Forest School at North Ridge is a long-term outdoor education process that is holistic and learner-led. It allows our children to develop themselves through healthy engagement with risk, problem-solving and self-discovery, all within a natural environment in a hands-on and thoughtful manner.                                      

Forest School is invested in the holistic development of the pupils. Holistic means ‘whole’ – and Forest School enables the development of the whole person. This includes:

• Emotional development. Periods of reflection are important parts of all forest school sessions and help children to expand their emotional vocabulary and understand how they feel (emotional intelligence).
• Spiritual development. This refers to having a sense of belonging to the wider world, being part of something bigger than yourself, and your connection to nature.
• Intellectual development. Knowledge is provided in context with situations as they arise and creates a thirst for learning.
• Social development. Consistent meetings with the same group of children means that social connection is gained through shared experiences and goals. Children can choose whether to work together or separately.
• Physical development. Both fine motor skills and gross motor skills are developed in the outdoor environment, as well as stamina and positive experiences.
• Communication and language development. Working together encourages communication and develops skilful expression of thoughts and ideas, as well as the ability to listen to others. Reflection activities increase a child’s ability to understand and describe their internal state, wants and needs.