Our curriculum offer at Dickens Heath goes far beyond the classroom walls and we believe that learning need not take place solely within educational buildings. Outdoor time often provides the most memorable learning experiences and helps children to make sense of the world around them by putting their learning into a meaningful context.

As part of our school offer for wellbeing therefore, we have an onsite farm and forest school which is integrated into all aspects of our school curriculum, including to support and foster resilience, confidence, independence and creative thinking, as part of our personal development programme.

Fully trained forest school leaders work with whole classes, small groups and individuals, offering a range of experiences from exploring the natural world, to providing real ‘hands-on’ experiences linked to the curriculum, or opportunities for children to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and themselves.

Adding to our outdoor forest school, our small holding farm accommodating sheep, goats, guinea pigs and chickens provide a wealth of opportunities and experiences for children and families to care for and learn about animal welfare and to nurture the development of the social and emotional attributes of empathy, love, understanding and commitment.