Transition Support through Outdoor Play
Many children breeze through the transition from primary to secondary school, but for some, the move up to a much bigger school can be a very worrying prospect. Ordinarily, the last term of P7 before the summer holidays is all about marking that transition, from leavers assemblies to “moving up days” when they get a chance to meet their new teachers and experience a little of life at high school. However, none of the usual transition activities were able to happen this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures.
In light of this situation, Roots and Shoots Highland delivered ‘transition’ Forest School programmes through the summer holidays to small numbers of P7 children referred through schools and social work. These were children who would have received enhanced transition support at school – if schools had been open. ‘Forest School’ programmes focus on child-centred learning in a woodland environment, supporting play, exploration and development of confidence and self-esteem through hands-on experiences.
A maximum of 8 children, with two leaders, spent full days out in the woods once a week through the summer holiday. We ran one programme in woods in Aviemore for children moving up to Kingussie High School and another in the Anagach woods in Grantown on Spey for children moving up to Grantown Grammar School. Activities were child-led, so they were free flow and shaped entirely by the interests and enthusiasms of the participants. We always ate our packed lunches together, and had a campfire-cooked snack before our gratitude circle and heading home each day, but other than that the children did what they wanted to, with the support from leaders when required. And mostly what they wanted to do was PLAY!
Particularly towards the start of the programmes, when children had been ‘stuck at home with parents and siblings for months’ (in their words), it was hugely gratifying to see the pleasure they all got from countless games of hide and seek or made up games with blindfolds. As leaders, it was a good reminder of how strong the need to play is, even in children aged 11-12. And play, particularly outdoors and with peers, is recognised as being vital to supporting children’s wellbeing, especially in the challenging and uncertain times that we find ourselves in (eg. seen this Play Scotland report from May 2020).
Children very obviously also enjoyed learning new skills, such as using a fire striker or whittling. For some, it took several weeks of watching others before they finally felt confident to try something new themselves, and their face when they eventually succeeded was brilliant to witness. Simple, quiet and gently repetitive activities such as braiding or whittling were also an opportunity to build trust through informal chat. As leaders, we were able to use this time to talk to participants about how they were feeling about the move to High School without it feeling forced or pressured.
We asked children individually on the last session what they had enjoyed about coming. Time and time again they mentioned making new friends, getting to know those from other primary schools who’ll be joining them at secondary. They talked about learning new things, having fun, being outside for a whole day a week, socialising outside their family, and a chance to meet teachers from the High School and ask them questions about the start of term. We received brilliant feedback from parents, some of whom saw their child really thrive and flourish over the course of the sessions. And we’ve heard from staff at the secondary schools of the difference attending the programme had made for the most vulnerable of their new pupils.
It was the first time we’d run Forest School programmes in 2020 and we were pleased to see that it still possible, and wonderfully beneficial, to run sessions outdoors with physical distancing and increased hygiene measures in place. Big thanks to Covid-19 Supporting Communities Fund through VABS which enabled us to run the programmes, and for the input from local Children’s Services Workers.
For more photos of the sessions see the photo book from the Aviemore programme here