Forest School

Forest School

 Our Forest School programme is known as Wild School and all children are viewed as being:

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

To enable this to happen we follow the six principles of Forest School, these are:

• Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit.
• Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
• Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
• Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
• Forest School is run by qualified Forest School Leaders (Mrs Gittings, Mr Gammon and Mrs Bull) who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
• Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.

Our Reception Class attends Forest School throughout the year and experience all the seasons and we really enjoy having Camelsdale Preschool use our Secret Garden each week for wild play.

Our other year groups attend for a period of 10 weeks during one term of the academic year.

Forest School takes place in The Secret Garden for the younger children and we begin to move up onto Marley Common as the children reach the end of Year 2 / beginning of Year 3.

At Forest School, we tell stories, we learn to light the fire, we use tools, we climb, we swing, we run, we play games, we create, we cook and we eat!

We actively encourage the children to come up with their own ideas, we get muddy, we take appropriate risks, we laugh when things go wrong and then we get up and try again.

Most importantly - WE HAVE FUN!

Our Wild School Policy Can be read here.