LEARNING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Forest School
An enchanted childhood
Learning through nature is a key part of a childhood at St Andrew’s and our pupils have the freedom to roam and explore to their heart’s content. Our well-equipped Woodland Nursery and Forest School is set amongst our 54 acres of beautiful grounds. Nursery and Pre-Prep pupils enjoy daily outdoor learning and play, taught by qualified Forest School Leaders, with co-curricular activities offered up until Year 4.
Nature for all
Tree Tots Toddler Group is a half-termly group for local parents who want their children to enjoy outdoor learning in a picturesque and safe environment. Further up the School, pupils have numerous opportunities to enjoy the outdoor facilities, including multiple playing fields, climbing trees and building dens, and going on the zip wire at breaktimes.
Inventive learning
Resilience and risk
Healthy minds
Learning life skills
Outdoor learning at St Andrew’s starts from Nursery. Every day, our children pull on their outdoor gear and head off to their very own Nursery Woodland, and new wooden cabin, Woodland HQ. This enchanted space is used for making new discoveries, whether it’s with twigs to solve maths’ problems, gathering leaves and blackberries for art projects or detecting protected species. What’s more, our Nursery children take these experiences and use their discoveries back in the classroom as part of the curriculum.
Activities like collecting sticks, climbing and exploring the environment improve physical strength, independence and stamina. For older pupils, den building, coppicing and learning how to safely use knives, teach risk management and a deeper understanding of one’s surroundings.
Learning in the great outdoors provides a safe, calm space to talk about feelings. Pupils can engage informally with the teaching staff and be helped to work on their emotional language. Shared experiences in nature help improve social skills and self-expression within children’s own circles, as well as finding it easier to speak to adults and other children. Our outdoor ethos permeates throughout our School and pupils across Pre-Prep and Prep make use of our beautiful grounds and woodlands for exploration, exercise and time with friends.
Independence is key to learning in the great outdoors and each progressive step is celebrated. At St Andrew’s Woodland Nursery and Forest School, children develop important skills for life, enabling them to further flourish and thrive over the years.
