Forest School at St James and St John Church of England School School

At Akeley, we are proud to offer enriching Forest School experiences to our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 (KS1) children. Our dedicated Forest School area provides a safe, natural space where children can explore, discover, and learn through hands-on outdoor activities.

During Forest School sessions, children are encouraged to develop confidence, resilience, and a deep connection with nature. Activities include den building, nature crafts, fire lighting (under close supervision), wildlife exploration, and even sometimes a hot mud (hot chcolate) treat with marshmallows! All activities are designed to support the children's physical, emotional, and social development in a fun and meaningful way.

We are delighted to work in partnership with  Green Planet Forest School Ltd, whose experienced leaders visit us to deliver inspiring and enjoyable sessions. Their passion for outdoor learning and commitment to nurturing each child's curiosity ensures that every session is engaging, inclusive, and memorable.

Forest School is a much-loved part of life at Akeley, where the outdoors becomes the classroom and every child can thrive.

What is Forest School?

At its heart Forest School is an educational philosophy and psychology (a pedagogy) that places a high value on play and nurtures creativity and curiosity, putting the needs of the participants (children), and their holistic development before the demands of a school curriculum. It should revolve around frequent visits to forests, woodlands and other wild places to build familiarity, community and care for the planet. The ideas behind Forest School emerged from the progressive, communitarian forest cultures of Scandinavia and northern Europe, and in the past twenty years those ideas have put down roots in the UK and right around the globe.

What goes on at Green Planet Forest School Sessions

Our emphasis at our sessions, whether they are during school time, at an after school club or during full days at holiday clubs is always on children leading the way. This empowers them to direct their own learning in fun ways which enable them to discover what excites them, explore their interests and play in a way that suits them rather than being prescribed what they should do and how they should do it. We believe this supports their independence as well as enabling them to quickly gain or hone skills such as confidence, resilience, perseverance and communication. Read more about the value of free play and how it benefits child development here.

The Green Planet team prepares for sessions by setting up stations or situations such as for whittling, fire lighting, campfire cooking, shelter building, crafting, tree climbing, construction using tools, and supports children on whichever activity they choose to explore. In order to fully appreciate the range of fun activities on offer, a very detailed list of those activities and their benefit to child development can be found here. Of course all of this goes on in a woodland area giving access to nature which itself is both a great educator and an amazing place to play.

The Green Planet Forest School team welcomes primary aged children, with any level of ability. Children with SEN needs are not only welcome and well catered for, they traditionally excel in this environment. And if you are unsure about booking your child please read our excellent reviews on Trust Pilot or by all means contact us directly for a chat.

For information on recommended clothing for Forest School sessions read this detailed blog post.