JCN'S FOREST SCHOOL ETHOS

Forest school is regular session where children access a wooded area. It is not a one-off session but a long-term process of experiences and learning. Children are free to explore, discover, challenge themselves, and learn at a pace that suits them.

Forest school is a continual learning process, which does not focus on the what, but the how! In Forest school there is no emphasis on the product, but on engaging in the experience through hands on, practical opportunities where the only limit is the child’s imagination. The ethos of Forest school is to provide children with the time and space to develop their skills, interests, and understanding through meaningful experiences in the outdoor environment.
Forest School emphasises the child’s:

• Right to play
• Right to access the outdoors – in particular a wooded, natural environment
• Right to access and take risks
• Right to engage in open-ended explorations.

Our Forest school ethos provides children and young people with the opportunity to:

• Empower themselves
• Embrace their own abilities
• Develop self-belief
• Develop self-esteem and self-worth
• Develop their personal, social and emotional skills with the support of others
• Develop independence
• Improve communication skills
• Improve physical and emotional well-being
• Foster a relationship with nature and for teachers, children and young people to respect, care for, and understand the importance of their environment
• Build resilience, which enables them to become confident, empowered, curious learners
• It recognises individuals learning approaches and facilitates these.
• It promotes creativity and creative thinking.

 
Our ethos is based upon the six key principles of Forest School which have been agreed by the UK Forest School Community in 2011.