Wild Wood School

At Harris Primary Academy Beckenham  we are  exceptionally lucky to have such a vast natural woodland area on site.  Within our Wild Wood we have a variety of flora and fauna.  The children love to observe the natural changes to the environment from visit to visit through the seasons. 

Each session in Wild Wood lasts for around two hours in either the morning or afternoon.

Each Child will get the opportunity to have a block of Wild Wood sessions every academic year throughout their time with us.

Under the guidance of our Wild Wood Leaders children will experience learning  covering all curriculum areas through activities such as; 

• Woodland and nature exploration
• Building dens and other structures
• Games and invitations for imaginative play
• Natural art and craft
• Scavenger hunts and adventure

Wild Wood enables our children to experience nature first hand and explore our large woodland area and have fun whilst learning.

Wild Wood School is our own version of Forest School and is led by fully trained Forest School practitioners. 

Wild Wood is an inspirational process that involves:

• Being outdoors                      
• Integration with the National Curriculum and class topics                                             
• Time for children to explore, learn and investigate;                                          
• Fun, imagination and creativity; 

When using natural resources around us Wild Wood School helps to  develop: 

• Confidence and self esteem
• Communication and social skills
• Physical skills
• Greater understanding and  awareness of the natural  environment
• Natural motivation and a positive attitude to learning;
• Creativity and imagination
• Team skills
• The ability to recognise and manage risk
• Healthier lifestyles

An outdoor classroom can offer diverse opportunities to learn and children can benefit from the hands on approach that is available when outside.

We encourage them to  ask questions, problem solve, try new things and engage in  activities as a group and individually.

We aim to increase confidence, establish independence, increase communication skills and allow them to make mistakes and problem solve when this arises and in turn raise self esteem ,

“I love Wild Wood school as I get to have fun hunting for mini beasts and learning about how they live. I also really liked when we used clay to make faces on the trees” Nancy - Fox Class