Witherslack Forest School praised by Ofsted (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Witherslack Forest School praised by Ofsted

4:12pm Friday 30th July 2010 in

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A SOUTH Lakeland primary school that likes its pupils to take a walk on the wild side has been praised by Ofsted for their approach to Forest School education.

Dean Barwick School, which is set in woodland at Witherslack, introduced the Forest School model five years ago.

All pupils now spend at least four hours a week in the fresh air using their outdoor classroom and nearby wooded hill to carry out art projects, science experiments and maths tasks.

Ofsted inspector Jean Kendall said the school’s approach to Forest School was ‘exciting’ and that pupils clearly enjoy their time outdoors.

“The school makes excellent use of the outdoor learning environment, including its own extensive grounds, the vegetable garden and the adjacent forest. The pupils are fit and healthy and I really enjoyed my walk in the woods with them, even through I struggled to keep up going up the big hill!”

She added that the Forest School had contributed to the pupils’ considerate behaviour towards one another and sense of responsibility.

The school - which only has 26 pupils - was one of the first in Cumbria to incorporate the Swedish Forest School initiative into their timetable.

Research into the educational style has shown that pupils who spend time learning in the outdoors have better social skills and concentration, and fewer sick days than children who only learn inside.

Head teacher of Dean Barwick Linda Graves said pupils clearly benefit from their time spent outdoors.

“We’re unusual in the fact that we dedicate so much time to Forest School. While other schools may do the odd hour here and there, we are out one afternoon a week whatever the weather. We take all our subjects into the forest and the children have learnt so much from it, and are much calmer and well behaved.” she said.

Mrs Graves feels the Forest School commitment is part of the reason why the school jumped a grade at its latest inspection.

“We went from being a satisfactory school in 2006 to a good school in 2010 and I think in part it’s down to the way we have approached learning and the curriculum. It takes a lot of commitment to run the Forest School sessions but I really think it’s helped us improve all areas of school life,” she said.