How current early years pedagogy and practice are influenced by theorists and legislation
A 1000 word position paper. Position Paper to critique how
‘outside experiences impact on opportunities for learning and
assessment, including risk taking and safeguarding’
Critique the resource, outdoor planning and activity to justify how outdoor
learning environments, philosophy and pedagogy promote holistic
development and life skills. (1000-word position paper)
Analyse specific ‘outside learning’ philosophies and current UK government
drives that inform and underpin outdoor provision. The resource constructed
to inform parents of the benefit for children to have access to outdoor
provision to enhance learning and skills will be critically analysed. Parents will
need to be informed of how prime and specific areas of learning will be met
during outside exploration.
Evaluate how theory impacts upon current EYFS and Forest School
philosophy for outdoor provision (define underlying
aims/themes/approach of both)
Define and compare EYFS with Forest School philosophy to identify and
critique what are the main similarities and differences within each
approach to learning?) (Underlying principles and aims of both are?)
(what/how does the child gain? How is the ‘whole’ child defined and
considered? What is main purpose of the EYFS or Forest School
philosophy re the child’s well-being, emotional ‘self’ and life skills?)
Critique the differences; EYFS prepares children for school readiness
verses Forest School preparing children for outside learning and life
skills.
Identify and critically reflect upon strengths and challenges of
combining EYFS and Forest School practice (Historic theory verses
current policy and provision) (Can or should both philosophies be
merged or offered at same time? Why? Or is EYFS provision applying
‘some’ Forest School approach/philosophy? Is outside provision
offered via EYFS more of an Urban approach? Why? Why not?
Position the approach applied for effective outside provision. (Agree
or disagree if Forest School philosophy can be totally embedded into
EYFS provision.
Assessed
Learning
outcome (s)
1. Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of how current early years pedagogy
and practice are influenced by theorists and legislation
3. Critically review how in/outdoor environments promote holistic
development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent
and creative learners
4. Critically explore how opportunities for learning and assessment support the
development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world;
offering learners the opportunity to take supported risks and develop skills to
stay safe
Solution
Curriculum Studies: Foundation Stage and KS1
The study is a critique of outside experiences and their impacts on forest school learning,
how it compares to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and forest school attitude for the
outdoor facility. Forest schools are institutions that offer outdoor education delivery more than
classroom education where children are allowed to study in natural environments and interact
with nature. The concept of forest schools originated from Scandinavia in the early 1980s due to
a lack of classroom learning materials. The people who were responsible for childhood schooling
explained the important and critical part of nature and outside skills have in the growth of
development in children. EYFS sets standards for the care and leaning of children up to 5 years
in the development of positive relations, unique character, and enabling atmosphere. It as well
places a huge role in forest school learning in KS1, insisting that it is important for children to
have insight on daily opportunities that are outside (Bradfields Academy 2012). Cognitive
development theory is a great theme that describes the development of young children in their
mental states.
EYFS has taken a notch higher in recognizing the significant effect which forest school
learning has on children's intellect of well-being, recognizing how it works with every feature of
a child's growth and offers children with the chance to grow logic of self-importance, recognizes
self-confidence in nature to understand and study in a secure and safe interesting environment.
EYFS is a legislative play-based primary knowledge agenda for preserved and autonomous
schools and early-year benefactors (Crown 2009). It cliques out values for education by
delivering a privilege to play-based skills and warrants children's improvement in forest school
learning skills from a younger age. However, as children interchange to legislative education,
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their educational skills are directed by the National Curriculum (Connor 2017). Forest schools
improve children learning skills in most of the learning fields compared to classroom learning in
EYFS.
Numerous upcoming forest schools and outdoor learning education are becoming more
popular in the UK. Most schools ensure that their children in KS1 have the experience to wander
in the nature that forest school learning has to offer. First, outdoor learning revolves around the
philosophy of progressivism, which covers the environment change aspect, which pushes
children to discover their interests and abilities while generating new experiences relevant to the
learning process. Through outdoor learning, children appreciate the interdependence present in
animals, humans, and lifecycles. This environment generates space, mentors children in the
outside world, and improves their learning by actively moving from place to place. During all
school holidays, parents improve their children's outdoor learning experience as a requirement by
EYFS by taking their children to camp and forest picnics as advised by young children experts.
Currently, around the world, many children in KS1 have gone through outdoor forest school
training. The program behind the forest school education has helped to specialize in education
method that provides learners with steady chances to accomplish and grow self-confidence and
self-esteem by hand-on educational skills in a forest or natural environment with trees and a lot
of nature (Thomson 2015).
According to Hendy (2011), monitoring children in their early education years requires
careful supervision, especially at KS1, and a good way to provide them with a great foundation
of learning is through outside experience. Nevertheless, the outside experience is a great subject
since it equips children with forest skills. It provides children unique tactics on how to cope with
the natural environment and help build constructive relationships when they work as a team to
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accomplish something in the field. It is evident that preschool learning offers children an
opportunity to meet early learning goals; however, additional skills give more advantages to
children who can adjust to different environments. Through outside learning, especially in the
forest, children attain skills like those in intellectual development, such as reasoning critically,
analyzing items from a broader perspective, and solving problems. Besides, it equips children
with physical growth and helps them use their physical thoughts to discover diverse natural
resources and gears. Teaching children pre-writing skills using twigs and sticks, teaching them
how to make natural paintings tools in the forest school, is very important as it helps them
develop a sense of improvising with what you provide.
Coates (2018) cited that in recent years, outdoor learning that involves forest school play
for children has been deteriorating in terms of the safety of young ones in the forest. However, a
school curriculum in measure to provide parents with necessary information regarding outdoor
learning was generated, and children's safety is given a priority. Additionally, through school
meetings held within the school compounds and letters written to parents, engage parents with
this talk by telling them the importance of the activity and the vital roles in their children's
learning. Incorporate the skills and milestones that are covered when children engage in outdoor
learning and prove its importance to their children's future learning and success. Therefore, in an
approach to inform parents how the approach will help their children acquire all the benefits it
brings, the government school curriculum should be acknowledged to show the relevance of the
activity. Ask them to analyze the impact it has through monitoring their children's growth and
skills whenever they attend outdoor learning. Therefore, they should take their children to fields
during holidays and weekends to help in outdoor learning.
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In the UK, forest school has been on a gradual increase as the curriculum also covers the
sector. The blend between forest schools and EYFS has contributed a mainstream of skillful
children who come up with great innovative ideas that help and protect both sides of learning.
Classroom learning and outdoor experimentation improve children's learning skills who have
more reliance on one mode of study. These results are important since they highlight the
standards of a societal constructivist joint in play involvement, which reinforce Forest School
repetition and bring out the necessity for primary schools to reflect education outside of the
classroom as an operative pedagogy. In both learning aspects, that is, EYFS and forest school,
different viewpoints are maintained whereby; both learning procedures follow different
instructions and rules and have different instructors who are professionally entitled to their
specific teachings. The setting in EYFS is majorly based on a well-structured environment where
very few harm or interference can be caused. Still, in forest school, children are exposed to a
setting that provides a natural environment that requires more precaution measures. In outdoor
learning, the other philosophies include deconstructionism, whereby, it majors on the social
reform on the education phase of children while in the field. Through this, children appreciate
the natural role of humanity and generate more responsibility as they grow up. Besides, this
prepares children in future roles as it creates a memory that they can refer to whenever they face
similar activities while growing up.
There is evidence that the gradual increase of outdoor learning in forest schools has
created a stimulation that gives children typical forest experiences that allow them to be creative
in self-dependency. Their overall behavior also adjusts to the positive line of study, and they
develop a more stable emotional approach. The approach of incorporating forest schools has
created a context for children where they can undertake a wide range of plays where they can
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work as a team and have fun in a constructive forum. Teamwork contribution is very important
to children as they learn how to have self and team reliance in ways; they can build trust. Forest
learning has a lot of active time, and children can have physical stamina as they experience a
different type of development if their healthy lifestyles. As children tour different forest
sceneries, they gain confidence, which improves their self-esteem and has a huge influence on
their psychological and emotional well-being. Unlike EYFS learning, forest learning sceneries
have a lot of wild creatures yet are controlled for the safety of the atmosphere. Therefore, forest
schools have ensured the children's safety and the risks that underlie below, giving children a bad
experience in one aspect of learning. Empathy is a skill that is seen in children who engage in
outdoor learning and self-discipline as the approach needs them to take care of the environment
and their friends while they are learning.
I agree with Apple Tree Kindergarten (2019) forest school; therefore, I appreciate the
EYFS learning curriculum and related to other teachings taken under the early year's facility or
encounter at home. The two aim at equipping children with knowledge and promoting their
behavioral, emotional, and intellectual growth. They also benefit children with motor skills and
discipline their approach towards group discussions, independence, and confidence. EYFS is
different from forest learning since it aims at providing children with a list of experiences and
solutions. In contrast, forest learning seeks to motivate and engage them with outdoor
experiences. Thus, it is evident that EYFS plays an important role in children's development,
literacy, communication, and expression through arts. Forest schools give children a path of
career guidance and help them learn different physical and creative skills that are not taught in
class, expose them to opportunities, and nurture their imagination and creativity (Croner-I 2019).
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Reference List
Apple Tree Kindergarten. (2019) April 4. Defining EYFS and The Benefits of Using this System.
The Apple Tree. https://appletreekindergarten.com/blog/defining-eyfs-benefits-using-
system/
Bradfields Academy. (2012). Early Years Foundation Stage KS1-2
Curriculum. bradfieldsacademy.co.uk/_files/PDfs/Curriculum/63B7867FC01F9512D6C46B71F
652C25B.pdf
Coates, J. K. (2018, October 24). Learning while playing: Children's Forest School experiences
in the UK. Wiley Online
Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3491
Connor, L. (2017). A Comparative Study of Outdoor Learning Between the Early Years
Foundation Stage and Year 1. 1st ed., pp.3-27.
https://www.don.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/A-Comparative-Study-of-Outdoor-
Learning-between-the-Early-Years-Foundation-Stage-and-Year-1-by-Leanne-Connor.pdf
Croner-i. (2019, August 30). Forest School in the early years. Croner-i | Your gateway to
trusted information. https://app.croneri.co.uk/feature-articles/forest-school-early-years
Crown. (2019). Benefits for Early Years of Learning Outside the
Classroom. https://www.lotc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Benefits-for-Early-
Years-LOtC-Final-5AUG09.pdf
Hendy, Z. (2011). Forest Schools and the Early Years Foundation Stage. Hambrook Hedgehogs
Preschool and After School Club. https://www.hambrookpreschool.co.uk/forest-skills-
sessions/forest-schools-and-the-early-years-foundation-stage
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Thomson, R. (2015). May 18. EYFS Best Practice: All about … forest schools. Nursery
World. https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/eyfs-best-practice-all-about-
forest-schools
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