I shadowed a Forest School Here is what I learned

Imagine yourself at 8 years old in your school uniform, the smell of wet paper towels and floor cleaner hanging in your nose. But instead of sitting in the confines of a miniature plastic chair, white walls and aggressive LED lights, your bottom rests on the softening bark of a fallen winter tree. Your eyes are softly greeted with shades of moving green as a light breeze blows softly across your face. Imagine what possibility for exploring the world and oneself that might offer.

What is Forest School?

Forest school is a scheme of outdoor learning overseen by the Forest School Association. It follows a set of key principles; Long-term, nature, community, risk, holistic and leadership. 

Forest School may seem like a relatively new concept or buzz word however, the Forest School concept has been in the outdoor learning sector since the early 1900’s. The Forest School curriculum emerged in the 1990s as an alternative to the outcome-focused education sector after the introduction of the national curriculum in the 1970s and 1980s.

Who is Forrest School For?

After seeing the scheme in action, all children could benefit from an afternoon in the woodland yet, some children need access more than others. The classic classroom space lends itself to those with linear brains. The clinical tick box style of pedagogy, sit-still environments and full classrooms doesn’t give itself freely to those who may be neurodivergent or struggling with mental health disorders, or those who have difficult home lives. The Forest school environment, natural light and freedom within boundaries allow those who don’t tend to thrive within the classroom environment, to start to flourish. 

Why is it coming into the mainstream school sector? 

There is more demand for alternative education methods as classrooms get larger, teachers' time is more stretched between teaching, safeguarding, managing marking workload and countless other reasons. The Education sector is also becoming more educated and understanding of the needs of neurodiverse children, children with mental health and children with difficult home lives. Forest schools and general schemes that allow children to thrive away from the classroom have worked in many cases and we must ask ourselves- is education in its current form serving us? That is a question that must be explored by the nation's head teachers, Ofstead and our government.  

A standardised qualification for forest school leadership and assisting has increased the number of teachers and practitioners that can offer the forest school scheme. This has led to many teaching assistants and teachers (predominantly in SEMH schools and primary schools) completing the awards and setting up their own outdoor learning programmes. 

What I learned from shadowing 

I learned that patience is a virtue, children trying to learn in a different way will take time. Allowing a child to open up to you is not something that I could have achieved in a couple of sessions. The Leader made this look effortless,  but it was hours of crafting a safety net and patiently laying the foundations, brick by brick, for trust. The softness that the practitioner offered to the children taught me to be softer in my approach when instructing. Being more gentle when speaking does not equal weakness, it shows patience and safety. She was strong in asserting clear and direct boundaries in a way that did not feel oppressive but the children knew exactly who was in charge and respected this as best as they knew how. 

Sometimes a child just needs to break some sticks or dig holes, it does not need to be over-complicated - the approach is to uncomplicate their learning experience. 

Behaviours were redirected in a way that explored feelings by using the natural world that surrounded them. This was a skill that I had not seen in action before. Forest school was not a space that was teaching children only about lighting fires, tying knots or naming trees but teaching them about themselves, exploring the world and how they fit in it.  

Maybe everyone could do with a bit of forest school…