The Forest Schools concept comes originally from Scandinavia where there has been a long tradition of encouraging very young children to play and learn in the outdoors. A group of Year 1 children from Charlbury School, Oxfordshire, and their teacher Gill Senior, make one of their regular visits to a local wood. Last year these visits were led by Richard Mulvaney, a Forest School leader employed by the local council, but now Gill has qualified as a Forest School Practitioner herself. Because the children have been visiting these woods every fortnight from the moment they started in reception they have become unusually at home in this environment, whatever the weather. Through-child initiated activities we see them learning about the natural environment, how they handle risks and how they use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. Their teachers talk about the children's growing confidence and self-motivation.

Video Series: Getting Out of the Classroom
Release Date 2007