Forest Schools for Fife

ITV Region: STV (Central)  /  Year: 2010

Community Education
Scottish Native Woods
Cupar
Fife

Website: www.scottishnativewoods.org.uk

One third of children aged 8-12 play outside less than once a week, nearly three quarters watch television more than they play outside and more than 20% don’t know which tree produces acorns or that trees produce oxygen.
Forest Schools are changing all that by taking children out of the classroom to re-engage with nature and helping those kids who struggle to learn in school get the most from their teachers and classmates out in the native woodlands of Fife.
Furthermore, children in Fife are set to benefit from more Forest Schools if Scottish Native Woods win the vote on People’s Millions later this month.
Forest School provides outdoor classroom learning and if the television vote on 22 November goes in favour of Scottish Native Woods then more schools will benefit across Fife this year and many more in the future.
Scottish Native Woods have been delivering this service in 2009 at Gateside Primary School, however due to lack of funding were not able to carry on into 2010. Maureen Andrews, the head teacher, said “It was good to see the children in a different setting, learning new skills and helping each other… they were competent when working in groups. All had a role to play and they knew what it was. The older pupils took responsibility when working with younger ones and guided them. Quieter children had the opportunity to develop confidence and self-awareness they might not otherwise have had.”
Chris Childe, Scottish Native Woods Education Officer, also said that “Forest School Leaders are being recruited from communities and schools as part of the project too and a minibus will be purchased to make sure we can get more groups out to the woods on a regular basis.”