Forest schools make a positive contribution to young childrens learning and development and should be more widely available, researchers have concluded.
A study by Forest Research and the New Economics Foundation looked at childrens experiences of Forest Schools in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. It tracked 20 children from three to five years old and a small group of children with SEN who attended Forest Schools weekly or fortnightly for eight months.
The researchers said, It was evident that some of the children displayed positive changes in behaviour that surprised practitioners and could be attributed to their involvement in Forest School.
Observations were carried out by teachers or Forest School leaders who knew the children well and were able to record subtle changes in behaviour. They scored individual children, from one for no change, to three for dramatic change.
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