Forest School
Forest School helps us to ensure that outdoor learning remains a strong focus at Highgate
Within the safety of our school grounds, we have our own deciduous woodland, providing a purpose built yurt with fire circle. Its wooden, circular seating creates a warm and cosy space in all weathers. The surrounding forest is the perfect environment for pupils to explore the natural world, commune with nature, create, innovate, restore and relax.
Our qualified Forest School practitioners promote the holistic development of each child, fostering resilient, confident, creative and independent learners.
“Forest School believes in children’s right to play and provides regular opportunities to engage with the outdoors through the changing seasons. It also supports the development of social skills, self-regulation, empathy, self-awareness and self-motivation,” our Forest School leader explains.
I love Forest School;
when I'm there my imagination runs wild! —Louise, Year 2 pupil
Teaching methods in the Pre-Prep are great, especially Forest School. —Pre-Prep parent
I love Forest School because I feel so free! —Pre-Prep pupil
In Forest School, our Pre-Prep pupils learn to:
- Persevere and take risks in a safe and secure environment
- Experience a healthy range of emotions through interactions with their peers and the woodland environment
- Raise their self-esteem by engaging with challenging yet achievable tasks
- Develop a curiosity and appreciation for the natural world around them
- Experience the forest as a place of wellbeing where they have fun and enjoy exploring together
A woodland environment is significant in supporting this dynamic approach to learning, sparking the senses through its plethora of textures, scents, sounds and visual stimuli.