Forest School
Forest School at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
‘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.’
Liz O’Brien and Richard Murray (A marvellous opportunity for children to learn: a participatory evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales)
At St Joseph’s we are lucky to be able to offer Forest School sessions to all age groups. We believe in the ethos of Forest School; where children are able to learn through play, discovery, working together, exploration and investigation into the natural world around them. Through our Forest School provision we are able to give children hands-on experience and opportunity for real-life problem-solving that children of generations past were able to experience as an intrinsic part of their childhood. Through Forest School we aim to develop and nurture the whole child, building our young up to to be well-rounded individuals. We believe that Forest School builds self-esteem and confidence, which can impact beyond the sessions themselves, onto a child’s attainment across other curriculum areas and back in the classroom environment.
At St. Joseph’s we appreciate the positive impact of time spent in the natural world on our children’s well-being and mental health and for this reason four of our staff members have full Forest School Leader training. This enables us to offer sessions to all classes over the course of the year.
Forest School also provides a unique opportunity to develop skills that cannot be developed in the classroom, such as shelter-making, fire-building and tool use. Sessions are planned to build on the children’s prior knowledge and experiences, their interests, the seasons and any topics that are currently being studied in class.
Below you will find details of when each year group participates in Forest School to enable you to ensure that your child has the necessary kit available with them in school.
Forest School Timetable
Children to come into school in Forest School Clothes on their Forest School Day
| TERM | DAY | TIME | LED BY |
PRE-SCHOOL | All Year | Wednesday | morning | Mrs Sweeney |
RECEPTION | All Year | Friday | morning | Mr Brett |
YEAR 1 | Autumn 1, Spring 1, Summer 1 | Tuesday | afternoon | Mrs Jarvis |
YEAR 2 | Autumn 2 Spring 2 Summer 2 | Tuesday | afternoon | Mrs Jarvis |
YEAR 3 | Spring | Thursday | afternoon | Mrs Jarvis |
YEAR 4 | Spring 1 | Wednesday | afternoon | Mrs Clarke |
YEAR 5 | Summer 1 | Tuesday | afternoon | Mrs Clarke |
YEAR 6 | Summer 2 | Tuesday | afternoon | Mrs Clarke |
Forest School in Action
Making Charcoal in Forest School
