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Graces

Hands-on learning

Forest School

Boy playing in the forest
Girl showing muddy hands

Forest School is an incredibly important part of life at Grace’s.

Not only is it a great learning experience for our children but just as importantly, it’s great fun! We are a recognised FSA Forest School Provider and have our own, fully fenced, 1 acre of woodland on site which is purely used for Forest School activities.

We have our own qualified Forest School Leaders who, through the natural environment, enable children to learn and develop, test their ideas, take control of the direction of play and take appropriate risks. 

Boy looking at a tree
The Forest School Association

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

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Experiences in the natural environment.

We oversee experiences such as rope play, use of tools, exploring the natural environment, climbing and cooking with fire. This will all be done safely, installing in the children the importance of taking safety measures where needed. 

We create challenges for the children to overcome during their time at Forest School, really building on the EYFS areas of development and Characteristics of Effective Learning, as well as developing their health and wellbeing, while encouraging them to work together. We encourage the children’s learning by providing them with activities and opportunities, giving them the freedom to choose for themselves what they want to do and how they do it. We observe them at each session so we can assess their interests and plan the next session according to this. 

Children thrive at Forest School and it provides them with a non-restrictive environment for them to learn in. It gives them the opportunity to take risks and become resilient learners.

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Catherine Prisk, Director of Play England

“If children risk climbing a tree they may risk reading aloud in the classroom”

Nursery Life

Find out more about life at Grace's

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Sustainability

The importance of looking after our planet

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