Forest School

We are an endorsed provider of Forest Schools and have received our Platinum Certificate from the Woodland Trust School Awards

The wonder of our Forest School

2024 - Year 4	2024 - Year 1	2024 - Year 1
2024 - Year 4	2024 - Year 5	2024 - Year 6 and Year 3

Forest Schools at Drake

The Forest School Ethos at Drake

Forest School is a unique educational experience that helps children develop confidence, resilience, and self-esteem through hands-on learning in a woodland environment. It provides opportunities for children to engage in motivating and achievable activities throughout the year, in almost all weather conditions.

At Forest School, children learn by exploring, playing, and working with tools in a safe, structured way. They develop an understanding of boundaries—both social and physical—while growing in independence, problem-solving skills, and respect for the natural world.

The Forest School approach originates from Denmark, where it was first offered to preschool children. Research showed that children who attended Forest School entered formal schooling with strong social and communication skills, the ability to collaborate effectively, high self-esteem, and confidence in their own abilities. These qualities laid the foundations for greater academic achievement.

At Drake Primary, we are proud to provide Forest School sessions for children from Reception through to Year 6. These experiences enrich and extend the curriculum, offering children valuable opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

Principles of our Forest School

Forest School is a specialised approach to learning that complements and enriches outdoor and woodland education. Its principles are shared by thousands of trained practitioners across Norfolk, the UK, and beyond.

At Drake, our Forest School is:

A long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off or infrequent visits; the cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review links each session.
Takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
Uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for being, development and learning.
Aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
Offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
Run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.

Children who take part in Forest Schools are seen as

Equal, unique and valuable
Competent to explore and discover
Entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge
Entitled to choose, and to initiate and drive their own learning and development
Entitled to experience regular success
Entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people
Entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural world.

Forest Schools is an inspirational process that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. At Drake, we -