Does engagement in Forest School influence perceptions of risk, held by children, their parents, and their school staff?

Abstract

In a climate where, it is claimed, children now spend very little time out of doors because adults fear for their safety and impose a 'zero risk childhood' on them, Forest School aims to offer learners the opportunity to take 'supported risks'. This study investigated perceptions of risk associated with the outdoors, held by children, their parents and practitioners, and whether accessing Forest School impacts on these perceptions of risk. Practitioners were generally either strongly risk-averse or strongly permissive; Forest School influenced them to be less risk-averse in some respects. Parents held ambiguous perceptions, wanting to keep their children very safe but also to help them develop strong and confident attitudes to risk. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A systematic review of forest schools literature in England

“…A second focuses on ways in which risk was managed in two mainstream primary school groups (Coates and Pimlott-Wilson 2019). A third paper examines perceptions of risk amongst parents and practitioners in an early years setting (Savery 2017). In addition, two papers focus on the Forest School setting itself.…”

“…The concept of risk is applied in different ways within the contexts of early years and formal education. The work of Savery (2017), which emphasises the importance of risk-taking activity in Forest Schools by younger children, can be situated within the substantial history of linking child development to outdoor play in early years settings (McMillan 2019). As such, risk is presented as an inevitable outcome of outdoor play and is, therefore, a necessary part of child development.…”

Changes in outdoor learning in primary schools in England, 1995 and 2017: lessons for good practice

“…Curriculum reform has resulted in the inclusion or exclusion of outdoor and adventurous activities in the formal physical education curriculum over the years (Leather, 2018), and outdoor 'learning' or outdoor 'education' has been taught through a range of curriculum subjects, topics or initiatives, and in some schools, as a subject in its own right (Allison, Carr & Meldrum, 2012). The safeguarding and risk management agenda has been more prominent in recent years with substantial permissions and approvals needed to take children outdoors and the varied perception of risk by parents/carers and teachers (Little, 2015;Savery et al, 2017).…”

Let’s Go on an Adventure … Embracing and Implementing Intergenerational Learning

“…While the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2016) indicates benefits for older adults from engaging with green spaces and the outdoors, particularly for those aged over 65 (p.17), these are also significant needs for young children and encouraging older adults to spend time outdoors in green spaces offers an interesting parallel with the current emphasis on children needing to spend more time engaging in outdoor activity (Savery et al, 2016;O'Brien and Murray, 2006;O'Brien and Murray, 2007). Ridgers et al (2012) also advocate the free use of space and time, rejecting a timetable, which they argue can restrict children's play.…”