Norfolk Research

The first Norfolk Forest School was piloted in 2005 by Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Wildlife Trust at Houghton Hall. From this pilot some key benefits and principal outcomes were highlighted (please see Case Studies page (link to page) to download a full evaluation of this pilot):
Forest School; reflecting best early years practice – A [...]

The first Norfolk Forest School was piloted in 2005 by Norfolk County Council and Norfolk Wildlife Trust at Houghton Hall. From this pilot some key benefits and principal outcomes were highlighted (please see Case Studies page (link to page) to download a full evaluation of this pilot):

Forest School; reflecting best early years practice – A more sensitive approach to planning the next steps for individual children’s learning was a principal outcome.

Partnerships with parents – The principle outcome observed here was securing meaningful parental involvement early on, which has the potential to positively influence a child’s school life.

Fostering early years opportunities for good citizenship and learning for sustainability – The opportunity for children to have a voice and make informed choices was recognised as a principle outcome.

Appreciation, love and respect for the natural environment – Learning outdoors motivated the children to develop the values, attitudes and skills required to appreciate, respect and care for their natural environment. This principle outcome is a foundation on which higher order learning opportunities can be built, such as recognising detail, questioning and investigation.

Risk taking and safety – Handling responsibility, rising to expectations and understanding the consequences of actions, led to the principle outcome of safety and risk awareness appropriate to their age and activity.

Teachers’ attitudes and ‘emotional teaching’ – The principle outcome is that positive teacher attitudes have a significant effect on children’s self esteem and thus potential learning. The outdoor environment offers an appropriate context in which to achieve this.

Children’s emotional intelligence – The Forest School ethos offers itself as a powerful tool for developing emotional intelligence and could potentially set up children with life-long learning skills.

Health and mental well-being – Allowing children as naturally active explorers the opportunity to learn and develop in this kinesthetic way.

Behaviour and learning styles/schema – Allowing individual children the opportunity to learn in a way that suits their schema/learning style had an especially significant impact on the behaviour on those whose inclinations were not easily catered for in the classroom.