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Defining Forest School

Forest School has been defined by the Forest School England network as:
An inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve, and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland environment.

There are several key aspects to Forest School that differentiate it from many other outdoor education activities. Although some of the individual features outlined below are not unique to Forest School, when brought together they provide an experience for children that they would not get elsewhere. These defining features are important as they emphasise how and why Forest School is different in terms of its benefits for children. Broadly, these features can be described as follows:

  • The use of a woodland (and therefore ‘wild’) setting that is framed by strict safety routines and established boundaries that allows the lexibility and freedom for child-initiated learning and other innovative approaches to learning to take place in an environment of low risk to health and safety. The woodland setting is particularly important for children from areas of Britain where there is little opportunity for contact with the natural environment. (Forest Education Initiative, 2005)

  • A high ratio of adults to pupils (groups are small, with approximately 12 children per session). This allows children to undertake tasks and play activities that challenge them but do not put them at undue risk of harm. It also allows practitioners to get to know the individual learning styles and abilities of the children in their charge.

  • Learning can be linked to the National Curriculum and Foundation-Stage objectives while setting those objectives in a different context; it is not just focused on the natural environment. By incorporating a range of approaches to learning (such as undertaking small and easily achievable tasks), children are encouraged to develop their innate curiosity and motivation to learn. This is particularly important for those who find it difficult to learn in a strictly 'classroom’ environment.

  • The freedom to explore using multiple senses is fundamental for encouraging creative, diverse and imaginative play. The focus is on the ‘whole child’ (not only academic ability) and how they can develop their own learning styles at their own pace.

  • Regular contact for the children over a significant period of time (including all year round, and in all weathers). ‘Regular’ can mean anything from weekly or fortnightly for one morning, afternoon or day for 12 months or more. This is coupled with a clear set of safety routines and boundaries that allow children to develop a responsible attitude to risk while becoming familiar and confident enough to interact with an ever-changing natural environment.

    Accommodating different learning styles

    In Britain, Forest School is being used with a range of groups from early-years children to those with special needs, and young people and adults with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The Forest School setting is adaptable and allows for a flexible approach to learning, which can accommodate a range of learning styles. Learning styles are the different ways in which children best absorb and process information: kinaesthetic (learning by doing), linguistic, interpersonal, mathematical and visual. Forest School is an approach that can allow practitioners to shape teaching methods to an individual’s learning style. Research in America (Taylor et al., 1998; Fjortoft, 2004) has found that children who play in natural environments undertake more diverse, creative and imaginative play, forming an important part of a child’s development.

    Where does Forest School come from?

    The development of Forest School began in Britain in the mid-1990s; it is based on a Scandinavian idea that considers children’s contact with nature to be extremely important. Forest Schools were developed in Scandinavia in the 1950s and focused on teaching children about the natural world. Nursery-nursing students from Bridgwater College in Somerset visited Denmark in 1995 to see the programme there (Forest Education Initiative, 2005). They decided that the approach was appropriate for use in Britain and considered how to apply what they had witnessed to childcare provision in the college’s Early Years Centre.

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    The development of Forest School in Britain

    There is an increasing number of Forest Schools in Britain. Some are privately run, while others are supported by local education authorities (LEAs) that sometimes employ Forest School Co-ordinators or allow existing personnel (such as an early-years co-ordinator) to have the role as part of their broader remit. Some Forest Schools are part of the Forest Education Initiative (FEI), which was set up in 1992 as a partnership between the Forestry Commission, the Tree Council, the Woodland Trust, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Groundwork, The Confederation of Forest Industries (UK) Ltd (ConFor), Community Forests, the Field Studies Council and the Timber Trade Federation. FEI’s aim is to: Increase the understanding and appreciation, particularly among young people, of the environmental, social and economic potential of trees, woodlands and forests and of the link between the tree and everyday wood products. (Forest Education Initiative), The FEI website provides information on what FEI is and provides learning resources written by teachers that can be used to develop knowledge and skills across a range of curriculum subjects. Forest School represents just one aspect of FEI, and not all Forest Schools have links to FEI. Although this study has focused mainly on the use of Forest School in education, it is important to note that the potential for Forest School reaches far beyond primary and secondary education. There are many practitioners who recognise the value of the experience for young adults or people with learning difficulties. Although the application is different, the same principles hold true of allowing participants to learn by doing, and providing opportunities for personal and social-skills development. This is particularly important where individuals have not been able to benefit and thrive in other educational settings.

    How does Forest School work?

    A school may be interested in finding out more about Forest School, or it may have been contacted by someone within the LEA about getting involved. The LEA may have identified a site or number of sites for Forest School provision, and these may be privately or publicly owned. The LEA can advise teachers about what Forest School entails and how children might benefit from attending. Some LEAs, such as Oxfordshire, can provide a school with the support of a trained Forest School leader who will lead sessions for the school for the first 6 to 12 months. Teachers within participating schools are then encouraged to train as Forest School leaders for their school in the longer term. Schools have to organise and pay for their own transport for pupils to the site; there are also costs involved in supplying waterproofs for the children and training a Forest School leader.

    Training and quality assurance

    Teachers, support assistants, nursery nurses and others can train as Forest School leaders at a number of different levels, depending on whether they want to lead sessions or support others who are leading them (Forest Education Initiative, 2005a). Training runs from a basic course at Entry Level to Level 3, which enables those qualified to run a Forest School independently. There are also opportunities for training in teaching others to be Forest School leaders.
    Discussions about quality assurance arose because of a range of concerns including how Forest School is run by different groups, ideas about the nature of Forest School and issues of standards and liability. Because of these issues, FEI commissioned a contractor to explore how a quality-assurance scheme might be set up, and what it should include. A consultation document was produced. If a scheme is set up, then a Forest School could work towards accreditation, which would show, for example, that it included a range of systems such as risk assessments, appropriate leader training, Criminal Records Bureau clearance for those working with children and an appropriate environmental assessment of the Forest School site.

    What happens at a Forest School session? An early years example

    A typical early years session starts with planning by the practitioners, who are often either teachers or Forest School leaders. They will consider beforehand the changes in behaviour that they might expect to see in the children. The children put on outdoor clothing and walk or go by minibus to the woodland site. A number of LEAs and schools try to ensure that they do not have to travel for more than 15 minutes by minibus to get to a site. Once children become familiar with the wood, they may run and lead the way to the site. So while they are learning to deal with the uneven terrain of the woodland floor, they are also developing a sense of independence and confidence in being outdoors. A later session for children with several weeks’ experience of Forest School might include learning how to build a fire on which to toast marshmallows. If this is the case, the children, who will all have been assessed as capable of acting responsibly around fire, will be briefed on what they are going to do, with the safety issues being discussed in detail. They will be told that they need to gather firewood, and the practitioner will discuss which type of wood burns best by showing examples of green and dead wood. The children will be asked to find three or more different lengths and thicknesses of wood to start the fire, which leads them to practise their mathematical skills as they add and subtract different twigs and try to assess their thickness and dryness. These activities also allow the children to develop linguistically because they are describing spontaneously what they are doing as well as talking about the feel and appearance of the twigs they are collecting (e.g. describing whether they are wet, dry, long, fat or thin).

    The children may then be directed, with the help of an adult, to use a penknife to whittle long sticks into a point for holding their marshmallows over the fire. There is likely to be a discussion about what type of stick is needed to toast a marshmallow (e.g. one that is bendy so that it does not burn easily and one that is almost as long as your arm, for safety), again providing opportunities for developing language. The children will learn about safe behaviour around the fire area, and the concept of melting points (Figure 1). The success of the session depends a great deal on the skill of the Forest School Leader or teacher who is able to identify and capitalise on the varied opportunities for learning that emerge from the children’s interaction with the setting. A successful Forest School will excite and inspire participants to benefit from and – most importantly – enjoy the learning experience.

    The above text is taken from: A marvellous opportunity for children to learn: a participatory evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales by Forest Research: O’Brien, Elizabeth A.; Murray, Richard; A marvellous opportunity for children to learn: a participatory evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales, Forest Research, 2006, Farnham.

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