Mama Beech

The two unavoidable topics at the moment are how much 'education' children have missed, and the effect lockdown & C19 have had on their mental health. Schools are less than an fortnight away from welcoming back all pupils while Outdoor Activities/Clubs will be able to commence soon after. Hopefully this means Schools who have had Forest School on hold can re-start sessions, and that Outdoor Learning Provision can open their doors to children who may have spent most of 2021 so far sat in front of a screen.  T he need  to allow for a 'carefree' summer of play was addressed in  The Guardian  : “As part of a wider recovery process, children should be encouraged and supported to spend time outdoors, playing with other children and being physically active" 'Catching up' with 'lost learning' is very important, but there has to be a balance or mental health will be further affected. Children's health physically and psychologically underpins learning...

The looming date for school opening up to all pupils is being discussed more and more (the date varies across the UK). For many Forest Schools this signals their opportunity to start running sessions again. There are so many ways Forest Schools deliver time outside that there has been a huge range of effects the pandemic has had on this provision. Some colleagues are awaiting the schools they work in to re-start sessions. If a school uses land off site it hasn't always been possible to deliver sessions, needing journey plans or volunteers to travel to site. Independent Forest Schools have often fallen under the heading of a 'leisure' provider and have struggled to be recognised as a form of education. Some of these small businesses have been closed for almost a year. Forest School Leaders who have contracts with schools have been on furlough, or just on hold, and unable to provide sessions at all during Lockdown. Some of us have sites on school grounds and have never closed...