FOREST SCHOOL

At St Edmunds we are very lucky to have wonderful grounds enabling us to run Forest School sessions. We make use of the school field and the water meadow which includes our outdoor classroom and boardwalk area.

WHAT IS FOREST SCHOOL?

The Forest School model originates in Scandinavia and involves participants (adults and children) learning outdoors on a regular basis.  During the sessions we promote, observe and explicitly support the social, emotional and physical development of those involved.  Forest School builds on a child’s innate motivation and positive attitude to learning, offering them the opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning for themselves.

WHAT IMPACT DOES FOREST SCHOOL HAVE?

• Increased confidence – characterised by the self confidence and self belief that comes from children having the freedom, time and space to learn, grow and demonstrate independence.
• Increased social skills – characterised by an increased awareness of the consequences of actions on other people and their ability to undertake activities with others.
• Improved language and communication – characterised by the development of more sophisticated uses of written and spoken language, prompted by the visual and other sensory experiences of a child.
• Improved motivation and concentration – characterised by keenness to participate in exploratory, learning and play activities.  Also an ability to focus on specific tasks and to concentrate for extended periods.
• Improved physical skills – characterised by the development of physical stamina and gross and fine motor skills.
• Increased knowledge and understanding – characterised by a respect for the environment and an interest in their natural surroundings – making observations and insights into natural phenomena.

WHAT HAVE THE CHILDREN SAID ABOUT FOREST SCHOOL SESSIONS AT ST EDMUNDS?

WHAT HAVE THE PARENTS SAID ABOUT FOREST SCHOOL SESSIONS?

PE AND SPORTS

Our extra-curricular programme is extensive and includes lunchtime and inter school competitions.

The PE and School Sport Premium introduced to schools is used to build upon our successes and help us to develop even better access to high quality PE, and foster a lifelong love of sport and embed knowledge about the benefits of sustained physical activity.

We are committed to high quality continual professional development for all our staff, not just teachers. As this competency is developed we will be able to secure a sustainable change and improvement to benefit our children and their families. Please come and join us and enjoy a healthy active lifestyle with us.

independence and life skills

A large focus for us in The Nest is setting our children up for success both now and preparing them for adulthood. Children have lessons that teach independence and life skills that range from choosing and making a healthy lunch, doing up zips and laces to being safe on the road and managing money. Children are given many opportunities to practice skills in the classroom before taking them out into our wider community.

Multi-sensory approach

Not all children learn the same way and at The Nest we strive to create many different approaches to learning to best suit all kinds of learners. We believe the use of the natural environment can have a positive impact on children’s health and well-being and so we make good use of the extensive school grounds to enable the children to spend time being active, outdoors every day.