Each year, children from Reception to Year 4 experience a block of 6 Forest Schools sessions. Research indicates that children attending Forest Schools develop strong social skills, the ability to work in groups effectively, and generally children have high self-esteem and confidence in their own capabilities. Children are offered time to thoroughly explore their thoughts, feelings and relationships, which in turn helps to develop their understanding of the world, the environment and everything within it through use of their emotions, imagination and senses.

Within the Forest Schools’ initiative, we aim to offer structured opportunities for children to develop, within an outdoor setting, a variety of life skills: independence, self-discovery and communication in order to assist their development in self-esteem and confidence. Children work in groups of 10 with the Forest School Leader, Mrs Jones. This takes place in all but the most extreme weather conditions. (We provide appropriate waterproof clothing, but we ask parents to provide wellingtons, hats and gloves). 

In line with the Curriculum for Wales (CfW) outdoor learning has also become an important part of the curriculum for older pupils. A range of meaningful, contextual, outdoor learning experiences are also planned for older pupils as part of their termly topics, e.g. Year 5 created a school allotment on a piece of waste ground within the school. They grew their own crops and developed links with the Howardian Allotment Society, who gave them advice and encouragement for their project.