Journeys through Forest school: a model for understanding diverse educational experiences of children

Forest school is a form of outdoor pedagogy commonly practiced in schools in the UK. Numerous studies record what is involved, and its impact on specific groups of children, but underpinning theories of why and how it works are less common. This article draws together research exploring forest school practitioners’ perspectives on the significance of the outdoor learning space; what children learn at forest school; and how children responded to forest school sessions, to propose a model of how and why this pedagogical approach is effective across a range of children. The article suggests that children’s ability to choose their own activities, coupled with the child-led ethos, and the more permissive outdoor learning space allow children to engage with and respond to forest school according to their own developmental needs. Further, the model considers how the combination of individual children’s learning journeys come together so that, collectively, the whole class benefits.