Forest School at St. Peter’s

Forest School is currently available for our EYFS reception class, using their new purpose built outdoor playground.

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.

Activities include: Den building, Campfire cooking, understanding the natural world, biodiversity and using tools safely.

“Forest School is an integral part of our curriculum and the look of pure joy on the children’s faces when they light a fire, tie a knot or toast marshmallows is priceless. We have seen a love of learning ignite in children who have been less confident. It supports and enhances children’s development across all areas of the EYFS, fostering confidence, resilience, concentration, independence and curiosity whilst experiencing the benefits of being outdoors “. Mrs Osborne, EYFS Lead.