Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by the impact of a unique environment for children's learning and growth, based on six interlocking principles.
Long-term. Frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.
Nature. Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment, to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
Risk-taking. Offering learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
Holistic learning. Promoting the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
Leadership. Forest School is run by qualified practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice with its outdoor element.
Community. Using a range of learner-centred processes to create a strong sense of community for development and learning.
Our story
Forest School is an innovative, self-led learning approach suitable for all ages in a woodland setting, supported by a trained Forest School Leader. Within a school setting, children might take part in regular two-hour, weekly sessions over the course of a minimum of six weeks. The sessions, which include activities such as building dens, cooking over fires, knot-tying and making art with natural materials, help to combat children's increasing isolation from the natural world, arising from greatly reduced freedom to roam and society's increased fear of risk.
Classes are taught outdoors in a wooded area, either within the school grounds or at a local woodland, and help children build their confidence, improve their teamwork and practical skills, and learn about natural environments.
The Mersey Forest helps schools and other organisations to access, create and adapt woodland spaces for their Forest School sessions, and provides advice and support to fledging Forest School programmes – some of which are based in woodlands which The Mersey Forest helped to plant over the past 25 years!
We've already worked with over half of Merseyside and North Cheshire's schools to introduce the benefits of natural play to children's education through school grounds improvements and Forest School. We're now helping teachers and practitioners to gain the Open College Network teaching qualification in Forest School, so that they can teach Forest School sessions on a regular basis.
Our advice
Forest School isn't just about delivering the national curriculum at a primary school level, however. It has a range of applications and can be used to teach all ages.
'Training the trainers' is key to success, and we encourage teachers and other practitioners to gain qualifications in Forest School.
Seek advice on the choice of a site where you would like to set up a Forest School woodland, so there are no issues in accessing or managing the site, and make sure you have the necessary landowner agreements and other formal documents in place.
Set up cluster groups and support networks – so that advice and support is never far away.
