Forest School

‘Forest School makes me feel happy because I can play while learning about nature and I also like to share my ideas there.’ - Miran

‘We are lucky to have Forest School to get more attached to nature and to learn what is harmful and when to be responsible. We can explore nature in our own forest playground.’ - Daisy

 ‘Forest School isn't just fun, it teaches us lifelong skills and things which will help us in our everyday lives.’ - Shemera

What is Forest School and what is our aim?

Holy Trinity Forest School is in essence our School Vision being lived. The intention of our on-site Forest School provision is to transform lives and instil a vision in our children to be stewards of our earth for themselves and generations to come. Why?

‘No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced’ David Attenborough

The way this is achieved is not by accident. We have an accredited Forest School Provider on site, in addition to a technician who work as a team to carefully prep the site, tools and equipment and manage the sustainability of the site to ensure the children are immersed fully in every opportunity while in sessions.

Rooted in Forest School Principles, our sessions are based around this core ethos. Every child is unique and every child has the opportunity to be involved as they are, included in any way they wish to be involved. We encourage children to see Forest School as separate from their traditional classroom learning. Nature is the classroom and developing themselves and others through invitational opportunities is what drives the sessions.

How the sessions work?

The pupils begin their sessions by getting kitted up into their dungarees and wellies. We have a purpose-built boot room where there are dungarees for every child from Nursery to Year 6 and their wellies are stored here ready for use each session. This sets the scene for the adventure which begins.

Nursery and Reception - hour long sessions weekly

Years One to Six - fortnightly session from one and a half to two hours long.

During this time the sessions take on many forms. Some key elements include, but are not limited to:

Skill development: Knots and rope work, fire safety and starting, tool use including saws, mallets, whittling and much more.

Play: This may be with each other in the form of guided play and games, digging and building around the site using our wide range of resources. We encourage guided risk taking which involves climbing, and jumping and assessing if safe to do so.

Inquiry based: The children may be given a goal or task to solve eg. map drawing and following, discovering seasonal change, animal and plant behaviour and observation or building challenges.

Self reflection: Time in the sun, shade, the rain, reading, relaxing, listening, watching and observing. This also includes their problem solving and resilience.

Understanding the world:  Observing and investigating the microhabitats and ecosystems including pond dipping, bird watching and minibeast hunts. We love observing seasonal change and actively being involved in sustaining the space for the insects and creatures which live there. Children learn to identify their impact and make plans to rejuvenate spaces and put them into action.

Creativity: There is always an opportunity for something creative and nature craft by using the natural resources around us and using imagination - the opportunities are endless.

These are just some of the many opportunities created by our unique oasis in the middle of Tottenham.