Our forest school is run by our Forest School and Well-being Manager and her deputy.
Children in both the nursery and out of school club, take part in forest school activities each week.
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program
that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.
Forest School does not focus on outcome, rather the process. There are no assessment criteria, so we are free to follow the children's interests in the moment.
We offer the opportunity to build knowledge, skills and understanding around several areas, including (but not limited to), fire, tools, and nature.
And most importantly, it is FUN!
From September 2023, we have expanded our forest school provision, and we now offer forest school sessions, from our baby room right through to our out of school
children.
We have incorporated yoga and mindfulness into these sessions, to support our children's mental health.
We have renovated a patch of land within the school grounds, to incorporate a fire pit, slack lines, allotment, bug hotel and many more things. We also use the billing to run our forest school on, this is dependent on the age and interests of the children during the session.
Our Nursery
The setting has a secure outdoor play area where children can explore the outside environment with lots of fun things to do.
We also have use of the grounds of the primary school and have access to a large field, environment garden and adventure playground. We often go for walks around the local area and use the billing and football field.
We have recently taken over a new outside space within the school grounds, which has been developed into our forest school area. This space supports our forest school lead, to deliver some of the sessions including the use of a real fire pit!
Security of the children is one of our main concerns and only parents and permitted visitors will have access to the children's areas. Under no circumstances will a child be allowed to leave the setting with anyone unknown to the staff unless previously arranged by the parent/guardian. We use a password system or photographic identification is required to ensure your child's safety. We also have a bio metric finger scanner for parent's entry to the nursery cabin.
The nursery also provides the web cam facility for parents/carers to access. This facility means that you can view your child's day at nursery, during the day or at a time that is more convenient for you. We are proud of what we do and work very hard to make it right for your child and you.
We hold a celebration once a year and then termly drop in sessions and play and stays for parents.
The experiences your child receives whilst in their room is planned in line with the Early Year's Foundation Stage. Our approach is play based and focussed on each individual child. The practitioners provide opportunities for children take part in activities based on the child's interests. We gain this knowledge by good clear observations and the relationships we have with the children who access us, We are regularly OFSTED inspected.
We use an online profile, which can be accessed by you at any time. You can also upload observations at home, so we are really working in partnership with you.