Forest School     

           ... 'an inspirational process in which children learn through hands-on activities in a natural environment.'

Forest School Newsletter December 2025

We are lucky enough, at St Martin of Porres, to be situated in grounds that have some ideal green and woodland space to develop a Forest School for our pupils.

Forest School is based upon early childhood principles of freedom in play, creativity, socialisation skills and emotional stability.  Children achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning as teachers facilitate 'safe' risk-taking.  This extension to the curriculum benefits all children including the more able and talented and children with special educational needs.

The benefits of Forest School include -

• Increased self-esteem and self-confidence

• Improved social skills

•  Development of language and communication skills

• Improved physical motor skills

• Improved motivation and concentration

• Increased knowledge and understanding of the environment

Examples of Forest School Skills that pupils acquire through activities include -

• Den Building

• Tree Climbing

• Fire Skills & Cooking

• Tool work - learning to use tools safely

• Rope work - knots and lashings

Forest School is a cross-curricular teaching tool that can be accessed from Early Years through to Key Stage 3 and beyond.

English

• To encourage more effective communication where children share ideas and experiences.

• To expand the imagination and stimulate ideas that can be taken back to class as writing activities

• Poetry and story telling can be a unique experience in the outdoor environment.

Maths

• Problem solving strategies

• Counting

• Sorting and creating patterns

• Building 3D structures

Science, Geography

• Children are given the freedom to explore the world around them

• Gain an understanding of materials & their properties exploring their suitability for purpose and constructing based on those findings - i.e. den building

• Children develop a sense of identity in the community developed through Forest School breaking down boundaries of diversity

• Forest School supports and enhances many Science topics such has habitats, life-cycles and food chains.

 Art

• Encourages creative development by studying colour, shape, size and distance

• Develops team-working skills through collaborative art activities

 P.E. & Design & Technology

• Children working in an outdoor environment

• Children have the opportunity to use a range of materials and tools to which they would not normally have access

• Fine motor skills are developed through 'knot-work'

• Understanding space and safety is critical when tools and fire work is being undertaken

• Research carried out by the University of Edinburgh found that children's level of activity on a Forest School day was 2.2 times greater than on active school days and 2.7 times greater than inactive school days.