What is Forest School?

Forest School is an inspirational process that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. Forest School is a specialised learning approach that sits within and complements the wider context of outdoor and woodland education. The ethos is shared by thousands of trained practitioners across the UK and beyond. Its roots reach back to early years pioneers in outdoor learning and across the sea to Scandinavia.

At Forest School all participants are viewed as:

• equal, unique and valuable
• competent to explore & discover
• entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge
• entitled to choose, and to initiate and drive their own learning and development
• entitled to experience regular success
• entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people
• entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural world

This learner-centred approach interweaves with the ever-changing moods and marvels, potential and challenges of the natural world through the seasons to fill every Forest School session and programme with discovery and difference. Yet each programme does also share a common set of principles, aimed at ensuring that all learners experience the cumulative and lasting benefits that quality Forest School offers.

Forest School at Fairmeadows Foundation Primary School

We aim to provide children with a natural learning environment, that offers opportunities and experiences, along with the time and space to develop and learn through hands-on experiences, risk taking and choice to initiate their own learning.

Fairmeadows Forest School Aim 2020

Provision

Fairmeadows Forest School aims to offer every child the opportunity of a regular Forest School learning programme over their school years each class has forest school session for 1/2 term every year. In addition the Forest School provision, can be used for outdoor cross curricular learning and children are able to apply their new learning within the classroom. 

What happens at Forest School?

Children will engage in motivating and achievable tasks and activities throughout the year and in almost all weathers, with the appropriate footwear and clothing. Children will work with tools, play, learn and begin to understand the boundaries of behaviour, both physical and social They will grow in confidence, self- esteem and motivation whilst developing an understanding of the natural world.

All sessions will be planned and led by the class teacher. Each session will last approximately an hour, activities will be dependent upon group size, capabilities and knowledge of Forest Schools, although as the weeks progress children’s confidence, skills and abilities will grow and sessions will begin to follow the Forest School principles of encouraging participant led learning, allowing more responsibility and freedom for children to initiate and direction the focus of learning.

The Forest Schools setting at Fairmeadows will primarily use natural materials to encourage children’s investigation, creativity and imagination. Activities may include:

- Shelter building

- Climbing and balancing

- Creating wildlife habitats and homes

- Collecting, sorting and identifying natural resources

- Using knots

- Team games and activities

- Mindfulness

 Therefore, enhancing children’s learning in a unique manner and fitting the active learning approach used at Fairmeadows.

Documents

Please see below a selection of documents that relate to the delivery of Forest School at Fairmeadows Foundation Primary School. If you have any questions or require any further information then please contact the school office and I will get in touch.