Curriculum Statement Forest schools
Intent
Elveden C of E Primary Academy is committed to providing a high quality educational experience for all pupils and our Forest Schools provision is no exception. As a Church school, we have 5 clear aims which are inextricably intertwined with our Christian vision, mission statement, physical and mental wellbeing and Building Learning Power.
- Ready to learn: Children have a positive, confident attitude to learning. They are both physically and emotionally ready to learn.
- Resourceful: Children show initiative, asks well thought out questions and are prepared to use a variety of strategies to learn.
- Reflective: Children are curious, able and willing to learn from their mistakes and can describe their progress.
- Resilient: Children are prepared to persevere and stay involved in their learning, even when the process is challenging.
Our Forest School sessions provide a safe and nurturing learning environment through hands-on activities, where these aims are effectively interwoven within the Forest School ideology. In our outdoor space, children can acquire new skills such as taking risks, building resilience, making autonomous choices about their learning and initiating free play with others. In addition to this, our Forest Schools sessions actively encourage all learning styles and uncover ‘multiple intelligences’ in our children, which support their holistic development.
Implementation
Our Forest school sessions are planned to enrich and enhance all areas of the curriculum and take place each week, in EYFS and LKS2. The rest of the school have opportunities to visit the Forest school site throughout the year. Children also have opportunities to learn specific outdoor skills and make connections with other areas of the curriculum. This provision provides our children with an array of engaging activities to support other areas of their learning, such as maths and science. Forest School is a recognised teaching system that aims to meet the intent of this curriculum through holistic and child-led learning.
Impact
Through the implementation of Forest School throughout the curriculum, we have seen our children become more confident and resilient learners, who are also more inquisitive about the world around them. Through discussions with children and parents, Forest Schools has shown to have a positive impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of our children and this effect is now beginning to resonate within the classroom environment too.