Green Planet Forest School
An S4A Group Company

Green Planet For Schools

With Green Planet, your school can not only offer the myriad of benefits of Forest School, but can do so without having to release staff for training, incurring the costs involved in doing so, and having the risk of them leaving and taking that qualification with them.

With inclusive, engaging, thought provoking sessions specifically designed to boost confidence, self-esteem, resilience and mindfulness in children, passionately delivered by our highly experience team, if you are ready for Forest School – then we are too! 

No Forest School? No Problem! – Even if your school grounds have no existing Forest School area, or it is neglected and overgrown, we can still deliver the benefits of the Forest School ethos, in most cases whilst developing an area with the children by planting and constructing based on plans they are involved in, benefiting them by helping them understand about working towards a shared goal, a legacy, and the kindness of building or planting something for others to enjoy, nature, life-cycles and so much more. We can also assist with securing free trees to plant to improve biodiversity of the school grounds, and to enrich the lives of children who use the area.

“What a start to our Forest School sessions! The children have loved every minute of their experience and have developed new skills each week…”

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“My 6 year old daughter came home really excited after the forest school session, she was absolutely buzzing and telling me about the wonderful activities she had taken part in! Lighting a fire, cooking on the fire, building a waterproof den, whittling a magic wand and little gnome/fairy and much more. She especially said the leaders were really fun and kind, and she felt so happy being there.”

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“…our Forest School leader has been magnificent! He is knowledgeable, engaging, fun, interesting and absolutely brilliant with our Y5/6 children.

The children have learned so much…
Most importantly they learned to do it safely and they have had sooooooo much fun doing it!…”

What is Forest School?

At its heart Forest School is an educational philosophy and psychology (a pedagogy) that places a high value on play and nurtures creativity and curiosity, putting the needs of the participants (children), and their holistic development before the demands of a school curriculum. It should revolve around frequent visits to forests, woodlands and other wild places to build familiarity, community and care  for the planet. The ideas behind Forest School emerged from the progressive, communitarian forest cultures of Scandinavia and northern Europe, and in the past twenty years those ideas have put down roots in the UK and right around the globe.

The Benefits of Forest School

The emphasis at any Forest School session is always on children leading the way. This empowers them to direct their own learning in fun
ways which enable them to discover what excites them, explore their interests and play in a way that suits them. We believe this supports
their independence as well as enabling them to quickly gain or hone a range of personal and social skills such as curiosity, creativity, confidence, resilience, perseverance, tolerance, teamwork and communication. Read more about the value of free play and how it benefits child development here.

What we do

At Green Planet Forest School we believe in providing children with an immersive outdoor learning experience that fosters enrichment,
emotional development, and a deep appreciation of nature. Our Forest School program is designed to instil a lifelong love of the natural world and a sense of responsibility for the environment, while also giving children confidence to assess, manage and take calculated risks. This results in greater confidence to try new things, and as we know, confident children grow into confident adults. Everything we do is deeply rooted in the Forest School ethos, with heavy emphasis on the holistic development of children and young people, in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment where children can learn and develop at their own pace.

How we do it

Our provision includes school time sessions, after school enrichment clubs, holiday clubs, home education and alternative provision sessions. Our highly skilled and trained Forest School Leaders provide an extensive range of activities designed to engage and inspire young minds, from nature walks, bug hunting and plant identification, to projects like building shelters and mud kitchens, and practical skills such as the use of tools, fire management and campfire cooking.

Forest School and SEN

Forest School is a multi-sensory environment and can help improve concentration and the motivation to learn. Forest School sessions can help children with learning disabilities or additional needs to gain more independence and self-confidence, reduce anxiety, build resilience, and improve their communication skills.

Flexible

Our Forest School Service is flexible to suit your timetable. You can book a full day for multiple sessions, or single session half days and we can include lunch clubs for leadership development, an eco-club, afterschool enrichment clubs, or behaviour interventions.

Prices and funding

Our prices include fully trained and insured staff enabling you to release staff for PPA or CPD time, and all the necessary equipment, resources, food and craft materials required to run the session are also included. Various funding options are available including Sports Premium and Pupil Premium. 

Get in touch to discuss what options are available and to start your Forest School journey!