At Branfil we recognise the importance of learning opportunities beyond the classroom and many of our children participate in Forest School on a regular basis.
Forest School is a child centered, holistic approach to learning that takes place in a natural setting. We are currently developing an area of our school site to use for our Forest School sessions and also make use of the woodland area just outside our school gate. Whilst at Forest School children participate in an exciting and engaging range of games and activities and through these children will be supported with developing their self-confidence and self-esteem, social skills, physical skills, creativity, resilience and perseverance. Children also learn a range of practical skills such as fire lighting, shelter building and working with tools and have experiences such as cooking on the fire and going for woodland walks. Forest School also provides an ideal environment for children to develop their risk assessing skills. These experiences combined with holistic development gives children a wealth of skills that can be applied in the classroom and in their wider lives.
We strongly believe in the benefits of Forest School, which is supported by many studies into the positive effects of children spending time in nature and it is an exciting opportunity for children to learn beyond the classroom.
At Branfil we have 3 members of staff who are qualified Level 3 Forest School leaders – Mrs Campbell, Mrs Gafford and Mrs Ferguson. Currently Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 have two half term blocks of Forest School throughout the school year. In addition to regular sessions, a Forest School breakfast club runs during the Autumn and Summer terms for invited pupils in Year 4, 5 and 6 and we provide a Forest School holiday club over the Easter break for our older pupils.
It is our aim to involve as many children in Forest School as we can, as we are so passionate about the positive impact Forest School can have on our learners!