At St Paul’s we offer Forest School as part of our outdoor and adventurous curriculum an enrichment to our PE offer. Forest school gives children the opportunity to be outdoors and active in natural spaces where they learn personal, social and technical skills. Children attend Forest School once a week in Reception, Year 3 and Year 5. As well as contributing to ensuring children have 30 active minutes a day in school Forest School has close links to the work children are doing in other areas of the curriculum.
Forest school was set up to achieve the following:
- To provide an outdoor environment to enable children to maximise their learning potential in all areas of the Curriculum.
- To help each child build self-esteem, confidence, independence and self-control and interpersonal skills.
- To develop a positive disposition to learning through the completion of small, achievable tasks.
- To meet the needs of children with all learning styles
- To develop social and team working skills
- To enable children to be independent, self-motivated and considerate.
- To provide an opportunity for individuals to develop, to learn and to enjoy themselves.
- To provide a safe and non-threatening environment in which children can take and manage risks, make choices and initiate their own learning.
- To help children understand, appreciate and care for the natural environment.
- To provide ways of developing practical life skills.
- To provide stimulation and varied learning activities appropriate to the child’s needs and stages of development.
The impact of Forest school is that our children become successful and confident learners. Their communication and social skills are enhanced through working in small groups. They develop leadership and listening skills. They develop a love of the natural environment and have improved knowledge and understanding. They enjoy being outdoors and this will contribute to a happy,healthy lifestyle.