‘Forest School is a unique outdoor education programme run by trained leaders. It gives children and young people the chance to explore, learn and discover at their own pace, developing their confidence and self-esteem in a safe and supportive space.’  (Forest School Association)

At St Martin’s we are lucky enough to have access to our own on-site woodland area as well as beautiful heathland, commons and woodlands on our doorstep, within the National Trust’s Ranmore Common, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. EYFS children use the woodland on the school site and Year 2 children get to explore beyond the school grounds. The different sites allow us to offer a broad and exciting range of activities, including:

• Shelter building
• Fire lighting
• Tool use
• Studying wildlife
• Playing team and group games
• Sensory activities
• Tracking games
• Rope and string work
• Art and sculpture work
• Woodland and traditional craft
• Developing stories and drama, and meeting imaginary characters
• Physical movement activities

At St. Martin’s, through our Forest School sessions, we aim to embed our values of resilience and independence, by using a child-centred approach that focuses on the holistic development of the child. The trained leaders tailor the sessions to meet the children’s needs and interests making each session as individual and as unique as the children themselves.

As part of our broad and balanced curriculum offer, we are very fortunate to be able to make use of our beautiful grounds with our Forest School. See it in action in the photos below!