Welcome to Forest School at The Elms

Forest School is a child-centred approach to outdoor learning, where children learn through regular, hands-on experiences in a natural environment. It encourages pupils to explore, play, investigate, take supported risks and build confidence, independence, resilience and creativity. At The Elms, Forest School is part of our commitment to helping every child learn in different ways, connect with nature and enjoy meaningful experiences beyond the classroom.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Forest School is more than simply spending time outside. It is a long-term programme of regular sessions, led by qualified practitioners, where children are supported to follow their own curiosity and develop skills through real experiences. The approach is built around six key Forest School principles:

1. It is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than a one-off visit.
2. Takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
3. Promotes the holistic development of all learners, supporting confidence, independence, resilience, creativity and emotional wellbeing.
4. Offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks that are appropriate to themselves and the environment.
5. Led by qualified Forest School practitioners who carefully plan, observe and support learning.
6. Uses learner-centred processes, where children are encouraged to follow their interests, make choices and reflect on their experiences.

How It All Began

Forest School at The Elms began in 2025 as a shared vision from the Executive Head, Head of School and PTA. The aim was simple but ambitious: to give every pupil, from Reception to Year 6, the opportunity to experience Forest School during the academic year. In September 2025, The Elms appointed Mrs Youd, an experienced and fully trained Forest School Leader, as Outdoor Education Curriculum Design Teacher. The school also committed to training two additional members of staff as Forest School Leaders at Hill End Outdoor Centre.

This was the area in June 2025: a blank canvas with a few benches, an archway and established trees. The beautiful Handkerchief Tree was professionally maintained, the site was cleared, and the space was carefully transformed into an engaging, purposeful and interactive Forest School area.

Our Forest School area at the end of the summer term 2025.

Our Forest School Today

All children take part in Forest School sessions, working on a rota basis in termly blocks. The space is also used to support SEND pupils and children who may find classroom-based learning more challenging, offering them a different way to engage, succeed and shine.

The site at the end of December 2025, with our bug hotel, fire pit area, mud kitchens, branch pile for dens and mud digging area.

Outdoor Adventures and Discovery

Forest School sessions are practical, creative and full of discovery. Children have collected conkers, observed leaves, explored mast years and tree species, used apples and strawberries from the school site to make stews, toasted marshmallows, enjoyed hot chocolate and squash, cooked pancakes, popcorn and toast, and created magic mud potions.

Pupils have also built dens using tarpaulins and branches, investigated the flora and fauna on our site, and discovered frogs, toads, slugs, snails, worms, woodlice, millipedes, shield bugs, squirrels and deer. Older children have developed skills such as whittling, sawing, water filtration and fire-lighting, which are introduced carefully, allowing children to learn how to make safe choices and manage risk under close guidance.

Growing Confidence, Resilience and Curiosity

Forest School gives children opportunities to learn in ways that are active, memorable and meaningful. Pupils often feel as though they are simply playing and exploring, but through these experiences they are developing teamwork, resilience, creative thinking, communication, problem-solving and social skills. It supports a wide range of learning styles, abilities and needs, helping every child to feel included and capable.

Learning Through Safe Risk-Taking

Risk-taking is an important part of Forest School, but it is always carefully supported. Children are encouraged to notice potential hazards, assess situations, make safe choices and find solutions. Our three simple safety reminders help pupils understand the basics:

No lick, no pick, be careful of that stick!

Whatever the Weather

“Whatever the weather, we go outside together.”

This motto is known and recited by the children, helping them understand that Forest School is about shared adventure, resilience and enjoying the outdoors in every season.

Our vision statement is:

“At Forest School we explore, learn and play,

Making our own choices in a natural way.”

Through this approach, children learn to make choices, follow their interests and develop confidence in a supportive natural environment.

Explore Our Forest School Space

• Mud digging area
• Three mud kitchens
• Wash-up area and hand-washing stand
• Fire pit area
• Pulley system
• Den-building area
• Willow house
• Bug house
• Log pile
• Natural growth and planting areas
• Dead hedge
• Sloped hedged area

The area has been developed using free, recycled materials wherever possible, alongside a great deal of care, creativity and commitment. It has grown into a space where children can explore, play, think independently, take supported risks and enjoy being outdoors together.

Our Next Steps

Our next ambition is to add a canopy over the fire pit area. This would give children a dry, sheltered space and allow sessions to continue more comfortably in all weathers. It is one of the few things we cannot make ourselves — although we certainly would if we could! We are also developing a scheme of work to support progression in skills and activities, so all children experience different opportunities as they move through the school. As these are guided activities, children can choose whether they wish to participate. Looking ahead, we also aim to include pre-school children in sessions now that the area is established.

Forest School at The Elms continues to grow. From leaf collages and homemade campfires to hot chocolate shared with friends, these are the moments children remember: time to talk, explore, create and learn together in the natural world. Forest School gives our children the chance to build confidence, resilience, independence and curiosity while developing a lifelong connection with nature. This connection is important because it helps children understand and care for the world in which they live. By spending regular time outdoors, children learn to respect living things, notice changes in the environment and begin to understand how they can help protect the natural world for the future.

"No one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced"

Sir David Attenborough