Forest School
Forest School has been implemented at Nonsuch across the year groups to help support emotional well being, physical development and communication and literacy skills. The children will participate in a range of activities over the year often linked to stories or the children’s interest and observations while outside. We aim for the children to go out whatever the weather but when we feel it is not safe to use the outdoor area then we take our learning indoors and adapt the session so that they still have opportunities to develop their interpersonal skills.
The children are given the chance to explore independently, or with their peers or simply find quiet alone time to reflect and appreciate the nature and world around them.
The key principle of forest school is that children learn and develop through play as this is at the centre of the session as well as having fun. We are sure that forest school will help to foster more independent, resilient and happy children while they are with us.
Forest School at Nonsuch Primary School
Forest school is very much child led and child centred in order to support their emotional wellbeing and physical development. Forest school supports our children in becoming more independent, able to communicate clearly with others, being calm and happy and able to regulate emotions that might impact normally on negative behaviour in the classroom.
Our Forest school sessions are designed to flow and move with the children’s interests e.g. if they spot a butterfly or hedgehog we might change focus to discussing that or observing it or if the weather changes we might stop and observe the rain, snow or clouds. However, we try and have a focus for our forest school sessions over each half term to help engage and motivate our children while also supporting their literacy and communication skills. Therefore, we select stories either actual books (this can be one or more story linked to a theme) or AI generated stories to help focus our sessions for example:
| EYFS | Autumn 1 We’re going on a bear hunt | Autumn 2 The Stickman | Spring 1 The Gruffalo | Spring 2 The Three Little Pigs | Summer 1 Creatures of the forest | Summer 2 Water and mud |
| Year 1 and TP | Woodland Pirates | Elves and Fairies | Walk in the woods | Zog | Wizards and magic | |
| Year 4 | Vikings | Elves, Fairies or Goblins | Kings and Queens of the woodland | Wizards and magic | General nature stories e.g. Mrs Owls forest school | Adventures |