Forest School

Forest School Ethos 

Forest school is a unique educational experience and process that offers children the opportunity to succeed and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland environment.

Children engage in motivating and achievable tasks and activities throughout the year in almost all weathers.  Children will work with tools, play and learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, grow in confidence, self-esteem and motivation whilst developing an understanding of the natural world.

The forest school concepts originates in Denmark, originally aimed at preschool children, where it was found that children who had attended forest school then arrived at school with strong social and communication skills, having the ability to work in groups effectively, generally had high self-esteem and a confidence in their own abilities, these foundations helped them to raise their academic achievements.

Forest school encourages children to:

• Develop personal and social skills.
• Work through practical problems and challenges.
• Use tools to create, build and manage.
• Discover how they learn best.
• Learn how to manage failures.
• Experience achievement and success.
• Reflect on learning and experiences.
• Develop their language and communication skills.
• Improve fine and gross motor skills.
• Build confidence in decision making, risk taking and team building.

Forest school at Fonthill:

In Forest school at Fonthill we will strive to provide a fully inclusive engaging forest school with exciting learning opportunities that will develop our children’s right to play and access the outdoors learning with a hands-on approach, to take risks in the natural world. This will help build resilience, boost self esteem and confidence with creative engagement. This promotes our school motto “working together achieving together.”

Forest school will run every week with our four trained leaders: Miss Jo Williams, Mrs Laura Turner, Mrs Sam Thompson and Mrs Alyson Welti and assistants.

One of our parents said:-

"Forest School has been great for our daughter Alice.  She loves being outdoors and has thoroughly enjoyed all the activities.  She said she has carved out mud painting, played hide and seek, made a bog baby and rolled down hills.  She said she had fun when they jumped on Miss Williams.  As a parent it has been invaluable, Alice appreciates nature and is happy to be in all weathers. It has also helped her problem solve and work alongside other children.

How great to have the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom."