Forest School - Anyone doing it?

[BKGarry]

Hiya All,

 

So our headteacher mentioned in passing that she would like me to do the Forrest School Leadership training, as I have taken over the DofE Co-ordinator role here recently.

 

I am doing some Googling and kind of getting it, but not too sure what it would actually entail. Has anyone out there done it or involved with and kind of Forrest Schools activities at all? Would be interesting to see what people think of it all

[elsiegee40]

So I looked up Forest Schools

 

 

Forest School 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.

 

Forest School is a specialised learning approach that sits within and compliments the wider context of outdoor and woodland education.

 

What is your head trying to achieve?

 

Looking at what Forest School is about, it's more than having fun outdoors, camping and building fires. You can achieve that with what you already do in your own free time leading DofE.

 

This is much more - a change of education approach. If the head sees this as some sort of behaviour management tool then I'd expect teachers to be trained.

 

Getting you to do it because you do DofE (and presumably expecting it to be done out of school hours unpaid!) is like expecting the IT team to lead Online Safety because it's computers.

 

Online Safety is a behaviour and safeguarding issue that is the responsibility of SLT and the DSL. Forest School leadership isn't your job either in my opinion.

Edited January 10, 2017 by elsiegee40

[witch]

"in a woodland or natural environment with trees."

So...in a wood then?

 

I agree with @elsiegee40 My school have been doing Forest school (well, heathland school in our case) but they have decided that it doesn't really provide anything that the children don't already get with regular visits to local centres.

It seems a bit muddled to me

[BKGarry]

I think it all links to our current work on "Growth Mindset"

 

I had a chat with the business manager, and she is on my side with this, I am willing to help and don't het me wrong, I will, I love outdoorsy stuff but it has to have a few caviats, like it doesn't cause my current job to suffer and people cannot moan at me when IT support is not a quick during these sessions (we are told we have to keep a person in the office at all times, with a team of 3, and 750 devices online, over wireless, at any one time, this can be tricky)

 

All in all, I just think there is some muddling and that it should be people doing the KS3 project based learning that should take a lead on this.

[RLR]

We're quite lucky in that we have some playing fields with a nature reserve/forest school at the back. I'm not involved in what goes on up there but it is something we have. We're in the middle of having some eco classrooms being built, so our students can spend the day up there.

 

This is on our website currently: Stephen Perse Foundation - Nature reserve and forest school .

[witch]

I have just had an email from our SEN telling us that we are doing Forest Schools and are running two groups this year.

[BKGarry]

Hmmmm going to be fun times ahead I think.

[Mullaney18]

Forest schools is definitely popular. Looks even better to Ofsted that if you were an trained instructor, they measure the success of it more by using it as an in house, learning technique that can be better implemented into your curriculum. Great skill to have on your CV if applying for other school jobs (Its not always about IT in school IT - diversifying makes you valuable).

[elsiegee40]

Forest schools is definitely popular. Looks even better to Ofsted that if you were an trained instructor, they measure the success of it more by using it as an in house, learning technique that can be better implemented into your curriculum. Great skill to have on your CV if applying for other school jobs (Its not always about IT in school IT - diversifying makes you valuable).

 

Actually do Ofsted care?

 

With my governor hat on, I'd say they're looking at behaviour and attendance and what's being done to address those who are persistently absent or at risk of exclusion.

 

Whether someone in IT has the leadership qualification doesn't matter a fig to them. They're looking for the whole to have a consistent approach to addressing these issues. Having Forest School as a "nice thing on the side", the current trendy banner, doesn't prove anything to them. My first question is why haven't you got teaching staff trained to lead this educational programme?

[Mullaney18]

Amongst all the other main important factors, showing progress in their attainment is one of the most important, so any non conventional approach that can prove its successful in raising attainment (proper documentation of its impact) is definitely a plus. As you will be well aware, specially after AWOL, understanding and adapting your curriculum to facilitate their needs and identifying approaches to take to maximise their potential. Properly documented for its impact will look good to anybody.

Forest schools also attracts persistent absentees (Usually you low achieving boys) to learning without having to be in a classroom and your ROE pupils. Forest Schools is, and has, been an obvious choice for tackling these issues in attendance.

 

I can see your point somewhat, your trained in a particular field so don't deviate. Recruit or train someone in a relevant field like a PE teacher? but wouldn't that same as an IT person being an ESafeguarding Officer (Like me?)

Edited January 11, 2017 by Mullaney18
Repetition

[elsiegee40]

I can see your point somewhat, your trained in a particular field so don't deviate. Recruit or train someone in a relevant field like a PE teacher? but wouldn't that same as an IT person being an ESafeguarding Officer (Like me?)

The current DfE and Ofsted guidance is very clear that the online safety lead must be the DSL or someone with current DSL training. Do you have that training @Mullaney18?

 

See this: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/e-safety/171051-online-safety-within-keeping-children-safe-education-2016-published-26-5-16-a.html

Edited January 11, 2017 by elsiegee40

[Mullaney18]

No, but i'm not the lead. You very right, I'm the officer. Our DSL (Head) leads, which he did in the staff training and Online safeguarding issues are reported to him as any normal safeguarding indecent. I compile the directive/ policy and make sure its met (Because its vast, crossing over serveral of our other policies, such as Positive Behaviour, Prevent, Anti Bullying, Acceptable Usage, ICT Curric etc as well as the reporting and monitoring).