A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Forest Schools: inside nature’s classroom

November 25, 2024

Alexander Holmes

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Northern Ireland faces a dual challenge of declining biodiversity and diminishing childhood engagement with nature. Forest Schools have emerged as a potential innovative solution, with over a fifth of primary schools now registered as Forest Schools, offering regular outdoor learning experiences that connect the curriculum with nature. Interest in Forest Schools by educators has dramatically increased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and promises benefits for both students and the environment. While early evidence suggests this to be true, particularly for students from deprived communities and those with special educational needs, the concept requires further evaluation on its educational impact and ensuring equitable access across Northern Ireland. This short paper explores some of the benefits of Forest Schools in the context of some of the challenges facing Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has a biodiversity problem

The UK is the most nature depleted of any comparable country globally. According to the Natural History Museum, since the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions, the UK is estimated to have lost a staggering half of its native species. This loss of nature continues today, with a report from WWF and the Zoological Society of London revealing a 41% decline in wildlife populations (both animals and plants) over a 50-year period between 1970 and 2020. Specifically, Northern Ireland shows the greatest loss of biodiversity in the UK, with lower native species abundance and richness compared to the rest of the country. Given the major loss of the UK’s natural landscape and wildlife over the years, it is unsurprising that as a country we rank lowest in Europe for ‘connectedness’ to nature.

Children’s diminishing access to nature

Despite the commonly understood benefits of time spent outdoors, many children in the UK have increasingly limited access to nature. Studies in England and Scotland found that children today spend less time outdoors than previous generations, often due to urban living, fear of peers, increased screen time, and parental concerns over safety. One particular concern is the increase in screen time, increasing 52% since the pandemic, meaning that children are spending twice as much time looking at screens than out in nature. This is a problem as childhood obesity and mental health levels remain high. Engagement with the natural world positively affects children’s physical and mental wellbeing. Without regular interaction with nature, children are less healthy and miss the chance to develop a deep connection to the environment, which is essential for nurturing future environmental stewards.

Preparing children for green jobs of the future

As the world moves towards addressing the climate crisis, the demand for green jobs is expected to grow significantly. These roles, which encompass everything from renewable energy technicians to wildlife conservationists, will be essential in building a sustainable future. For the next generation, understanding environmental science, sustainability practices, and ecological systems will be critical. A survey of 619 industry representatives from the UK and Ireland found that 68% of respondents believed there is already a skills gap when hiring for jobs in the green economy.

The extensive negative consequences of nature disconnection, along with the long term need to generate interest in environmental protection and careers has sparked renewed efforts to educate and connect children to nature, such as the Natural History GCSE being introduced in England in 2025. In Northern Ireland this can be seen in an increasing interest in Forest Schools.

The rise of Forest Schools

Forest Schools are one approach to reconnect students with nature. Inspired by Danish ‘skogsbørnehaven’ preschools (woodland kindergartens), Forest Schools first came to the UK in the 1990s, with the first in Northern Ireland opening in 2008. Forest Schools offer students, the vast majority being primary school students, the opportunity to perform tasks and explore new forms of education in natural environments, typically woodlands.

Forest Schooling should not be conflated with general outdoor learning – it comes with a strong philosophy of individual action-based learning, respect for nature, and allows children to form their own unique experiences within an area of ‘managed risks’ supported by qualified teachers. This is as opposed to more traditional ‘non-individual oriented’ learning from a teacher standing at the front of a classroom.

Examples of managed risks found at Forest School can include:

Exploration and scavenger hunts
Outdoor play and tree climbing
Bushcraft (including supervised knife handling and fire building)
Group collaboration tasks
Searching for and identifying plants and animals

The Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA) is the only official accreditation body for Forest Schools in Northern Ireland. To become an official Forest School, schools must employ a teacher who has received the Level 3 Forest School Award training and who is responsible for the running of Forest School activities. NIFSA offers various learning programmes to help schools become accredited Forest Schools, providing resources such as kits, books and lesson plans for teachers.

As of November 2024, there are 270 accredited Forest Schools in Northern Ireland, including 21% (167 out of 787) of primary schools and 46% (18 out of 39) of special educational needs (SEN) schools, resulting in an estimated 5000 students learning outdoors at Forest Schools each month (NIFSA). At present, there is a large waiting list for accreditation, with demand more than doubling post-COVID, believed to be in response to lifestyle changes driven by lockdown. NIFSA currently generates most of its own income, with additional support from a combination of private sponsors, government, and local councils.

Are there benefits to Forest School learning?

The CCEA recognises the benefits that come from outdoor learning and suggests NIFSA Forest School programmes can support the outdoors learning of children. Early studies on Forest Schools identify a multitude of benefits from regular attendance, as summarised in the figure below. In addition to helping children develop core skills, Forest School attendance was also found to positively influence their view of nature, prompting children to ask their parents to visit outdoors more often.

A diagram with six tiles, each one setting out a key benefit of regular forest school attendance (physical skills, social skills, knowledge, confidence, connection and concentration) — Key benefits of regular Forest School attendance (Source: Summarised from NIFSA)

A recent systematic review of current academic literature on Forest Schools notes a general consensus supporting evidence on the claimed benefits of Forest School attendance. However, the review also identifies several evidence gaps including a lack of clear quantifiable data, as most evidence to date relies heavily on small studies of teacher observation and student testimony. Given the rapid rise of Forest Schools, further inquiry, including long-term, quantitative studies are needed to explore the scale of impact Forest Schools have on students and educational outcomes. In addition, further information is required to identify socioeconomic and structural barriers to participation, for example, by ensuring schools in both urban and rural communities have access to nature spaces suitable for Forest Schooling.

Forest Schools – bridging the education gap?

Forest Schools have emerged as a possible tool for addressing two major Executive priorities – green growth and educational disadvantage across Northern Ireland. As some mental health researchers suggest, the outdoor learning environment and individual-oriented approach provided by Forest Schools offer unique opportunities for children from deprived communities and those with special educational needs, who may struggle with traditional classroom-based learning. In Northern Ireland, NIFSA has two targeted schemes which aim to assist working families and children at risk of falling behind in school: Nature Rangers (afterschool club) and Nurture Rangers (targeted Forest Schooling for SEN children and those at risk of absenteeism).

Particularly in the post-COVID era, where many children have experienced limited social interaction and outdoor exposure, Forest Schools offer crucial opportunities for rebuilding connection and confidence. For urban students who may have restricted access to nature, and SEN students who may benefit from non-traditional learning environments, Forest Schools offer a pathway to improved mental health, enhanced connection to nature, and a path to a more equitable educational experience.