Outdoor Learning
Forest School
Here at Coppice Valley Primary School, we aim to use the natural outdoor woodland area to offer the children time in a traditional Forest School environment where all the principles of Forest School occur. This approach to outdoor learning encourages children to become independent, use their imagination, take appropriate and controlled risks within boundaries and initiate learning for themselves, this is in line with our school values of being brave, curious and kind.
Our Forest School has a holistic and child centred approach to learning, incorporating children’s individuality with the aim to create lifelong learning and high wellbeing. We aim to cater for all areas of learning, including the emotional and spiritual aspects of learning where self-esteem and self-confidence can grow and positive relationships with peers and adults are developed.
Our Forest School is based on the principles of learning and child development where play is promoted, understood and respected, children are supported in their play by well-trained adults who can help take their learning through play further and facilitate appropriate risk taking. Our Forest School is all year round with different aspects of learning taking place. The children are at the heart of everything we do.
Curriculum Threads
Our Coppice Curriculum Threads: Brave, Kind and Curious are woven throughout our Forest School.
At Coppice Valley Primary School, our Forest School allows children to show bravery in several meaningful ways. It encourages bravery not just in the physical sense, but also emotionally, socially, and intellectually.
Physical Bravery - Our children are encouraged to explore natural environments, which may include climbing trees, using tools like knives or saws under supervision, building shelters, or walking on uneven ground. These activities challenge their physical boundaries and build confidence in managing risks.
Emotional Bravery - Being in nature, away from the typical comforts of indoor classrooms, can be initially daunting. Children must learn to cope with discomfort, uncertainty, and the unexpected—like changes in weather or unfamiliar sounds. Participating in Forest School allows the children at Coppice Valley Primary School become more resilient and emotionally independent.
Social Bravery - Forest School often emphasises group collaboration and free play, requiring children to negotiate, share, and solve conflicts with peers. Here at Coppice Valley Primary School our Forest School encourages children to speak up, express themselves, and build social bonds.
Intellectual Bravery - Our child led learning approach at Forest School allows our children to lead their own learning. They take intellectual risks by asking questions, trying new things, and embracing trial and error. There’s no "failure" in Forest School-only learning through experience.
Bravery Through Independence - Children are trusted with more autonomy than in traditional settings. They choose their activities, learn to assess risks, and take responsibility for their actions. This autonomy cultivates courage and decision-making skills. Forest School allows our children to show bravery every day because it encourages them to explore, make decisions, and learn in ways that challenge conventional educational norms. It nurtures whole-child courage, body, mind, and spirit.
Our Forest School encourages kindness in children in deep, natural, and lasting ways by creating an environment where empathy, cooperation, and care for others are essential parts of daily experience. Our children learn to collaborate, build compassion through caring for the natural world, the expression of emotions through reflection and the building of relationships.
Forest School nurtures kindness by giving our children space to connect with each other, with nature, and with themselves. Through cooperation, empathy, shared joy, and a deep respect for life, kindness becomes a natural and essential part of how they interact with the world.
Forest School promotes curiosity in children by giving them the freedom, time, and space to explore and discover the world on their own terms. Our Forest School promotes curiosity by turning learning into an adventure. Through play, exploration, and reflection in a rich natural setting, our children become active seekers of knowledge—asking questions, solving problems, and finding joy in discovery.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney.
