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.
'The outdoor provision is a distinctive feature of the school.' ISI
Tree Tots is a free toddler group for local families who want their children to have fun in an inspiring and safe outdoor space whilst getting to know others.
Inventive Learning
Outdoor learning at St Andrew’s starts from Nursery. Every week, our children pull on their outdoor gear and head off to their very own Nursery Woodland, along with 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.
Resilience and risk
Activities such as collecting sticks, and 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.
Healthy minds
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.
Learning Life Skills
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.
