Forest School at High Wycombe Church of England Combined School 

What is Forest School? 

At High Wycombe Church of England Combined School, we are very proud to be involved in running the Forest School initiative. 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. 

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

This ethos is shared by thousands of trained practitioners across the UK and beyond. Its roots reach back to early years pioneers in outdoor learning and in particular, Scandinavia. 

This learner-centred approach interweaves with the ever-changing seasons and strives to fill children with a sense of awe and wonder of their environment and the miracle of creation. It aims to instil a sense of ownership and responsibility in their locality and the understanding that conservation and preservation should be the concern of humanity – that we, as individuals and as a community, have the obligation to care for our natural surroundings. 

At High Wycombe Church of England School, each class receives a half-term of forest school lessons which all tie-in with their studies for a unit of Science. 

Forest School sessions occur on Wednesday afternoons and are led by Mr Chris Burgin, who is currently undertaking training to be a qualified Forest School Leader. Mr Burgin teaches alongside other members of staff in the school’s Forest School base in the woods at the base of Tom Burt’s Hill. Pupils are taught to recognise plants and animals within this habitat and carry out tasks as part of outdoor learning. Each session begins with the journey from the school to the site where pupils are encouraged to examine the environment and, in particular, changes that may have occurred since their previous visits in different habitats – woodland, urban and meadow.