After Forest School (Part 1)

This week I had to book a physio appointment for an ongoing ankle issue. The routine conversation, tinny and difficult to hear, altered suddenly when my physiotherapist asked my profession.

"Forest School leader?" a distant voice echoed back to me from his office, "I LOVED Forest School!" the line clicked and a clearer one to one telephone service kicked in! "We used to go up Burgess Hill, it was brilliant, I love all that nature stuff!". His voice became softer as he said "it was such a great time."

Now I have no idea how old my physio is, I have yet to meet him in person, but even placing him in his twenties (allowing for qualification years etc) it has to be at least ten years since he was part of a session! I'm guessing from his accent he means Burgess Park in London which I know has many schools nearby that use the plentiful open space in the area. As far as I'm aware none of these are secondary schools. 

If he is from Burgess Hill in Sussex there are fewer schools nearby, and maybe Forest school provision beyond Primary...? 

I was part of a Forest School team ten years ago, supporting the FSLs of the time. We were very much Early Years based and I don't think Key Stage 1 saw much woodland time, Key Stage 2 didn't see any. As far as I know that is still the case at that particular school. Fitting FS into an eyfs timetable is easier than finding space around the curriculum for KS1 and KS2. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done! 

This medical professional has worked hard in secondary school to be able to go on and train as a physiotherapist, it must have included a lot of homework and dedication, and he is currently juggling clinical work in more than one location. Yet the mention of Forest School brought a cheer to his voice and whimsical tone! 

It could be as many as twenty years since he eagerly marched away from the playground to explore a more natural environment with his peers, but the feelings it evoked then are present in the memories now. The nature connection he felt then was still affirmed in his "I love all that nature stuff" as a present tense, even if the opportunities are no longer weekly. The experience was both meaningful and impactful and to some extent, ongoing.

I know this is purely anecdotal, it has no bearing on the evidential success of the Forest School ethos. I have no idea if his fondness of the 'time' was entirely due to Forest school or not! However in that short exchange so much was evident.

The unexpected championing of pedagogy from those who participated as children is rare, the voice of the child is often lost in observations and statistics. As practitioners we know the children enjoy themselves, we see it, we support it, we study its impact elsewhere in their learning...mostly to justify what we do.

I do chat to the children about activities and developments in Forest School, there are usually resources at basecamp for the children to write notes and ideas down (it's easier to tell me what they don't like anonymously!), and all their 'feedback' does feed back into our short and long term plans. You cannot follow a child's lead on individual learning without including their opinions, wants, and needs. 

It's something I want to extend next year with children more involved in video clips and photos as well as writing down their thoughts.

There is plenty of research and statistics to say how children's lives are affected by FS, the positive impact it has on class behaviour and exam results, and evidence that it helps with wellbeing. But education is for life, and if we agree the skills taught in Forest School are just as important as those taught in a classroom, then there must be evidence of lifelong 'Forest School' learning also!

I can imagine now what the chat, in between my wincing (and concentrating on not kicking the poor man), will be. Very few awkward silences as I ask endless questions about his Forest School experience. I'd love to know what he feels he learned from it all.

Obviously, everything will remain anecdotal, but true for him at least. 

There can't be a more random sample of 1 talk to!

I'll let you know what I find out!

(Part 2 here!)

Location: Canterbury, UK

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