Forest School at St. Stephens

Every child at St. Stephen's has the opportunity to take part in Forest School on a regular basis (three times during their time at school). Using a nearby woodland nature reserve , a qualified Forest School practitioner leads the children in weekly sessions to explore the environment around them. The Forest School Association explains: Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners.

At St. Stephen's our Forest School is linked with many different areas of the curriculum, especially geography, science, DT, PE, art and maths. It is a different way for children to access our curriculum and get hands on experience, develop their fieldwork skills and put into practice their learning.