How We Ensure Safety
The ethos of Forest Schools is to allow children the time and space to develop skills, interest and understanding through a range of activities which provide practical, hands-on experiences in a natural environment. Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the
environment and to themselves.
Forest School opportunities are designed to build on an individual’s innate motivation, positive attitudes and/or interests.
Forest School uses tools and fires only where deemed appropriate to the learners, and dependent on completion of a baseline risk assessment.
Any Forest School experience follows a Risk–Benefit process managed jointly by the practitioner and learner that is tailored to the developmental stage of the learner.
When supported by a skilled and knowledgeable adult, risky play helps children develop critical life skills while building a healthy sense of self early in life.
By attempting risky activities at a young age, children gradually learn how to assess and manage risk at their own pace. They learn the limits of their physical, mental and emotional state and how these elements can affect the outcome of an activity.
By succeeding in the challenge of a risky activity, children build their confidence and self-esteem. Doing so cultivates not only an “I can” attitude, but also a sense of self-awareness and self-worth that they can carry with them through the rest of their lives.
Here are some important measures we take to ensure the safety of our students:
Position ourselves in areas where we can see most or all of the children at any given time
Complete a daily Site Risk Assessment of our Forest School area prior to permitting the children full access to the site
Identify and manage any conditions we deem potentially hazardous
Maintain an open channel of communication with parents in order to address concerns as they arise
Store all tools and cleaning products in either locked or inaccessible storage locations
Identify and discuss safety of any new structure or environmental condition with the children
Check in with children who have been engaged in an independent activity to ensure their safety
Ensure strict ratios of 1 adult to 4 children aged 3-6 years and 1 adult to 7 children aged 6-10 years. We have two adults present at all times, and are always looking for volunteers to support our group.
Enforce a safe-touch policy for animals and plants that represent a potential health risk to our students
Observe the children’s interests in order to learn more about their individual needs and inclinations, which helps us better anticipate their behaviour
Perform frequent head counts of all children and communicate with each other regularly
Maintain clear boundaries around the basecamp at all times
Review the basecamp boundary regularly with children
Stick together as a group so that all children are visible to educators when we do venture outside the basecamp area together
Bring children inside in extreme weather conditions
