What is Forest School?
Forest School is an inspirational educational ethos that focuses on developing children's personal, social and emotional development through regular outdoor woodland experiences.
The Forest School programme provides all learners with opportunities to achieve and through hands-on learning experiences in a natural or woodland environment, the opportunity to develop self-esteem and confidence. The aims of Forest School are set out by the Forest School Association and aim to ensure that all participants are:
- Viewed as equal, unique and valuable
- Able to experience appropriate risk and challenge
- Able to develop positive relationships with themselves and others and the natural world
- Able to develop competency to explore and discover
- Experience regular success
- Choosing and initiating their own learning and development.
Forest School Ethos/Definition
“Forest School is an inspirational process that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland or natural environment with trees.”
Forest School is a specialised approach that sits within and compliments the wider context of outdoor and woodland learning.
Forest School in action at Belmont:
At Belmont our pupils in the Early Years take part in weekly Forest School sessions led by our trained Forest School Leader Joanne Richardson. The sessions are held in our walled Dell area that provides the perfect setting for the children to explore, learn, play and develop in a stimulating outdoor learning environment.
Forest School sessions are all weather learning experiences and the sessions take place even if the weather is wet or cold. A risk assessment of the site (which includes the weather) is undertaken by Mrs Richardson prior to the commencement of a session. Pupils in Early Years are required to bring in the correct clothing for the sessions (information on this is in the handbook).
To find out more about Forest School at Belmont we would direct you to our handbook which is accessed by clicking the link below:
