Forest School

 

Forest School is a great opportunity for children to experience nature and outdoor education in a woodland setting in a safe, secure and hands on way. Research has shown that Forest Schools can have a powerful effect on children’s confidence, self-esteem and independence as well as increase their social and physical skills. Forest Schools has also shown to impact positively on the children’s learning inside the classroom.

Forest school plays an integral part in the children’s learning at St Mildred’s with children having regular access to it. We are very lucky to have our own Forest Area onsite and we have level 3 trained staffed to deliver Forest School sessions. We also share a larger Forest School site at Bromstone Primary School which is also used on a weekly basis. Forest School supports skills and knowledge across many curriculum areas. Through experiencing learning in the natural world children gain a sense of responsibility and value for their environment in addition to confidence, self-esteem and developing a sense of awe and wonder of the world.

It allows children to develop a sense of care and thoughtfulness for the woodland environment and time to develop their exploratory and creative drive, time to be curious, ask questions and find their own answers. We have developed a carefully planned progress of outdoor learning skills which we feel enhances our curriculum and creates children who are well rounded explorers.