Rothwell Infants embrace the outdoors

Children at Rothwell Infants, part of the Pathfinder Schools family, are embracing June’s National Outdoors Month through a series of enrichment visits to the school’s on-site Forest School. And as the weather warms up, winter activities like toasting marshmallows around the camp fire are giving way to summer fun – including designing dream catchers, building dens and creating elder bead bracelets.

Pupils from Nursery to Year 2 are fortunate to enjoy weekly sessions at the site with qualified outdoor learning staff – through which they are experiencing the many well-document benefits of Forest School, such as improved confidence, self-esteem, problem solving skills and the overall health benefits of time outdoors.

Now with two fully trained Forest School staff on the team, the school is ready to expand its offer – with exciting plans to revamp its site and introduce chickens from September! The Forest School is part of a wider programme of outdoor education and enrichment at Rothwell, which also includes residential trips and tasters of canoeing and climbing.

Maria Barker, Headteacher, Rothwell Schools, said: “Learning in the outdoors has been shown to boost children’s mental wellbeing and is key to how we support our pupils’ emotional, social, physical and intellectual development at Rothwell Schools. We are incredibly fortunate to be able to offer opportunities for outdoor education and in our fantastic Forest School our youngest pupils get to learn skills that they may never have the chance to in their everyday life. It is a pleasure to see the children’s pride as they acquire important practical skills like safe tool use and fire lighting – and, of course, their delight in making the magic potions and bubbling mud!”