infrequent visits; the cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review links each session.

    2. Takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a lifelong relationship between the learner and the natural world.

    3. Uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for being, development and learning.

    4. Aims to promote the holistic development of all involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

    5. Offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.

    6. Is run by qualified Forest School practitioners, who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.

  • What are the benefits?

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    • Confidence: children have the freedom, time and space to learn and demonstrate independence

    • Social skills: children gain increased awareness of the consequences of their actions on peers through team activities such as sharing tools and participating in play

    • Communication:language development is prompted by the children’s sensory experiences

    • Motivation:the woodland tends to fascinate the children and they developed a keenness to participate and the ability to concentrate over longer periods of time

    • Physical skills:these improvements are characterised by the development of physical stamina and gross and fine motor skills

    • Knowledge and understanding:the children develop an interest in the natural surroundings and respect for the environment

  • Find out more:

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    If you are interested to find out a little more about what we can offer your school or you would like to put together a package then please ‘Contact Us’ and we will be more than happy to help.