Our weekly Forest School sessions give children time and space to develop skills, interests and understanding through carefully planned, child centered, activities which provide hands-on experiences. This enables the children to foster a lifelong love, respect and understanding for the natural environment. We have a wonderful canopy area, with a built in firepit, which is the hub of many of our sessions.

The children start each session becoming aware of their own safety and assessing risks by collaborating in setting the Forest School rules. During their Forest School journey the children learn to safely use tools, climb trees and cook snacks on the fire.

Having fun is key, whether building dens, putting on plays, bug hunting, making mud monsters or jumping in muddy puddles, to name but a few of the many experiences the children have.

From Year 4, the children begin their St Neot’s Outdoor Learning Award. The award is designed to challenge students as they progress through their outdoor learning, and provide them with a certificate of achievement upon completion of three phases. This progressive approach to outdoor learning brings together forest school and outdoor classroom activities, as well as on and off-site camps, culminating in an expedition challenge.

Year 4 (Phase 1) - Ember Award - On-Site Camp A fun camp for children to build friendships and learn new skills. The focus for this camp is building bonds and learning some bushcraft basics. They will spend a night under canvas and enjoy team building games and evening campfires.

Year 6 (Phase 2) - Spark Award - Residential Camp This camp is a 3 day residential at the Great Tew Estate in Oxfordshire. It is designed to add additional skills including more advanced fire lighting, cooking with fire, and use of cutting tools. It will also include a wild camp night, sleeping in natural shelters or tarps and hammocks.

Year 8 (Phase 3) - Fire - Expedition Challenge This phase will put into practice everything pupils have learned so far, with a 3 day expedition style bushcraft challenge. They will be self-sufficient, carrying their equipment and sleeping in bushcraft shelters overnight, preparing their own meals and covering distance each day between camps.

Bushcraft is a truly vast subject and is the perfect vehicle to deliver a progressive plan which children could follow throughout their time at St Neot’s. There is far more to it than lighting fires and toasting marshmallows, so we would use the breadth of the subject to incorporate a variety of skills and character lessons. These skills will all be tested during the camps, and all camps led by experienced instructors who would share their knowledge with the children and coach them through new activities.

Character Education is an integral part of the outdoor learning curriculum and equips children with the necessary life skills they need as they grow up. From Year 3, children engage in a range of cerebral, team-building challenges using portable resources and outdoor hubs. The sessions aim to build character qualities such as resilience, teamwork, communication, leadership, creativity and confidence. The children are challenged along the way, allowed to fail (in a controlled manner), and learn how to deal with setbacks.

Children in years 3 - 8 have structured mountain biking lessons for half a term every year where they learn to look after themselves, their bike and advance their technical riding skills. These lessons take place on our dedicated mountain bike tuition area and our own woodland trails. In Year 7 and 8, they have the opportunity of venturing further afield to work on their stamina in the adjoining Forestry Commission land in Bramshill Forest.

From Year 5, children start developing their navigational skills in orienteering sessions. These lessons progress from small-scale exercises on a tennis court to using compasses to navigate around the whole school site. The children use the permanent orienteering course as well as orienteering control flags to complete competition loops, star exercises and odds and even challenges.

First Aid lessons are delivered from Year 3 - 8 covering a wide range of topics including: Emergencies and calling for help, Bites and stings, Burns and Scalds, Allergies, Bleeding, Asthma, Choking, Head injuries and Basic life support (CPR and AED)