Outdoors, Gardening and Forest School

We aim to provide a range of opportunities for our students to get them outdoors. We know that being outdoors, being in nature, having movement and exercise are all key things that contribute positively to young people’s mental health. As well as taking students out in the community to enjoy sport activities such as tennis and golf or doing geography field trips we also have other activities and opportunities to spend more time outdoors and connecting with nature.

Horticulture and Gardening

Within enrichment lessons students get the opportunity to do gardening and horticulture and contribute to growing our outdoor plot. Students have grown and tended vegetables, salad, cucumbers and flowers within the school space.We have been awarded the level 3 RSH Campaign for School GardeningThe RHS research has shown that gardening in schools helps build life skills such as confidence, resilience, teamwork and communication, improves physical and mental wellbeing and teaches about the environment and the importance of biodiversity and sustainability.

Forest Schools

We have introduced Forest School into the curriculum and have invested in two of our staff members becoming fully trained. When students have Forest School, they get to go outside of the traditional classroom environment, into nature and woodland areas and have the chance to develop deeper social connection, explore and interact with their surroundings, recognise appropriate risk taking and understand more about the natural environment around them.

The Benefits of Forest Schools have been cited as:

Improves Confidence
Improves Resilience
Improves Physical Wellbeing
Improves Empathy
Gives an Insight into the Natural World
Learner-led Learning
Improves Physical Wellbeing & Motor Development