Forest School

What is Forest School?

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning pedagogy, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term programme that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.
The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.
 

The Six Core Principles of Good Practice within Forest School

Forest School is defined by six core principles, which were agreed by the Forest School community in 2011, which underpin quality Forest School sessions. No single principle takes precedence over the others; instead, they work harmoniously, interlocking to create a unique environment for learning and growth.  

The Long-Term Principle – Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.

The Nature Principle – Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.

The Risk Principle – Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.

The Holistic Learning Principle – Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

The Leadership Principle – Forest School is run by qualified Practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional Practice.

The Community PrincipleForest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.

What Does Forest School Look Like At Cookridge Primary?

Here at Cookridge, we use Forest School as a vehicle for promoting and developing the skills mentioned above which directly impacts on pupils’ progress and attainment across the national curriculum. Pupils have access to weekly sessions with Level 3 trained practitioners who deliver sessions focussing on speech and language, health and wellbeing and resilience whilst also running Forest School skill sessions, seasonal and nature inspired lessons and cross curricular themed days to support pupils’ development throughout their time at school. Planning is done in a way which enriches the curriculum, helps develop the needs of the pupils and is highly flexible based on their interests, nature and the seasons.

Cooking

Knots

Tools

Animals

Loose Parts

Crafts and Themed Days

Have a look below to see what we have been up to in our recent Forest School sessions across school. 

  • All
  • Art and Design
  • Artsmark
  • Class 1
  • Class 10
  • Class 2
  • Class 3
  • Class 4
  • Class 5
  • Class 7
  • Class 8
  • Class 9
  • Computing
  • D&T
  • EYFS
  • EYFS Newsletter
  • Forest Schools
  • Geography
  • Healthy Schools
  • History
  • KS1 Newsletter
  • Maths
  • Music
  • PE
  • PSHE
  • PSHE - KS1
  • RE
  • Reading
  • Science
  • Writing

Year 5 – Knots – Forest School

Year 5 took their series of lessons on knots to […]

Year 4 – Den Building – Forest School

This week in their Forest School basic skill sessions, Year […]

Reception – Forest School

Today in our last Forest School lesson of the year, […]

Year 3 – Den Building – Forest School

This week in their Forest School basic skill sessions, Year […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Today in our Forest School sessions we made a fire […]

KS1 – Summer Party – Forest School

Today in our Forest School sessions Key Stage One pupils […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Today in Wellbeing Wednesday the younger group learnt all about […]

Y5 – Knots – Forest School

Today, Year 5 pupils built on their previous session on […]

Y6 – Sausage Sandwiches – Forest School

Today has been a great way to end the Year […]

Year 4 – Skills Recap – Forest School

This afternoon, Year 4 pupils spent time in the Forest […]

Reception – Dinosaur Day – Forest School

Reception have enjoyed a wonderful morning of Forest School fun! […]

Year 3 – Skills Recap – Forest School

This afternoon, Year 3 pupils spent time in the Forest […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

What a lovely day to be outside! The older pupils […]

KS1 – Fire Lighting and Play – Forest School

KS1 pupils revisited a session they did before half-term to […]

Y5 Group 3 – Camping at Cookridge – Forest School

Today was the final trip to the woods as part […]

KS1 – Newsletter – 6.6.25

We hope that everyone had a great week off school. […]

Y5 Group 1 – Camping at Cookridge – Forest School

It was a little wetter for Group 1’s trip to […]

Y5 Group 2 – Camping at Cookridge – Forest School

Today, Year 5 began their Camping at Cookridge residential and […]

Year 6 – Skills Session – Forest School

As Year 6 near the end of their time with […]

Year 5 – Sliding Knot and Hammocks – Forest School

Year 5 pupils enjoyed their next session in their series […]

EYFS – Forest School

We had a fantastic Forest Schools sessions today in Reception! […]

Y3 – World Bee Day – Forest School

World Bee Day 2025 happened yesterday and to celebrate in […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

It’s been a morning of animals in Wellbeing Wednesday sessions […]

KS1 – Den Building – Forest School

Today, pupils in KS1 revisited a skill they learnt back […]

LKS2 – Tools and Crafts – Forest School

LKS2 spent their Forest School sessions today building on their […]

KS1-Forest Schools

KS1 enjoyed Forest Schools in the sunshine today- Pirate themed […]

EYFS – Grasslands Farm Trip

What a fantastic couple of days EYFS have had at […]

KS1 – Fire Lighting and Play- Forest School

What a lovely day we have enjoyed in the Forest […]

KS1 – Newsletter – 2.5.25

We hope that you have all been enjoying this glorious […]

LKS2 – Tools – Forest School

Today pupils in LKS2 got to explore the range of […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

What a gorgeous day to spend outside in our wooded […]

UKS2 – Knots and Shelter Building – Forest School

Pupils in UKS2 revisited a skill they haven’t done in […]

EYFS – Forest School

What a fantastic session of Forest School we had this […]

Earth Day – KS1 – Forest School

Tuesday 22 April 2025 marks the 55th Earth Day, a […]

LKS2 – Nettle Tea – Forest School

Pupils in LKS2 put their fire skills to the test […]

UKS2 – Creative Play – Forest School

Today in Forest School, UKS2 were challenged to play! They […]

KS1 – Newsletter – 28.3.25

Seeing the sunshine has definitely made us all feel happy […]

EYFS – Forest School

What a wonderful morning we have had at Forest School […]

KS1-Class One-Outside weighing

Class One loved exploring our new outdoor classroom during our […]

Y3 – Fire Making – Forest School

This afternoon Year 3 continued learning how to make fire […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Pupils loved being outside this morning in the glorious sunshine […]

KS1 – Den Building – Forest School

Today in Forest School pupils in Key Stage 1 put […]

KS1 – Newsletter – 21.3.25

It has been really good for us to be able […]

LKS2 – Kelly Kettles – Forest School

Building on their knowledge of fire making from earlier in […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

We have loved the sunshine today in our sessions despite […]

EYFS – Newsletter – 14.03.25

It has been another fabulous and fun-packed week in Reception! […]

Den Building – KS1 – Forest School

Due to the exciting developments in our Forest School area […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

What a fantastic morning we’ve had in our Forest School […]

UKS2 – Pancakes – Forest School

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, and despite some disruption to […]

EYFS – Forest Schools – 27.02.25

It has been a gloriously sunny morning for our Forest […]

KS1 – Forest School – Shelter Making

Today in Forest School pupils in KS1 began learning how […]

KS1 – Newsletter – 14.2.25

Happy Valentine’s day one and all! We hope all the […]

LKS2 – Roman Buildings – Forest School

For our final Forest School session this half-term, LKS2 finished […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Today in Forest School the sessions were all about animals! […]

UKS2 – Tools and Knots Recap – Forest School

The weather today didn’t put UKS2 pupils off in their […]

Year 4 – Children’s Mental Health Week – Forest School

Year 4 have had a wonderful afternoon in the sunshine […]

EYFS – Forest School – 06.02.25

As part of our work on children’s mental health week, […]

Year 3 – Children’s Mental Health Week – Forest School

Year 3 have had a wonderful afternoon in the sunshine […]

Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Pupils in our Forest School sessions today loved the opportunity […]

KS1 – Children’s Mental Health Week – Forest School

Today, Forest School sessions focused on our work in class […]

Contact Us

Tinshill Drive
Cookridge
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS16 7DH

0113 386 2500

info@cookridge.leeds.sch.uk