• ALUMNI
  • FIXTURES & RESULTS
01580 880413 |
Vinehall School
Vinehall
MENU
  • x
  • About Us
    • Headmaster’s Welcome
    • Headmaster’s Video
    • Repton Family of Schools
    • Our History
    • Why Vinehall?
    • Vinehall Shields
    • Staff
    • Governors
    • Inspection Reports
    • Policies
    • Alumni
      • Alumni Events
      • Notable Vines
      • Gifts & Legacy
      • Gilbart Travel Bursary
    • International Classical Concert Series
      • Outline of Previous Artists & History
  • Admissions
    • Open Events and Weekly Tours
    • The Admissions Journey
    • Register your child
    • Relocating to Kent & East Sussex
    • Fees
    • Scholarships and Bursaries
      • Academic Scholarships
      • Sports Scholarships
      • Music Scholarships
      • Drama Scholarships
      • Art Scholarships
  • Nursery
    • A Day at Nursery
    • Nursery Admissions
    • Wrap Around Care
    • EYFE Funding
    • Little Vines Toddler Groups
    • Nursery FAQs
  • Pre-Prep
    • The Pre-Prep Curriculum
    • Reception
    • Year 1 & Year 2 (KS1)
    • Transition into the Prep School
    • Pre-Prep Sports and Activities
    • Outdoor Learning
    • Pre-Prep FAQs
  • Prep
    • Academic
    • Year 7 and 8 Curriculum
    • Sport
    • Performing Arts
    • Clubs and Activities
    • Rewards
    • The Shape of the Day
    • Destination of Leavers
      • 13+ Scholarships
      • Future Schools
      • ISEB Common Pre-Tests
  • Boarding
    • Full Boarding
    • Weekly Boarding
    • Flexi Boarding
    • Activities for Boarders
    • The Boarding House Team
    • Boarding FAQs
  • Wellbeing
    • Mindfulness
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Self-Esteem, Resilience and Mental Health
    • Buddies and Guardians
    • Digital Resilience
    • Pastoral Praise and Pupil Voice
    • Form Times
  • School Life
    • Learning Support
    • Term Dates
    • School Meals
    • Uniforms
    • House System
    • Pastoral Care
    • Bus Routes
    • Trips & Visits
    • Facilities
    • FOV
  • News & Events
    • Latest News
    • Upcoming Events
    • Vinelines Newsletter
  • Contact
    • Staff Vacancies
    • Map & Directions
Vinehall School > Forest Schools

Forest Schools

What are they?

Forest Schools and their like embrace opportunities offered by the outdoors to extend learning and play beyond the classroom door. At Vinehall our wonderful grounds inspire learning across the curriculum, encouraging children to become more aware of and engage joyfully with the natural environment throughout the seasons in an exciting and creative adventure.

Why do parents like them?

The outdoors is a wonderful antidote to the demands of our modern life and helps to connect our generation of children with the pleasures of the natural world. Used well Forest Schools are one way of offering a structured approach to using the outside, engaging children in a different way and providing a safe way of exploring the ‘wild’.

Parents should be urged to look beyond glossy Forest School marketing to find out more about what happens in practice; there are plenty of ways to promote children’s well-being through the outdoors, encouraging happy and healthy children. We are enormously fortunate in being situated in glorious grounds – but any school can make the most of the environment around them. We ended our summer term by bringing families together, smoking a wild salmon over the camp fire and participating in a competitive den building evening. Great fun was had by all!

Why do schools like them?

The outdoors provides an opportunity to bring the curriculum alive and to explore the potential of the (free!) natural materials around us. Imaginative activities can be woven into the curriculum which engage all children regardless of age. For example, our Nursery have created fairy gardens and made potions, as well as enjoyed a bear hunt (or two) in the woods. Reception classes have discovered who laid the egg in the forest (it was a dinosaur!), noticed seasonal changes and been able to embed their mathematical skills using twigs to compare and measure.

Some of the children’s activities link to storytelling, such as building bridges in a team for the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Older children have pretended to be ‘hunter gatherers’, linking with their history topic, collecting fruits and berries to cook over the camp fire. Camp fire activities are wonderful, not just for enriching topics, but for promoting safety and for bringing together the ages. We have all enjoyed cooking marshmallows and singing around the fire, picnics and treasure hunts, gardening, sport, pond-dipping, parachute games and so much more.

How successful are they?

Outdoor learning engages the children’s interest and encourages hands-on investigation and observation to promote learning at a deep level, even if it gets messy. It provides an opportunity to promote important life-skills including building resilience, confidence, independence, risk-taking and collaborative learning.

Qualities such as open-ended problem solving, have-a-go attitudes and a space in which to trial ideas without worrying about making mistakes, are all valuable formative experiences for our children’s future lives.

How do they work following the traditional school curriculum/assessments?

Staff are encouraged to be creative when delivering learning opportunities; they weave in activities to cover set objectives while engaging the children’s interest and developing important life-skills and knowledge.

If we can nurture a sense of wonder and encourage our children to appreciate the natural world around them, as future leaders at any level they will have a heightened awareness and empathy for our special, yet vulnerable planet. Therefore the outdoors has the potential to support a holistic learning and global change.

Contact Us

Contact Us via Email or Phone

23
Jan

Vinehall Blog – Keeping our Balance – finding the right educational recipe

Read Full Article
20
Jan

RHS School Gardening Award

Read Full Article
16
Jan

Vinehall Blog – How children can overcome back to school anxiety

Read Full Article
06
Dec

Eco Fashion Success at Trash Couture Competition

Read Full Article
29
Nov

Pandemonium hits the Stage

Read Full Article
21
Nov

Gymnastics Success at the ISGA National Championships

Read Full Article
18
Oct

Harvest Festival

Read Full Article
30
Sep

Author Tom Palmer, visits Vinehall

Read Full Article
08
Jul

The Addams Family Triumph

Read Full Article
24
Jun

Little Vines Nursery scoops Top 20 Nurseries Award

Read Full Article
17
Jun

Success at Junior Sussex Athletic Championships

Read Full Article
23
May

Junior Maths Challenge

Read Full Article
View MapClose Map

Distance

Robertsbridge Station: 2.7 miles
Battle Station: 4.6 miles

Gatwick Airport: 52 miles

Vinehall School

Contact

  • School Office: +44 (0) 1580 880413
  • Information Line: +44 (0) 1580 883058
  • Admissions: +44 (0) 1580 883090
  • Head’s PA: + 44 (0) 1580 883057
  • Pre-Prep Office: + 44 (0) 1580 883094

Useful Links

  • Gifts & Legacy
  • Gilbart Travel Bursary
  • Vinehall Shields

Accessibility

  • High Visibility
  • Standard Visibility
  • Print View
  • Sitemap
  • Policies

© 2023 Vinehall School
Charity No: 307014

Sitemap / Privacy Policy

School Website Design : innermedia.co.uk

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsReject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT