BRATTON Primary School has created a ‘Forest School’ run by teaching assistant, Sam Midgley, to teach the children about nature and the environment.
Sam has been training to become a Forest School leader and is currently studying towards her level three.
Sam said, “It’s just a great way to get the children outdoors and as a way to help team building. It’s important to teach them about nature and they are all very keen to learn.
“We were given a few areas around the school grounds to use as project areas, including a fire pit area, pond and garden/allotment. Every class now has had a session across the year and had an impact on the progress we have made. It makes such a difference when the children have had the input as they take more pride in the areas, as well as learning along the way.”
One class each term visits the Forest School on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s run all year round and this term the year 6s have taken on a garden project as a way of leaving a legacy for the younger years as they leave to go to secondary school.
During the sessions the children play games, build dens, learn how to tie ropes, make ink out of blackberries and write using the ink, bark rubbing, tree identification and more.
Sam continued, “We are really lucky to be surrounded by a lot of nature that we incorporate into our sessions. There are so many different varieties of trees around and wildlife in abundance.
“In March/April we took part in the RSPB’s bird watch event, hung bird feeders around our gazebo and the children documented which birds visited the school. We have also made bug hotels using donated wire drums.”
The school has been lucky to receive various donations from organisations and people in order to create the Forest School without having to buy anything new.
Sam added, “Friends of Bratton School gave us some money to buy fence posts and wires to section off the garden area, various parents and other people in the community have dropped off electrically wire base, tyres etc for us to use and also we were kindly given a £500 Forest School starter kit which included picnic blankets, storm kettles, fire lighting kits and more.
“We also found an old PE gymnastics horse in the store cupboard that wasn’t being used. We broke it up and now have three flower beds!
“Morrisons have also been great and has donated a lot of plants for us to use and the children have been watering them and looking after them, so we can plant them during the sessions.
“At the end of the term, the classes all celebrate their work with a campfire around the fire pit, melting and eating marshmallows.
“I have always been an outdoor person and want to encourage children to also love being outside. That’s why I decided to start the training and bring a Forest School to Bratton Primary. There is always so much to do outside and it changes with the seasons, so something different each time.”
