Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world
Criteria:
Whilst woodland is the ideal environment for Forest School, many other sites, some with only a few trees, are able to support good Forest School practice.
• The woodland is ideally suited to match the needs of the programme and the learners, providing them with the space and environment in which to explore and discover.
• A Forest School programme constantly monitors its ecological impact and works within a sustainable site management plan agreed between the landowner/ manager, the forest school practitioner and the learners.
• Forest School aims to foster a relationship with nature through regular personal experiences in order to develop long-term, environmentally sustainable attitudes and practices in staff, learners and the wider community.
• Forest School uses natural resources for inspiration, to enable ideas and to encourage intrinsic motivation.
Principle in Practice:
Forest School Leaders create and maintain records set out how they conserve and manage their Forest School site including: location, overall management objective/s, environmental impact, enhancements to the ecology of the site, monitoring and a basic species list.
Forest School Leaders create and maintain a Forest School Handbook that communicates how we operate in a way that minimises the impact of Forest School on the planet, its ecosystems, its people, its plants and its animals.
Forest School Leaders plan sessions that include opportunities for the use of natural materials.