We are very proud to have a Forest School site and trained staff here at Snitterfield. Sarah Barnett and Andrea Duxbury (Class 1 staff) are trained in the principles of Forest School and have introduced us to the Forest School ethos which is: ‘We believe that everyone benefits from access to the natural environment and in particular the specific opportunities presented by woodland. Forest School offers a learner led approach where participants can learn through exploration in association with others or independently. We believe the natural environment offers learners of all abilities the chance to show imagination, skill, ability and determination in a non-classroom setting.’ All our classes have access to the learning opportunities of Forest School over the year and the benefits that it brings are numerous. Most children love being outside even when it’s cold and raining!
The site was further developed over the October 2015 half term break, thanks to some fantastic teamwork from Jaguar Land Rover led by Snitterfield parent Mark Holt. As part of JLR’s Corporate Citizenship programme, Mark organised a team to come and improve the existing site. The site was quite restricted and hampering the children’s learning. The main aims of the project were to extend the site and fence it off, clear out old wood and dig a fire pit. They worked so fast that extra jobs were found to be done in the school grounds and outbuildings.
An amazing effort – thank you so much!
The children are already benefitting from the extended space as you can see from the photos.