The Forest School ethos and zest for outdoor learning at Sompting Abbotts Preparatory School
If children lose contact with the natural world, they won't fight for it. That's why learning about nature, sustainability and climate change is part of everyday life at Sompting Abbotts, where we strongly support the ethos of the Forest School movement. Playing to their fascination with nature makes it easy to teach green issues to them! The school uses its 30 acres of grounds, mature woodland, conservation ponds and wild areas as one big outdoor classroom that is adapted to nature, science, art and many other Forest-School-style lessons.
Learning is not confined to the classroom at West Sussex independent school Sompting Abbotts. We support the ethos of the Forest School movement and its focus on fresh air and child-centred learning.
Our 30 acres of grounds within the South Downs National Park give us the perfect environment to do this. They comprise mature woodland areas, wild flower areas, chalk grassland and a conservation pond. So we've plenty of natural resources to apply and adapt to all kinds of lessons.
Pre-Prep Outdoor Learning
Children in the Nursery and Pre-Prep receive at least one weekly Forest School-style outing to the woods, and often more when we relate topics to the outdoors. We go out in all weathers and pull on warm tracksuits, coats and wellies!
Low teacher-to-child ratios mean we can keep our smallest children safe in their 'outdoor classroom'.
Playing to their fascination with nature makes it easy to teach green issues to children. Right from the nursery stage, your child will get to sing around the fire, learn to use and make tools, and build dens. They dig in the mud, identify creepie-crawlies with magnifying glasses and learn about the changing seasons and how to recognise different flowers and leaf shapes.
In Spring, we grab our nets and collection jars and use our big pond for wet habitat learning too to discover water boatmen, frogs and tadpoles, nymphs and dragonflies etc.
Yes, our children get messy! Yes, they do occasionally get stung by nettles. Yes, they do get clothes caught on brambles. But for us, that's all part of the learning experience. And about helping your child to develop resourcefulness, resilience and autonomy. It’s character building!
Main School Outdoor Learning
All our Prep age pupils get the benefit of the outdoor environment too. There's a deeper learning that occurs when students have to put into practice in the real world what they have theorised from behind a desk.
The learning that takes place in the natural milieu can be truly inspirational. Our teachers harness this to bring curriculum-based learning to life. We use the grounds and its multiple habitats and eco-systems for science, geography, history, art, biology and for many other curriculum applications such as field study and data collection.
The educational benefits of the outdoor classroom
Confidence: children have the freedom, time and space to learn and demonstrate independence
Social skills: children gain increased awareness of the consequences of their actions on peers through team activities such as sharing tools and participating in play
Communication: language development is prompted by the children’s sensory experiences
Motivation: the woodland tends to fascinate children and they develop a keenness to participate and the ability to concentrate over longer periods of time
Physical skills: these improvements are characterised by the development of physical stamina and gross and fine motor skills
Knowledge: the children develop an interest in the natural surroundings and respect for the environment
Findings: New Economics Foundation
Children pond-dipping beside the large conservation pond at Sompting Abbotts
iPad filming of wildlife in the woods to identify back in the classroom
What child doesn’t love to collect handfuls of glossy brown conkers? At Sompting Abbotts, they don't just fill their pockets — even socks become makeshift pouches. And so, at this time of the year, we send the children out into our school grounds to look for shiny conkers (not that they need any persuading).