Forest Schools, as an initiative, offers an approach to teaching (with a focus on the outdoors and learning through practical experience) that has been proven to engage children and improve performance across other areas of the curriculum.

Boddington CE Primary Academy has been running outdoor learning programmes for several years. Children love to be given the opportunity to get outside and do their learning in nature.

‘Outdoor learning is an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in a natural environment.’ ‘It is an approach that sits within and complements the wider context of outdoor and woodland learning.’ 

We aim to provide children with an appreciation of nature as well as encouraging an attitude towards nature that should encourage responsibility for conservation as children mature. 

There is an increasing body of research identifying the positive benefits of outside learning on children.   That research says that children and young people are stimulated by the outdoors and typically experience, over time, an increase in their self belief, confidence, learning capacity, enthusiasm, communication and problem-solving skills and emotional well-being. 

We know from parental feedback that outdoor learning engages and excites children.

The key features of our outdoor learning include:

• Frequent and regular sessions to enable children to appreciate how their natural environment changes, including the different challenges that each season provides.
• The relationship between children and the natural world is nurtured. 
• The holistic development of each child is promoted, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners. They develop their emotional awareness and the positive experiences that they have enhance their self-image. This all helps to give children a high degree of self-confidence as well as a positive self-esteem which are essential pre-requisites for good learning to occur. 
• The freedom to explore using multiple senses which is fundamental for encouraging creative, diverse and imaginative play. Children also have the opportunity to develop risk assessment skills as well as expressing their adventurous spirits. 
• High staff: children ratios to ensure the safety of the children.
• A child-centred play based approach dominates outdoor learning sessions with children having choices and freedom within the session.