Forest School
What is Forest School?
“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.”
At Austhorpe, we have timetabled regular Forest School sessions for children in Reception, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6.
Our school vision and ethos is represented by the acronym ‘SHINE’ which stands for Success, Happy and Healthy, Inclusion, Nurturing, Enrichment. Our Forest School provision supports and compliments this ethos:
Success: Success is a vital part of the learning process. Learners at Austhorpe Primary School’s Forest School sessions recognise that success is gained through grit and determination and is reached after effort and improvement.
Happy and Healthy: The Forest School sessions aim to provide a happy working environment where everyone learns how to get along and is supported by being given opportunities to collaborate with, support and be supported by their peers. Our grounds provide a wonderful space in which learners can be at one with nature and learn to appreciate the natural environment and take part in healthy learning activities.
Inclusion: We include regular sessions across school (children take part whilst they are in Reception, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 6) and promote the inclusion of every member of our school family. It is important to us to provide support and challenge for everyone at Austhorpe Primary School and our sessions will provide a wide range of different learning opportunities appropriate to the needs of all our children.
Nurturing: The mental health and well-being of everybody at Austhorpe Primary School is a vital part of our nurturing ethos. Research shows that learning in outdoor natural environments is beneficial to participants’ mental health and well-being.
Enrichment: Austhorpe Primary School is proud of how we use our outdoor environment in an imaginative and cross curricular manner to provide enrichment for everybody. Forest School sessions encourage learners at Austhorpe Primary School to experience different challenges and work to their own strengths and needs.
