3.2- Assignment (Unit 5): Carry out a summative evaluation at the end of the initial 6 forest school sessions and explain how this will inform future sessions

While the initial 6 Baseline assessment sessions were successful, there were some shortcomings. We managed to engage the children effectively in the forest, although it took a few sessions for them to grasp the routine of the walk to school, starting at base camp, engaging in activities like singing and quiet time to appreciate nature. By the third session, the children had a good grasp of how the sessions would unfold, grew more confident in the environment, and began to understand the Forest School concept. As the children's confidence increased, so did mine, leading to a wider range of activities being offered and the children expressing their preferences for exploration, such as minibeasts and building bridges. Although we aimed for flexibility in the sessions, I acknowledge that we could have been more adaptable and provided the children with more choices, a lesson I will keep in mind for future planning.

Completing this course has helped me gain a new perspective on children, as I have witnessed a different side of them when they are outdoors and free, some even in their element, which is unlike what I see in the classroom. Enhancing my understanding of children's behavior and emotional intelligence has enabled me to observe and engage with children in a more positive manner.

In the future, I propose that we closely monitor all the children during sessions and request adult volunteers to do the same, encouraging them to report any observations or incidents to the leaders. As a leader, I may not always be able to supervise all the children at once, so feedback from other adults on anything they have seen is valuable. I aim to be adaptable in my planning for the children, considering any spontaneous topics that may arise and incorporating them into our sessions when preparing notes.

Considering the 5 C’s (Consciousness, Control, Catalyst, Compassion, Community/Companionship) will be beneficial in shaping the structure of our sessions and the activities I intend to organise. Having a thorough grasp of these concepts is valuable, not only for Forest School but also for my academic journey.

Unfortunately, due to the site being a walk away from the school, also not being our own private site we are limited to some of the activities and the time we have in our space. It takes 20 minutes to walk the children to the site, then have about 1 hour 30 minutes for the session before we have to walk back again to school, this does not leave much time for exploring, reflection or if there is any disruption eg cars on the road it's takes us longer, this takes time away from the session. We are also limited to what we are able to do, we are not allowed fires in the forest, if we build bridges or dens, they have to be removed and logs all returned to where they were found, I think this is sad for the children as they work so hard to create something and we are almost immediately removing it, it would be lovely if we could leave them up throughout most of our sessions for the children to build on or use within their imaginative play. 

As we have to walk to the site and it is through a field and over a few bridges, we struggle to supply lots of resources as we have to carry them down ourselves and then return them to school. This can limit us to what we bring with us to site, I have asked the Headteacher if we could invest in a festival trolley to allow us to take more to site and also asked the Trust if there is any way we could supply a standalone storage unit to leave in the forest for certain things that we only use there, eg mixing bowls, small trowels etc.

Additionally, there is a garden and a small piece of school-owned land that is seldom utilised. I propose that we utilise this space for physical activities that do not necessitate a vast forest area. This will give children more time to engage in the activities and further develop their skills.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to reach out to a local forest school to inquire about their principles and perspectives on Forest School. The individual I spoke with graciously invited me to participate in some of their sessions, allowing me to observe their practices firsthand. They also offered to connect me with another experienced Leader for a hands-on learning experience. Additionally, I have joined various Facebook and Instagram groups that provide inspiration for different activities and future sessions. I am looking forward to collaborating with Katherine, a fellow participant in the course, to enhance my skills and continue my professional development.

Reflective practice is highly beneficial during a session as it provides valuable insights into the children's perspectives. Whether they found the session exciting or boring, their feedback is essential for us to plan future sessions effectively. I also appreciate it when children bring up unrelated topics or share stories related to Forest School, as it indicates positive connections and can inspire new ideas .We need to guide our children - but we guide our children by their experiences and questions and wonders.

Long term I would like to give the children longer sessions in the Forest and with more variety of activities. I would like to be able to offer them more resources and teach them more about the advantages of being in the Forest and really let them explore freely and have their input to what they would like to see in a session. 

Long term for myself, I would like to grow as a leader, I am not very confident in myself and worry that what I create with the children may not be good enough, however, this is something that I am working on and would like to continue working on, I believe as the children's confidence and self-esteem grows, so will mine. 

Forest school is all about FLEXIBILITY - it is key that this is what we enhance and encourage in our Forest School sessions. 

I have really enjoyed this course, it has been tough at times, but pushed me through and shown me that I am resilient and I can overcome challenges.