It’s a brave move to make, given our weather – but the UK’s most northerly Forest School nursery is making a success of itself.
Jen Wall manages Earthtime’s Forest School Nursery on the Duffus Estate, and is convinced being outside, rain or shine, is invaluable for children.
She also believes learning should be led by the kids themselves.
And it certainly seems to be a winning combination, with the nursery at Duffus scoring excellent marks in all categories in a recent official inspection.
It takes a lot to get a full deck of 5s – Very Goods – from the Care Inspectorate, but this nursery has smashed it.
So what were the details that made the inspectors award such brilliant marks?
We walk through the categories and investigate how Earthtime in Duffus did so well…
Forest School: The best bits
The Care Inspectorate made an unannounced visit to Duffus in February.
That’s the sort of sentence that can strike fear into the hearts of teachers all over the country.
But things went well for Earthtime, and the powers that be were seriously impressed.
The four categories covered in the report are care, play and learning; setting; leadership and staff team.
The inspectors said children were “nurtured and supported” by “kind, caring staff”.
The report added: “Staff used gentle voices and warm tones to support children at all times. They knew each child very well and their practice reflected families’ preferences and wishes.”
They added that this gave “continuity of care which helped to promote children’s independence and confidence”.
The report described the large, outdoor spaces available to the children.
The report added: “The spaces provided wide-ranging opportunities to develop their problem solving, investigation and enquiry skills.”
They said that kids also had a “sense of ownership” of their play areas.
Earthtime in Duffus: What do parents think?
The Car Inspectorate ask for feedback from families to take into consideration in their findings.
Parents raved about the nursery, with one saying: “My child has amazing play experiences – a really good mix of physical, climbing and messy play and lots of role play and pretending.
“They do lots of art and drawing but also lots of fine motor skills such as hammering, threading, using tools such as saws.”
Another told the inspectors that they appreciated the opportunities their child had – from “tinkering with real tools” to “(using) dye from berries, making potions (and) inventing their own games”.
When it came to keeping parents informed, one said: “We often have weeks where our child is focus child and we get a focus sheet on her time at nursery which we can discuss with her key workers.
“The staff are happy to chat about my child at any time too.”
How does Forest School work?
Nursery manager Jen Wall says everything kids can do in an indoor nursery, they can do outside.
And on top of that, they get the added value of fresh air and outdoor skills.
The Forest School Association (FSA) is a strictly regulated way of teaching – it’s not just a case of chucking all the kids outside and seeing what happens.
The Association has six principles that come together to produce “resilient, confident, independent and creative learners”,
But what does that mean in the real world?
Mainly, and obviously subject to stringent health and safety rules, it means kids maybe doing things you’re not used to seeing in nursery.
Jen explained: “Staff plan activities and events around the seasons, but we listen to the children, too.
“They help cook on the fire and they toast bread.
“We have Tasty Tuesdays where the children get to pick what they have. They’ve been making their own soups – we’ve had broccoli and tomato so far.”
In my book, the nursery is already value for money if it gets anyone under the age of 30 to consider broccoli a fun food choice.
Jen also talks proudly about how the Earthtime in Duffus pupils learn to use hand saws to cut wood, hand drills, hammers and nails.
The light fires using flints and steel, and obviously cook for themselves.
Jen, who has bene the boss for two years, added: “The kids are amazing – it’s so nice being able to do these things.
“There’s nothing quite like the first time they learn something new.”
Why is Earthtime in Duffus so good?
So what does Jen think is the secret to such a good report?
She said: “We’re absolutely delighted about it – a big part of it is the staff.
“We’re a tight-knit team. They’re brilliant – they all work together.”
The inspectors agreed on this point.
They said the kids were supported by “a happy and dedicated staff team who were warm, welcoming and nurturing”.
The report added: “Staff were consistently calm, respectful and caring, and this had a positive impact on how the children interacted with staff and with each other.
“As a result, children felt secure, loved and valued by the people who cared for them.”
There isn’t a high staff turnover at Duffus – there are 14 of them including Jen, and the last new hire was a year ago.
With 40 nursery pupils and 15 in wraparound care before and after school, staff at Earthtime in Duffus have their hands full.
She added: “It takes someone special to work with children to work with children – and someone even more special to do it outdoors, all year round.
“Without the staff, we wouldn’t have any of this.”
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