Forest School
Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning. Children use tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour (both physical and social) and learn about risks.
This inspirational process offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a natural environment.
At Brackenwood we have invested in our own Forest School area. Forest School is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off or infrequent visits, with a cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review linking each session.
Forest School Principles
Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for being, development and learning.
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 practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
Our Forest School Teacher
My Name is Mrs Hayes and I have had a love of being outdoors for as long as I can remember. As a child the garden or park was my favourite place to be and in my early working career I was based in an outdoor environment where my love and affinity with nature grew to a new level. I went to University to study Physical Geography to learn all about the outdoors and the natural world. After becoming a teacher, I love educating the next generation of children on the importance of our natural world and how we as custodians must take care of it. The opportunity to become Forest School lead has been amazing and I cannot wait to meet you all outside with your wellies on, where we can learn to nurture nature together.
Forest School at Brackenwood
At BIS we have a big focus on resilience, kindness and effort all of which can be fostered in our Forest School (FS). We use FS as an opportunity to build resilient humans, those that show kindness not only to each other but also to all flora and fauna on planet Earth. Learning within FS is an opportunity for all children to explore their environment with an imaginative and creative mind, engaging with each aspect in a different way by taking supported risks and developing life skills to last a lifetime.
Despite FS being a separate entity to the National Curriculum (NC), it does have huge added benefits for the holistic development of all children physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually and socially. The development of children through FS supports the NC expectations but does so in a way that is very different to classroom-based education. The NC can be subtly incorporated into some FS activities without it being the focus of the tasks. For example, children learning to use a bow saw to cut up wood is hitting the KS1 DT curriculum objective to ‘use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks; for example, cutting’. By adopting the holistic approach, wellbeing is at the forefront of our sessions, providing children with a safe space to be themselves without the constraints of a classroom environment. It is a place where all children can succeed regardless of Special Educational Needs. FS allows for neurodiversity to flourish and be welcomed with loving arms into nature. FS is a place where every participant is warmly honoured and accepted.
