Nature Box Forest School: Inspectors heap praise on specialist outdoor school where staff 'work tirelessly'

Nature Box Forest School teaches the 50 children on its books by holding nearly all lessons and playtimes in the copse and thickets off Wood Lane, Stannington. Founder Charlotte Middleton says the provision was set up with children with special educational needs or who didn’t get along in mainstream education in mind.

Now, in its first visit by the education watchdog, the outdoor school has been rated ‘Outstanding’ in all areas, with inspectors heaping praise on the “exceptionally well behaved children”, “tireless” staff and the leaps pupils make in their learning.

In the spotless report, activities inspector say they saw during their visit in November included pond dipping, picking fruit, spinning honey from honeycombs, making mud cakes, and a trip to the library using Sheffield’s bus and tram system.

The report reads: “Children's experiences are reflected in the setting's ethos, which is, ‘We love ourselves, we love each other, we love our world’.

“The inviting and stimulating forest school environment supports children to become fully engaged in meaningful play throughout the day [...]. Staff skillfully question children's actions to find out what they know and understand. As a result, children are making excellent progress in their learning and development.

“Children are taught to understand their feelings and learn the words to express these. For example, a child says, ‘I need my own space now,’ when others want to join their play. This teaching of feelings is reflected in the children's exemplary behaviour.”

In a rarity for the education watchdog, the school was given the top shelf grade in its first ever inspection following its creation in 2020.

Founder Charlotte Middleton told The Star: “We’ve been waiting to announce this grade for a while and it’s been nice to be able to say that we’ve achieved this.

“I really believe in forest schooling. It works for children and the adults who work with them. I just see the difference in children learning outside. They can be a lot more relaxed and themselves. There’s a lot more creativity and we can see the difference in staff and children. It’s a big benefit.

“I would like to thank all our staff. They are so passionate and work so hard to make sure that all the children have best day every, every day.”