nurturing through nature

The foundations of Forest School in the UK today, spring from a investigative visit to Denmark in 1993 made by a group of nursery nurses from Bridgewater College, Somerset, who observed children in the, largely play-based/child-centered, system operating there. Such was the impact of their experiences, that their whole approach to Early Years Learning was affected. By 1995, a Btech Qualification in Forest School was developed at the college, which led to the Open College Network (OCN) qualification in 2003, with the support of the Forestry Commission. The Forest School ‘movement’ continued to expand and develop across the UK and interested parties such as the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL), The Forestry Commission and Forest School practitioners recognised the need for a national organisation to ensure the integrity of standards and quality of training, as well as providing networking opportunities to share best practice. To this end, the Forest School Association (FSA) was launched in July 2012, and became the professional association for Forest School in the UK. Through various accredited training providers, Levels 1 to 4 Forest School Leadership Training Programmes are now widely available across the UK.