Children in Years One and Two at Old Oak Primary have been exploring local wildlife and practising teamwork skills at their popular club – forest school.
The afterschool club, funded by The Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust and delivered by Urbanwise London, has been designed to support all learning styles, including children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Throughout the sessions the students, aged between six and eight, have been encouraged to feel confident in the outdoors and to get hands-on while exploring the natural environment.
Strengthening their roots
Some of the club's most popular activities have included conker necklaces, hide and seek, bug hunting and den building. Storytelling and snack sessions in the woods comes in at a close second.
Carolina De Toledo Fattori who runs the club said:
"Forest school is great for developing physical motor skills, self-confidence and an emotional awareness of the natural world. The outdoors is the perfect place to see how concepts learnt in the classroom can be applied to the outdoors."
The sessions are also delivered to small groups to help encourage the children to feel more confident in different social settings.
Forest school's new leaf
The popular club just concluded an eight-week pilot programme that took place across six months – ensuring children had the chance to explore the woodland through autumn, winter and spring.
Sessions have been so popular that Urbanwise London has also run morning sessions for under 5s and their parents using the Old Oak Community Centre Family Hub.
Due to its success The Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust is hoping to expand the programme out to other local schools, giving more students the chance to explore the green space.
This will be made possible through a fundraising campaign and matching contribution from the Trust.
Cllr Alex Sanderson, Deputy Leader of H&F and Chair of the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust, said:
It's been fantastic to hear all about the forest school pilot programme and how the students absolutely love it. I hope that the Trust will be able to run the sessions again with new schools, bringing even more children along to explore one of our best green spaces in H&F."
Spectacular Scrubs
At 76.8 hectares, Wormwood Scrubs is H&F's largest open space and is home to more than 200 species of wildflowers and 100 species of birds.
The site received a Green Flag award in 2023 because it met Keep Britain Tidy's strict criteria for the best parks in the country.
We're working hard to keep the Scrubs a clean, green, welcoming space for all. Earlier this year H&F Council installed new automatic bollards to stop vehicles illegally driving onto the site.
The Trust and the Council are also investing in sports infrastructure at the Linford Christie stadium as well as procuring an Ecological Masterplan as part of a £4 million funding package secured from HS2.
The Trust is hoping to celebrate all this investment with a community event in the autumn of 2025, so keep your eyes peeled for more information on social media.
