Info for schools
Why?
Forest School projects are for all children; are child led within a comprehensive outcomes based overarching plan to scaffold and engage the children in their own learning and investigations. Working within a place responsive pedagogy Forest School brings benefit to all children all year round.
Forest School projects offer learning from a different direction; encouraging children's communication, personal social, emotional and physical development in new ways.
Creativity is at the heart of Tinderwood’s Forest School projects. We aim to equip and enable our children to think around real issues and dilemmas in a real world context. This places them in a strong position to develop strategies and resolve to navigate all that life throws at them - both as children and as transferable skills moving into teenage and adult years.
When and where?
Our projects take place all year round with 6 sessions minimum per project. Part of our ethos is to engage children with the green spaces around them. We use suitable woodland near to your school, or woodland that is part of your school grounds, or one of our larger sites. The children then develop a stewardship role for these areas and having a raised awareness of them will act to protect and look after woodland spaces.
The woodland sites we use are fully insured, benefit /risk assessed, and resourced for the age and stage of the group coming.
What happens at each session?
A Forest School session lasts 2 hours, excluding any travel time. The sessions have a rhythm and a pattern to them which the children get to be familiar with.
We play trust-building and group games, create and build, learn respect for and how to use fire and tools safely, tell stories and swing in the trees, forage wild food and cook on the fire, get creative with natural materials, climb, dig, and so much more. We follow the childrens' interests whether they are 3 and 4 or 11 years old!
A staff to adult ratio of 1:5 supports all learning safely in the woods for which school is required to build up a body of volunteers/parents/governors beyond teachers and classroom assistants. E.g. for a group of 20 children 4 adults to accompany them from school /setting.
Children and adults attending will need to have weather appropriate clothing and footwear, and where we can help, we will.
How much?
A 6 week project costs £1370. The cost includes all relevant insurances; qualified professional staff with enhanced DBS, current safeguarding qualifications, and outdoor first aid training; site and activity risk assessments; planning with curriculum links; formative and summative assessment and evaluations; all snacks and necessary equipment.
If you would like to start adding some outdoor woodland sparkle to your school's learning offering then please do get in touch.
Schools we have worked with over the years:
(Click on a school below to read and see more)