Forest School offers an approach where the incidental opportunities for learning present themselves rather than being planned.

Sessions should not be focused on a particular curriculum outcome as this does not meet the child and environmental led intent of the Forest School approach. However, planning of adult-led activities should take educational programmes into consideration and be based on the interests, needs and abilities of the unique child. As with any activities and experiences that the setting provides, Forest School sessions should be regarded as part of an ambitious curriculum that builds on what children know and can do, as part of their curriculum intent, implementation and impact, with the following considerations.

 

Intent

 

• What children should know and learn during the Forest School sessions.

 

• How indoor and outdoor learning experiences harmonise.

 

• How the Forest School environment provides risk and challenge for every child, including those with SEND.

 

• The opportunities that children have at home to access the natural world and how Forest School builds on the Cultural Capital they bring to the setting.

 

Implementation

 

• The characteristics of effective learning are strengthened as children lead their own play and exploration outdoors.

 

• The role of the Forest School leader as educator provides effective support without steering children towards predetermined outcomes.

 

• Forest School sessions give children time and opportunities to consolidate their learning and to apply other learning, such as maths concepts in a different environment.

 

• Parents learn about Forest School and are informed of the benefits with ideas for extending activities at home.

 

Impact

 

• Incidental learning is observed and aligned within the educational programmes.

 

• Observation and assessment take place in Forest School. Educators build their knowledge of the individual child’s engagement with the session over a period of time.

 

• Forest School supports children’s knowledge and skills across the seven areas of learning and development.

 

• Children who struggle to concentrate or find the confines of indoors challenging, will often thrive in Forest School.

 

Cultural Capital

 

Ofsted’s Quality of Education judgment includes reference to cultural capital, which is defined as: ‘the essential knowledge that children need to be educated citizens’, and goes on to say:

 

‘Some children arrive at an early years setting with different experiences from others, in their learning and play. What a setting does, through its curriculum and interactions with practitioners, potentially makes all the difference for children. It  is the role of the setting to help children experience the awe and wonder of the world in which they live through the 7 areas of learning’. (Ofsted 2022)

 

Not every child is able to play outdoors in a safe, stimulating environment, or to interact with the natural world routinely. Opportunities may be limited for several reasons, including where they live and how their families choose to spend their leisure time together. Regular Forest School sessions enable children to play and explore outdoors freely  with learning opportunities that are further supported by Forest School leaders. Through Forest School, children learn about their environment and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. They experience first-hand ‘the awe and wonder of the world in which they live’, and begin to understand their impact on it, for example, a child discovering woodlice under a fallen branch comes to realise in conversation with the Forest School leader that this is where woodlice like to live, and that they need decaying wood to be left on the ground so that they can make their home. The child is encouraged to replace the fallen branch but then may be inspired to look for other creepy crawly habitats in the area.

Over time, children develop a sense of a special place through regular sessions and come to develop a connection with nature that will last a lifetime, knowing and understanding what nature needs to thrive. Forest School helps to build firm foundations for children’s outdoor cultural capital which in turn helps to develop empathy for the environmental challenges faced by the planet that they will inherit.

Guiding principles of Forest School in relation to the characteristics of effective learning

The characteristics of effective learning (DfE 2021):

 

• playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things and ‘have a go’

 

• active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements

 

• creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies  for doing things

 

The Forest School ethos has six guiding principles (Forest School Association n.d.), as agreed by the UK Forest School community. They are seen as occupational standards for Forest School and have given strength to the Forest School movement, in terms of the need for qualified Forest School leaders to lead sessions and health and safety systems, as well as offering some standardisation of practice.

 

Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.

 As children settle into regular Forest School sessions and become familiar with the site, opportunities for play and exploration increase. The characteristics of effective learning are particularly supported for children who may struggle to engage with their learning indoors. A well-resourced site offers plenty of opportunities for creating and thinking critically and active learning as children build dens, create shelters or construct their own play equipment, for example, a plank of wood and a section of tree trunk becomes a seesaw.

 

Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.

 The active learning that takes place during Forest School involves plenty of opportunities to have a go and to keep on trying outdoors. The Forest School leader’s role is to help develop children’s confidence and willingness to try. Small successes, such as securing a tarpaulin between two trees or learning to recognise and avoid a plant that stings, enable children to build their sense of self and, in time, increase their confidence to try more as they become increasingly connected to the natural woodland or wooded environment where their Forest School sessions take place.

 

Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

 In Forest School situations, children come to realise that things can go wrong but that it is fine if they do. A rainy day may make the site muddy and slippery, but with their wellies and wetsuits on, the mud becomes a new resource to explore. A den built during the previous session may have collapsed overnight due to high winds, but this then becomes an opportunity for children to be creative and to think critically as they redesign the structure to be stronger and resilient to the wind. Children’s motivation increases when they work collaboratively and share ideas. Motivated children will display more concentration, and with the modelling, support and scaffolding provided by adults,  if it is needed, (where adults support children in their understanding, gradually diminishing that support as the child becomes independent and acquires the knowledge and understanding) are more likely to persevere with their task and to celebrate their successes.

 

Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.

 Active learning can be observed in the child who has managed to climb the lower branches of a tree that has been previously assessed as suitable for climbing by the Forest School leader. The child assesses for themselves the level of risk they are willing to take as they decide how high to climb and work out for themselves how to navigate the branches safely. For some, the ‘risk’ may involve getting their new wellies muddy or holding a worm in the palm of their hand. For other children, the risk may simply be expressing an idea out loud that they would not have the confidence to do within the constraints of indoors where everyone might be listening. Forest School provides endless opportunities for new or unusual play and a range of open- ended, problem-solving resources that challenge and evoke questions. Making it enjoyable, instilling a sense of the unknown and wonder ensures it is engaging for every child.

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Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.

​The Forest School leader needs to be curious and interested in how young children learn and develop and therefore should take opportunities for continuous professional development as they arise. Whether it is attending training to update their own Forest School skills, or to understand how the Early Years Foundation Stage is implemented. The well-informed Forest School leader should be able to apply the skills and knowledge they have gained to their sessions with the children, and in doing so can be confident that their sessions are contributing towards children’s learning and development.

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Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.

​Forest School provides an environment with many opportunities for children to utilise the characteristics of effective learning.

Adults, including Forest School leaders and any helpers, learn and discover alongside the children, for example, as they seek to identify a plant, solve a problem or find out more about an insect that a child has discovered on a leaf. Parents are also involved when children share their learning with them at the end of the day or discuss with the Forest School leader how they can expand on the outdoor experiences their child has had. This  may include explaining to a parent how they can create a bug hotel in their own garden or suggesting some ‘must have’ items that can be taken on the next family outing to the park, even something as simple as a clear lidded pot or bag in which ‘finds’ can be taken home.

 

Observation, assessment, and planning

 Planning Forest School over a period of six to eight weeks is helpful in ensuring coordination of Forest School sessions so that opportunities for all areas of learning and development are considered. Planning will be informed by the site, the term times (in some settings), the previous experience of the children, the weather and the season, as well as children’s interests at the time.

 

‘In the moment planning’, described by Anna Ephgrave (Ephgrave,

E. 2018) as building on the way that ‘young children live in the here and now’ works well with the Forest School ethos. For example, if a child is seen exploring sticks it may be appropriate to start piling   the sticks next to them to see if it engages their interest, and if so, discussions about making houses could be started. Ephgrave describes this as the ‘teachable moment’ which can then be expanded upon to extend learning and self-confidence. There are many other natural materials available on the site that could also be used to build a house, the child may be motivated to look for other options, such as dried leaves or stones. It is critical at this point for the educator to notice what the child is doing, allowing them time to formulate their own ideas without taking over.

 

Ephgrave emphasises, ‘the critical role of the adult in promoting child-led learning, giving early years practitioners the confidence and insight to work and plan in the moment’. In the moment  planning is easy to implement within the context of Forest School because of the emphasis given to allowing children quality time to immerse themselves in their play and learning. The Forest School leader can easily identify ‘teachable moments’ as they observe how and where children are taking their own learning. During a Forest School session, Forest School leaders observe children’s different skills, as they practice and refine their learning. These incidental observations will then inform the ways in which the child’s learning  is progressed, both during Forest School and back in the setting, especially if shared with other educators who are working with the child. Just as with indoor curriculum delivery, making and recording observations by taking photos and making notes is helpful in shaping future Forest School sessions, particularly so when sessions are happening weekly. Because children engage with learning differently outdoors, observations give a different perspective on how a child learns.

 

Where Forest School is provided for a group of children of varying ages it is valuable to differentiate skills development planning for each age group. For example, aspects of a Forest School session with very young children could be incorporated into baby and toddler sessions where the parent or carer is encouraged to allow their baby the sensory experience of sitting on a woodland floor,    or in a tray of crisp autumn leaves. Supervision is obviously essential as babies tend to explore with their mouths. For toddlers there are plenty of opportunities to develop fine motor skills as   they pick up sticks, leaves or other small natural objects.

Gross motor skills such as learning to walk and balance are also supported as toddlers are given the opportunity to walk on an uneven surface with different textures underfoot. This is particularly valuable as so many children have little experience walking on an uneven surface.

 

For older children, Forest School supports their progress towards the Early Learning Goals in the EYFS, with plenty of opportunity to practice and refine other skills that will support their school readiness, for example, getting dressed and ready for their Forest School session and recognising their personal needs, such as staying warm or dry in adverse weather conditions.

 

Evaluation of each Forest School session should take place both during the session as the leader reflects ‘in action’ on what is happening and how different children are engaging in the session at the time, and afterwards, reflecting ‘on action’ by evaluating the session, what happened, where the children’s interests were, what they enjoyed and what learning took place, which informs the next session.