What is forest school?

To an outsider, forest school can look like children in waterproofs poking a fire with a stick. That is part of it. But “forest school” also has a fairly specific meaning in the UK, with principles, minimum session lengths and a qualification behind it, which is why a one-off nature walk does not count. So, what is forest school?

What is forest school?

Forest school is a long-term, child-centred process of regular outdoor sessions in woodland or another natural setting. The Forest School Association (FSA), the UK professional body, describes it as offering holistic growth through play, exploration and supported risk taking, building confidence and self-esteem through hands-on experience.^[1] In practice that might mean shelter building, whittling, fire lighting, mud, bugs and a lot of free play, with the same group returning week after week.

The caveat is that the name is used loosely. A “forest school” club that meets once in a car park is not what the FSA means. Quality forest school, in its words, holds to all six principles together.^[1] (And yes, the FSA writes it with capitals, as Forest School.)

What are the six forest school principles?

Six, agreed by the forest school community in 2011, before the FSA itself was set up in 2012.^[2] In summary:

1. Long term. Frequent, regular sessions rather than a one-off visit, with planning, observation and review between them.
2. Nature. It takes place in woodland or a natural wooded environment, to build a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
3. Risk. Learners take supported risks appropriate to the setting and to themselves, such as tools and fires, after risk assessment.
4. Holistic learning. It aims to develop resilient, confident, independent and creative learners: physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually.
5. Leadership. It is run by qualified practitioners who keep developing their own practice.
6. Community. Learner-centred, with play and choice built into every session.

The FSA is clear that no single principle takes precedence; it is the combination that makes it forest school.^[2]

Where did forest school come from?

Denmark, via Somerset, in 1993. According to the FSA, a group of nursery nurses from Bridgwater College visited Denmark that year to look at Danish pre-schools, where outdoor, play-based early years education was normal. They came home and started their own forest school with children in the college crèche.^[3] The roots go further back to the Scandinavian open-air culture, friluftsliv, or “free air life”.^[1]

In 1995 the college developed a forest school qualification for early years practitioners. Local authorities and Wales took it up from 2000, practitioners agreed a UK definition in 2002, and the Forest School Association launched on 7 July 2012 at Elvaston Castle in Derbyshire.^[3] The FSA also places it in a longer British tradition of outdoor learning going back at least to the 19th century.^[3]

Does forest school follow the national curriculum?

No. Forest school is not one of the national curriculum subjects, which at key stages 1 and 2 are English, maths, science, design and technology, history, geography, art and design, music, PE, computing and (at key stage 2) languages.^[4] The six principles are not a curriculum either; sessions are meant to follow the children’s interests rather than a fixed scheme.^[2]

The honest caveat is that it often supports the curriculum anyway. The FSA criteria say leaders should, where appropriate, link forest school to home, work or school learning,^[2] and schools that run it often publish their own maps linking sessions to subjects such as science (seasons, habitats), geography and speaking and listening. Academies and private schools do not have to follow the national curriculum at all,^[5] and home-educating families are free to use forest school however suits them.

How long should forest school sessions last?

At least two hours each, according to the FSA’s criteria, except where participants have severe and complex additional needs.^[2] The programme matters as much as the session. For the same core group, the minimum is one of: 24 consecutive weeks in a year covering two seasons; 12 consecutive weeks a year over two years; or, for classes of over 15, fortnightly across a whole academic year.^[2] Ideally sessions happen at least every other week.

What are the benefits of forest school?

The FSA says forest school helps learners become healthy, resilient, creative and independent, and many teachers and parents would agree from experience.^[1] The independent evidence is more modest. A systematic review of forest school research in England, first published in 2021, noted that the research is still limited in quantity and often lacks broader theory. It grouped the studies into three contexts: early years, special educational needs and disability, and formal education.^[6]

So early years and SEND are where most of the research has looked; that is not the same as proven outcomes. That is not a reason to avoid it; time outdoors, free play and a bit of manageable risk have good grounding elsewhere, which we cover in does being in nature improve focus and why play is important for child development. It is a reason to be wary of anyone promising specific results. Nothing here is medical advice; if you are thinking about forest school for a child with additional needs, talk to the leader and, where relevant, your GP or the child’s support team.

Does forest school replace regular school?

No, almost always. Forest school is a programme of regular sessions, at least two hours long and ideally at least every other week, run by or alongside a nursery, school, home education group or club. It is a way of learning rather than a separate kind of school, and the same principles apply wherever it happens.^[2]

How do you become a forest school leader?

With a Level 3 qualification. The FSA’s criteria say sessions should be planned and delivered by a leader with an accredited Level 3 Forest School qualification gained face to face, a 16-hour first aid qualification with an outdoor element, and at least one day of face-to-face forest school CPD each year.^[2] Adults who help regularly also need the usual suitability checks for working with children.

If there is no forest school near you, the spirit of it travels well: the same patch of woods, every week, in all weathers, with nobody in a hurry. For more ideas outdoors, see our half term activities, and The Walk Log is a simple way to keep track of what changes in your patch through the seasons.