Forest School
Forest School Leader (Level 3) - Miss Hudson-Jones
Welcome to Button Lane Primary School Forest School!
We are very lucky to have a wonderful outdoor space on our school grounds, which we are slowly developing into our Forest School area.
Forest School sessions are run every Monday by Miss Hudson-Jones; Reception class teacher and qualified Forest School Leader with Level 3 accreditation and both Paediatric and Outdoor First Aid qualifications.
Each year group will have the opportunity to experience Forest School sessions as the year progresses, typically one year group per half term. Sessions usually last for 1.5 hours.
Additionally, pupils will have the opportunity to attend our after-school club. Please look out for communication through ParentApps for further information.
Statement of Intent
Through Forest School and Outdoor Learning we intend to develop the breadth of experiences provided to our pupils through high quality learning by utilising outdoor spaces as a vehicle to embed children’s understanding of the world, deepen concepts, make links between curriculum areas, and develop the capacity to learn.
At Button Lane Primary School, our Forest School Intent aims to provide enriching learning experiences for pupils through regular sessions led by Miss Hudson-Jones, a qualified Forest School practitioner held outdoors in a woodland environment. Our philosophy is underpinned by research which has shown that learning through outdoor play has far-reaching positive impacts on children’s well-being, development and learning. Forest School is based upon the foundation principle of putting children and young people at the centre of their learning. Children lead their own learning based upon their interests, which is allowed to develop over time, occurring intrinsically through play and exploration. Children are encouraged to interact with the natural world all around them in the woodland, taking a hands-on approach, which focuses on the process of learning rather than a finished product and allows for skills to be revisited and mastered and for learning to become embedded as a result. Adults at our Forest School are facilitators and through careful observations and by developing relationships with the individuals in our groups, we sensitively provide experiences that support the learning and development of each child.
Forest School respects, values and celebrates the unique. We believe in the true potential for every child to achieve and provide obtainable, yet challenging experiences that promote risk-taking, independence, self-regulation, self-esteem, creativity and resilience.
Our Curriculum
Forest School is a child-centered approach; the activities we plan to offer should reflect the needs and development of the particular children we are working with. The activities are only a starting point and children may choose to take activities in a different direction from the one intended (or choose not to participate in the activity at all). It is the leader’s role to be prepared for this and adaptable enough to develop children’s learning in the most appropriate way. Effective observation and evaluation therefore are vital to plan for future sessions and decide which activities to offer.
We work closely with class teachers and to provide links to Learning Projects, making cross-curricular links where appropriate to bring learning to life in a fun, hands-on and engaging way. An example of our long term progression map for Forest School is available below:
Safety at Forest School
Safety and enjoyment are paramount at Button Lane Forest School. We aim to involve the children in our Risk Assessments as much as possible to give them ownership of their own and other's safety.
We have developed a series of Safety Agreements which will be used in any Forest School or Outdoor Learning session. Take a look below:
Further Information
For further information about our Forest School sessions here at Button Lane Primary School, please see our Forest School Information Pack
