Forest School at Featherstone Primary & Nursery School

We are lucky to have our own Forest School at Featherstone Primary School led by Ms Bauer who is a trained Forest School leader. The children visit the Forest School in small groups throughout the year and have the chance to cultivate their independence, improve risk-taking skills, develop ways to problem solve, build resilience and expand their vocabulary; whilst building positive relationships with adults and peers. Research has shown a strong relationship between forest school participation, well-being, resilience and being connected with nature.

Why we believe Forest School is important for our children:

Children spend a lot time indoors and connected to devices and don’t get the space or opportunity to connect with nature. Research has shown that working outdoors and connecting with nature is good for our mental health and well-being. When children are given the opportunity to explore the outdoors, a whole new world is opened up for them.

Our Forest School provides an opportunity to connect with nature and experience all seasons through child-led learning that allows children to learn through real-life experiences, and by being actively involved in their own play.

Forest school helps children learn life skills, such as staying safe and developing their understanding of risk-taking. Children are encouraged to take risks such as use of tools and learn skills that improve their overall development both physically and mentally. By allowing our children to explore and learn for themselves, they will improve their confidence through the freedom of chosen activities in the outdoors.

It is important that children experience play and learning in both outdoor and indoor contexts. The outdoors allows children to experience different opportunities for their physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual growth. By giving our children these opportunities to explore through their time at Featherstone Primary, we believe that it will benefit their holistic development and capture memories that will be lead to life-long learning.

‘It is so fun to learn in the Forest School with friends.’ – Mohammed (Yr 4 Claret)