Forest School in more detail
Behaviour Management
Staffing ratios at Forest School are high to ensure that potentially risky activities are carried out with adequate supervision. Forest School leaders are trained to manage behaviour in a non-confrontational way, and this is one of the reasons why children who struggle to adhere to rules and modes of behaviour in an indoor classroom rarely display negative behaviour at Forest School.
Self-confidence and Self-esteem
Forest School activities are broken down into achievable parts so that all can succeed. Children are given plenty of verbal praise by Forest School staff and techniques are employed to raise children's self-confidence and self-esteem, benefitting all aspects of the child's learning and development.
Health and Safety
It is now acknowledged that having an element of risk is an important factor in children's play, if we want our young people to grow up with an awareness of how to take care of themselves. At Forest School, all children complete their own risk assessments at the start of the session, deciding for themselves what the risks are and how to deal with them, eg they use flags to mark hazards such as muddy patches, nettles, fungi, berries, etc. They may decide to put risk control measures into practice, such as using the loppers to remove a bramble overhanging a footpath. The children also use flags to mark the boundary of the Forest School area, so that a feeling of independence is created within a defined space. Specific codes of behaviour are followed when fire or tools are used, and staffing ratios are high to ensure that the safety of all those attending Forest School is never compromised.
Independence
Children attending Forest School are encouraged to be as independent as possible; for little ones this means being allowed to put on their own boots and coats and walking around the site without holding adult hands. All children have opportunities to explore the area within the boundary they set themselves and adult helpers are asked not to intervene in independent play unless invited to do so.
Staffing
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust education staff are all Level 3 Forest School practitioners and are therefore qualified to run Forest School sessions. They are also CRB vetted, and trained in Outdoor First Aid and Child Protection. Members of staff and volunteers assisting with Forest School have Enhanced CRB disclosures and have gone through the Trust's vetting procedure for those working with children and vulnerable adults.
Clients are asked to provide at least one member of staff from their school / pre-school / group to attend the Forest School sessions, and it is good practice to use the same staff for each of the six sessions to maintain continuity for the children. Staffing ratios are usually one to four, not including the Forest School leader.
