Forest Schools

Welcome to Forest Schools at Heygarth Primary School! The Forest School journey at Heygarth Primary School began in February 2018 and since then has been full of fun, mud, laughter and adventure!

During their time in Forest Schools, children will engage in a variety of experiences and develop a range of skills, such as:

understanding how to keep themselves safe,
develop an awareness of and respect for the natural world,
develop and use geographical and navigational skills,
learn different techniques involved in shelter building and knot tying,
explore and investigate the natural world,
use fire and tools (marshmallows toasted on the fire are always a hit!)
use their imagination and creativity in a variety of ways,
have lots of fun and make memories that will last a life time!

Rationale for Forest School

Forest School at Heygarth Primary School increases our children’s confidence and self-esteem through exploration, problem solving, and being encouraged to learn how to assess and take risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves. We use our own ‘Progression of Skills’ document so that we can tailor the sessions delivered to the needs and interests of the children and to ensure that aspects from the EYFS and National Curriculum are covered for each year group. The curriculum is designed to build on prior learning and extend children’s knowledge whilst always fostering holistic development in our children.

Forest Schools sessions will be taught by the following:

KS 1/EYFS
Forest School lead and Level 3 instructor

KS2

Mr Paul McLoughlin

An overview for when each year group can be found below. Please note that this is subject to change.

What do the children think?

“I loved it when we built a shelter and we used the mallet”

“The fire smelt like bacon.”

“I like going outside and learning new things.”

“It makes me feel happy because I develop skills and learn more about the wild.”

We are on Twitter! Please ask your child’s class teacher for information on account names so you can follow your child’s year group and see what adventures they have been up to!