Madresfield Early Years Centre, Malvern, Worcestershire.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
What is a forest leader? Someone who has achieved the Forest School Practitioners Award - a level 3 qualification accredited through the Open College Network. It gives practitioners the skills to take children out into the woodland and learn from the outdoor environment.
How many does Madresfield have? At present the centre has four forest leaders and six assistants. The forest schooling technique is to take the same children out for half a day a week. Madresfield runs 10 groups, each with 12 to 16 children. All of the forest leaders must take extra responsibility for organising the children and clearing up after them.
Where do the children go? Madresfield is fortunate to have a choice of three nearby woodlands, where the children can design bridges, make shelters, cook meals, play music, climb trees and practice arts and crafts.
What is the feedback? Parents think it is great and it is often the children's favourite part of the week. Their motivational levels rise outside, and children with additional learning needs excel beyond the nursery.
Other benefits? The centre offers similar activities to nearby schools, bringing in extra money.
