Forest School for your Pupils
Forest School aims to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences. It provides an opportunity for children and young people to experience nature in a safe, secure and hands-on way. We aim to develop young people’s ability to build self-esteem and encourage a greater appreciation of the natural world.
When I’m at Forest School, I feel alive.
What are the Benefits of Forest School?
Forest School can benefit all pupils and experience has shown that it often has a lasting positive impact on children who struggle in a formal learning environment. We regularly work with children who have a variety of complex needs, liaising closely with all stakeholders and developing personalised experiences for each child.
By placing emphasis on the journey rather than the outcome and holding regular sessions, Forest School provides emotional time and physical space for child-led learning to come alive. Our sessions help young people develop:
- A positive mental attitude, self-motivation and independence
- Resourcefulness, self-regulation and resilience
- Perseverance, self-confidence and communication skills
The children who took part in Forest School have grown in confidence, Boxall profile assessments have demonstrated long term increases in engagement, self-esteem and relationships with peers
Our Sessions
Forest School can be delivered in your school grounds or on a local nature reserve. We work with individual children requiring alternative provision, alongside a member of school staff or WWT Education Support worker. We also take out groups of pupils and can use WWT minibuses to transport groups to our nature reserves.
All our Forest School Leaders are Level 3 qualified, hold enhanced DBS clearance and have extensive experience in a wide range of settings.
As a primary school SENCo, one of the best strategic decisions I made, with the greatest impact on individual children, was to use some of our EHCP funding for employing the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to lead Forest School sessions for our children. Our Year 6 class, with a high level of need, responded brilliantly to the weekly sessions. Gail and George came to know the boys very well, building wonderful relationships with them. This resulted in the boys feeling safe and valued, which enabled them to make progress, especially socially and emotionally. I cannot thank the Wiltshire Wildlife Team enough for the incredible impact and inspiration they have given the children this year.
Cost
We offer half day and full day sessions.
Half day: £170 (+£75 for support worker if required)
Full day: £280 (+£100 for support worker if required)
We also offer school workshops in school and out on our nature reserves, plus Forest School taster sessions for full classes. For more information on our wider education work, click here.
For information on adult Forest School training courses click here.
For more information about Forest School, please contact:
Gail Grimes
07736 457649
Download our Activities Brochure to find out more about what we can offer.