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East Preston Infant School

East Preston Infant School

Forest, Beach and Eco School

Forest School

Welcome to Forest School, this is where the journey begins... and like any great story we enter slowly through the big wooden gate and down into the deep, deep, deep forest.

At East Preston Infant School we have a practical, hands on approach to learning and we take every opportunity to take the curriculum outside, using our outdoor classrooms and Forest School areas.

At our school, we believe that education should inspire curiosity and a love of learning in every child. As proud holders of the Gold Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Mark, we bring these values to life through our Forest School and Beach School programmes. These experiences allow children to explore nature, develop practical skills, and build confidence in real-world settings. Whether it’s discovering wildlife in the forest, learning about coastal environments at the beach, or working together on hands-on projects, our approach encourages resilience, creativity, and teamwork. By connecting classroom learning with the outdoors, we help children understand their place in the world and grow into responsible, resourceful global citizens.

Click here to view more about Learning Outside the Classroom

Forest School is an inspirational process:

  • It offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
  • Forest School is a specialised learning approach that sits within and compliments the wider context of outdoor and woodland education.

In Forest School we take the learning outside and use the natural environment to enhance our topics. During Forest School sessions the children take part in many different activities and learn new skills: 

Beach School

Beach School uses the same philosophy and approach as Forest School but in a different setting.  We are fortunate to have easy access to the local beach and therefore make use of this wonderful learning resource.  Read below to find out more.

This is where the journey begins...... the sound of a bird calling overhead; the seagull looking for something tasty to eat.  The big blue ocean is waving at us and the crabs are coming to say hello. The adventure, imaginations and experiences are about to start at the beach.

Eco Work

Being part of Eco-Schools develops pupils’ skills, raises environmental awareness, improves the school environment and creates financial savings for schools as well as a whole host of other benefits.  Eco-Schools create green behaviours in young people and those connected to them so that good habits learned in schools are followed through into homes and communities.

All children are involved in being part of Eco-School, with each year group focussing on a key element for the year.  The three main topics currently being focussed on are:-

Reception - Litter:

We aim to make children aware of how litter looks and how it can harm wildlife. We want to help children understand that they can have a positive influence on the environment by helping to reduce the amount of litter both within school and in our local community. Keeping our earth clean is the responsibility of every individual.

Year 1 - Transport:

We are thinking carefully about how we travel to school and how this affects our environment and health.  The transport topic helps us understand our impact on air quality and how families and staff can make positive differences by our choice of travel to school.

Year 2 - Global Citizenship:

We help the children discover that they are an important part of our global community. No matter your age, our actions can affect and contribute to the world. Global citizens fight for sustainability, are culturally aware, understand the importance of communicating across cultures and often speak another language, and take action on injustice around the world. 

  1. Learning Outside the Classroom Policy July 2023