Forest School
Forest School Inspired Learning
As you know our Forest School is evolving and the children will be taking part in Forest School Inspired Learning sessions alongside their class curriculum. Forest School sessions are led by class teachers. The children take part in a number of activities they have access to at Forest School, including using tools, pond dipping, lighting fires, cooking and eating wild food, making dens, taking calculated risks and getting muddy.
How does Forest School Support the Curriculum?
Forest school is a child led kinaesthetic learning experience. The Forest School Team at each session set up a range of activities which are linked to either the topic or a skill area that the class teacher has identified as needing work (such as negotiation, listening skills fine motor skills or management of energy levels). At the beginning of the session the activities are outlined and each child explores these activities throughout the session. The child determines the rate, direction, depth and breadth of their learning. Some activities will lead to unset tasks. The children are encouraged to revisit both skills and projects they have completed in previous weeks to see how time and the environment have had an effect on them and also to ensure that their learning is secure. We encourage exploration of the site at forest school and aim to set up many insect viewing areas. When using natural materials we will always talk about it origins and characteristics. We aim that the children gradually learn the name of the plants up at Forest School and their uses.
Although a kit list is provided for you to support with preparing your child's participation in Forest School, we actively encourage them to begin to learn about weather forecasts and preparing themselves for weather. Even for younger children it is possible for you to have a conversation with your child about what sort of weather we are having and what clothes would be appropriate for them to wear.
Forest School will be delivered on during an afternoon session in the school wood. When your child is scheduled to take part in Forest School we ask that you refer to the kit list suggestions below and ensure that your child is appropriately dressed. Please see note below about the learning opportunity involved in supporting your child to be prepared for Forest School.
Please open the link below for our Forest School Leaflet:
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Forest School project funded?
We have received an increased amount of funding via the PE and Sports Grant to fund improvements to the provision of PE and sport, for the benefit of pupils aged 5-11 years old, so that all pupils develop healthy lifestyles.
So how is Forest School Supporting PE?
The new Curriculum for PE asks schools to provide in both Key Stages “an opportunity for Pupils to develop and master fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and co-ordination, individually and with others.
They should be able to engage in competitive (both against self and against others) and co-operative physical activities, in a range of increasingly challenging situations.
Pupils should be taught to master basic movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and coordination, and begin to apply these in a range of activities, participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending. Apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement.
They should enjoy communicating, collaborating and competing with each other. They should develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities and learn how to evaluate and recognise their own success. In KS2 they take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team”
At Forest School we play a range of collaborative and individual games which support and develop these physical skills as well as tactics which support team games. We offer tool work which develops both fine and gross motor skills and have a range of physical obstacles which challenge their agility and balance alongside developing risk assessment skills.
We work on core skills such as running and jumping on challenging terrain offering different child specific challenges.
What does my child need to wear for Forest School sessions?
Each term we will provide you with a list of suggested clothing that you child could wear for Forest School sessions. It is important that children begin to learn to plan for different types of weather and also that they recognise when they feel cold or hot. The posters below are suggestions of types of clothing that could be worn in different types of cold temperatures that we may experience during the autumn term.
