Wild School

Being a Wild School inspires children by fostering a connection with nature, encouraging curiosity, and promoting a sense of freedom, allowing young people to learn not only through traditional methods but also from the vibrant, unpredictable classroom of the outdoors.

Given our location, nature is central to all that we do. It’s even one of our school Pillars. In short, we want to use our surroundings and the environment to help the children develop the knowledge, aspirations and skills required to enable them to make a real difference and protect the environment in the future.

Within this, the children will develop an extensive knowledge of flora and fauna, knot tying, shelter building, fire lighting and tool use in Forest, River and Beach environments. They’ll acquire tracking, survival, navigation and geographical knowledge – all underpinned by a firm grasp on conservation issues. These skills and knowledge are developed though regular ‘potted’ skills sessions which might take place in school, the garden, around the village or further afield. The children can then put them into practice on our regular expeditions! (see our planning document!)

You will also see our Wild School ethos increasingly reflected around school in everything that we do – from recycling to automatic lights, energy reduction, the ingredients used in the kitchen and more sustainable resources – we try to teach our children the positive impact that the changes we make can have on the environment.

Our Wild School Ambassadors support the retention of skills and knowledge through clubs, visits, sharing their expertise, joining our expeditions and assemblies. These experts bring their specialisms to life for the children, from photography, to ornithology, gardening, survival skills and wildlife rescue to name a few!

Our progression document outlines the different skills and knowledge that the children will acquire in their time with us. There is also more information regarding our Wild School creation and ethos.