News & Events
Autumn 2009
Healthy Schools Plus Initiative & The Labyrinth Project
Somerset County Council Healthy Schools Plus Team have awarded the Glastonbury Trust contracts to develop Outdoor Learning and increase physical activity in curriculum delivery in three Somerset primary schools. The Labyrinths Project at Hindhayes The outcome is that we have contracts to work in three primary schools in central and south Somerset to deliver the package we piloted at Hindhayes Infants School. Each school presents very different challenges and staff are very enthusiatic about moving outdoor learning forward in all three establishments. We, in turn, are very excited by the prospect of supporting these schools in their desire to improve the health and emotional well-being of their children. 
has proved sufficiently successful to offer to schools on a much wider basis. As a result we have become involved with the Somerset Healthy Schools Initiative. The main aim is to use our Outdoor Learning and Labyrinths initiative to promote greater physical activity in curriculum delivery, as well as supporting schools in raising awareness of the importance of managing the school day with emotional well-being in mind. We have made presentations to three primary schools who are interested in our work, as well as making a presentation and running a stall at the 'Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Schools' Conference at Taunton Racecourse on October 6th.
Hindhayes Infant Forest School, September 2009.
Our activity programme began this Autumn with a whole school Forest School experience for Hindhayes Infant School. This took place in our woods and involved every child from the new Reception children to Year 2. We began with th
e Reception children and were very impressed with the energy and enthusiasm, as well as their creativity. The day began with a 'teddy bear hunt', which involved spotting a range of cuddly toys concealed in various places on the quarter mile walk into the wood. We had a bit of a problem with the hunt for the 'really big bear' when some children expressed alarm and we had to explain to them that it wasn't a real bear. We were interested in merging the worlds of fact and fantasy in their woodland experiences but we needed to make it clear that all our wild animals were soft and cuddly!
The children brought more cuddly toys with them and they then engaged in making little homes for their cuddly toys in suitable nooks and crannies of trees. By the end of the day the wood was full of little shelters.
As part of the programme we also sat round our firepit, where we had built a new set of log benches to cope with the group sizes, which were an average of 25 in number.
We had expected some issues with such young children being apprehensive of the wood, particularly as many of them were still in the process of adjusting to school life. Instead we found them forward, energetic, communicative and great team-workers. Clearly a credit to their parents and to the school.
Our 'Labyrinths Project' with Hindhayes has resulted in significant changes in the delivery of Outdoor Learning in the school as a result. The concluding report of our work can be found Our relationship doesn't end here, and Hindhayes have booked us for more Forest School days and 3 more Labyrinth Activity Days in the summer of 2010.
Crispin School - 'Journey to a Better Future', October 13th & 15th.
The Glastonbury Trust delivered a programme of Forest School activities to the new Year 7 intake, as part of a wider programme of outdoor learning and activities with an environmental and 'sustainability' theme. Over the two days we ran a carousel of activities, involving outdoor Maths games, fire-making, shelter-building and making jewellery out of different types of wood. All the activities were based in the school grounds and we were fortunate to have two dry and relatively warm days.
We were pleased to be able to introduce the whole of the new intake to Forest School and pupils gave the activities a 'thumbs up' in their evaluations.
St. Ben's C of E Primary School - Taster Days in the Woods
We have begun a weekly programme of Forest School at St. Ben's for the first time, taking place off-site at our woods near Butleigh.
The school has opted for a 'taster' programme, where a different group of children going out each week. During the course of the 2009 - 2010 academic year it is anticipated that every pupil in the school will have had the experience.
The children have proved remarkably resilient in the face of a number of rather wet and cold days and have invariably reported as having a great time.
St. Dunstan's Community Arts College - Forest School
Following the departure of Kelly Hammil to London, St. Dunstan's was left without a Forest School Leader. Ingrid Crawford, one of our longer serving Forest School Leaders, has stepped into the role for the forseeable future. She is being admirably supported by Pauline Plant who arrived at St. Dunstan's at the start of the Autumn term as a learning support assistant. We wish them both well in their new roles.
St. Dunstan's now have Forest School with us once a week and are targetting Year 7 pupils whose profiles indicate will benefit from the kinaesthetic learning approaches used in Forest School. Each group will complete an 8 week programme.
Conference for 2010 - Advance Notice for your Diary
Our third annual conference is now booked for Tuesday 6th July 2010, at Abbey House, Glastonbury. In the pattern of previous years we will have a mix of presentations and practical activities.
We will be returning to the theme of the relationship between outdoor learning, spirituality and emotional well-being. Stephen Rogers, the Director of the University of the First Age has already agreed to speak and run a workshop and we hope to announce our full line-up and send out booking forms immediately after the spring half-term.
Workshops will focus on activities. One of the 4 workshops delegates will be able to attend will be 'Using Rope Labyrinths in Schools', for those who did not make last year's conference.