Forest School at Clee Hill Community Academy
At Clee Hill Community Academy, we believe that children should be provided with the opportunity to enjoy Forest School throughout their whole school journey, starting from nursery all the way to year 6.
Forest School supports a child's holistic development helping to build resilience, confidence and perseverance. It builds on their social and emotional skills, and supports children's self-esteem and self-awareness.
During child led play, children learn to work with others. They use their imagination in the mud kitchen, work on their fine and gross motor skills and coordination when climbing trees, and learn to assess, evaluate and take risks in a safe, supportive environment.
Children are provided with activities that give them the opportunity to work independently, or problem solve with their peers. Whether it is knot tying, den building, using tools, or working with clay and other natural materials.
Forest School also encourages children to take ownership of their natural playground, and fosters a love for nature and the natural world.
"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in the child's soul." - Fredrick Froebel
Forest School Principles
The Long Term Principle: Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.
The Nature Principle: Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural
wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world
The Risk Principle: Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
The Holistic Learning Principle: Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
The Leadership Principle: Forest School is run by qualified Practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional Practice.
The Community Principle: Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.
Holistic Development
Physical: Development of control over one’s body. Including control over muscles, physical coordination, ability, to sit or stand. Can also include growth as in height, length and mass.
Emotional: Developing an understanding of their own emotions. Knowing why they feel certain ways after certain actions. Relating to others feelings and understanding their effect of others emotions.
Social: Development of interactions(friendships, relationships) with others. Developing an understanding of themselves within the community. Understanding communications and actions of others, including dealing with conflicts.
Intellectual: Developing skills to recognise, understand and reason, allowing them to make sense of what is seen, touched, heard. etc. Language development, understanding others and expressing themselves.
Spiritual: Allowing the true authentic self to flourish and its connection to all that is around us
Moral: Developing proper attitudes and behaviours towards other people in the society. Often based on social and cultural norms, laws and rules.
Understanding and cherishing of values and ethics such as honesty, integrity
and fair play, and the consequences they bring, leading to developments of
responsibility and empathy
