Forest School for National Star students at Hereford

National Star in Hereford is now running a fully-accredited Forest School, giving students the chance to learn outside the classroom in an outdoor learning setting.

Supporting students needs and aspirations

Forest School is supporting the needs and aspirations of students in Hereford using nature-based learning to help them thrive, academically and personally.

The Forest School runs every Friday on land between Hereford and Leominster, in partnership with The Houghton Project, a local not-for-profit organisation who own the land.

A group of students, who were considered to have most potential to benefit from nature-based learning, spend the whole day in the woodlands, led by Personal Learning Co-ordinator Tutor Reuben Schramm, a fully qualified Level 3 Forest School leader. Individual forest school programmes are designed to develop learners’ skills across all the EHCP areas: with a strong focus on social, emotional and mental health.

Carefully crafted educational experience

Each Forest School session is more than just an outdoor activity – it’s a carefully crafted educational experience designed to develop each student. The sessions are learner-led, empowering students to be free to explore and learn in a way that is natural to them.

Forest School develops students’ social, emotional, physical, spiritual, cognitive, and linguistic skills. All activities are designed to spark curiosity. Students challenge themselves and learn to manage risks, fostering confidence and resilience, important skills to support them in their life after college.

As well as offering learners a new and exciting opportunity to develop different skills, Forest School also offers opportunities for learners to transfer their skills to a different environment and apply these to practical tasks. One student is using his measurement and estimation skills using natural objects in the woodland, such as measuring the height of trees using shadows and estimating the volume of water in a forest stream.

Another student is developing his fine motor skills when taking part in intricate nature crafts and woodworking projects.

Other students are learning new words to describe the forest and can now identify woodland plants and animals.

Student Caitlyn said: ‘Forest school is my favourite day of the week! I love being outside.’

‘Students have grown in confidence, improved their social skills and widened the way in which they engage with their environment thanks to Forest School,’ said Sasha Narey, Programme Manager at National Star in Hereford.

Due to the overall success of forest school in Hereford, National Star is now looking to integrate this offering across all campuses.