The emergence of Forest Schools in the UK is relatively recent, and can be attributed to an inspirational exchange visit to Denmark by Bridgewater College, Somerset in 1993. (Maynard, 2007) Maynard adds that by the time of writing her article, 50 Forest School projects had been set up, however, the figure is likely to be much higher than this to date. Laura and Lisa
Since 1993, the evolution of Forest School in the UK has been meteoric, with an abundance of courses available, starting with Bridgewater college and extending across the country. From 2000, local authorities in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire took up Forest School, as well as across Wales, and the Forestry Commission gave grants for local forest School provision (Cree & Mccree, 2012) This allowed the concept to become far more accessible than ever before.
According to Cummings (2010) "the initial idea for Forest Schools originated in the Scandinavian countries in the 1950's" (Cummings, 2010, p.16) However, viewing our 'Pioneers of outside play' shows that the benefits of outdoor play have been clear to many practitioners and theorists for centuries.
Laura
A 2008 study by the University of Zurich researched Forest Schools in Switzerland, and the benefits and challenges of outdoor education were assessed there (Matthies & Knight, 2011) Although the study drew parallels with the UK, with one of the recommendations highlighting a need for an introduction to Forest Schools during teacher training, there were also differences. The Swiss teachers felt that weather, parents opinions, and perceived risks should not be an obstacle to Forest School. This is perhaps an opinion not felt so widely in the UK; A 2012 Study by the University of Northampton in its own campus concluded that adults taking part had opposing views on health and safety. Similarly, the study found that there were "clear differences of opinion among staff" in relation to structure and even the purpose of the visits. (Slade et al, 2013)
Laura & Linda
Since 1993, the evolution of Forest School in the UK has been meteoric, with an abundance of courses available, starting with Bridgewater college and extending across the country. From 2000, local authorities in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire took up Forest School, as well as across Wales, and the Forestry Commission gave grants for local forest School provision (Cree & Mccree, 2012) This allowed the concept to become far more accessible than ever before.
According to Cummings (2010) "the initial idea for Forest Schools originated in the Scandinavian countries in the 1950's" (Cummings, 2010, p.16) However, viewing our 'Pioneers of outside play' shows that the benefits of outdoor play have been clear to many practitioners and theorists for centuries.
Laura
A 2008 study by the University of Zurich researched Forest Schools in Switzerland, and the benefits and challenges of outdoor education were assessed there (Matthies & Knight, 2011) Although the study drew parallels with the UK, with one of the recommendations highlighting a need for an introduction to Forest Schools during teacher training, there were also differences. The Swiss teachers felt that weather, parents opinions, and perceived risks should not be an obstacle to Forest School. This is perhaps an opinion not felt so widely in the UK; A 2012 Study by the University of Northampton in its own campus concluded that adults taking part had opposing views on health and safety. Similarly, the study found that there were "clear differences of opinion among staff" in relation to structure and even the purpose of the visits. (Slade et al, 2013)
Laura & Linda