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English – Key Stage 2 and 3

Students on roll CHES have access to English lessons within the framework of the National Curriculum for English.

Primary

For our Primary students, we liaise closely with students’ referring schools and typically follow the school’s curriculum to ensure our pupils are able to keep pace with their peers and reintegrate successfully. We place a strong emphasis upon reading and writing skills, enabling our primary students to gain in confidence and refine their skills. Our primary English curriculum is bespoke and is adapted to meet the individual needs of every pupil.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3, the majority of our pupils are taught in groups and follow the CHES programme of study. This programme closely follows the National Curriculum for English and operates in parallel with those of our mainstream partners. Our Key Stage 3 programme is varied and ambitious in scope, exposing students to a wide range of texts including fiction, non-fiction, contemporary and pre-1914 texts. The English curriculum journey aims to develop challenge for students, enabling them to refine their skills and to develop new knowledge and understanding so that they are well prepared for progression to Key Stage 4. Our English teaching is always adapted to pupil need and we adopt a flexible approach to allow us to address identified gaps in learning and build student competence and confidence in the subject.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4, all students will study GCSE English Language. GCSE English Literature is taught alongside English Language for students who are well enough to access both courses, depending on their health needs, in liaison with their referring school. Programmes of study will be adapted to meet each individual’s needs, taking into account the amount of time they have with us.

GCSE English Language

Students study AQA 8700 specification, which offers a skills-based approach to the study of English Language in an un-tiered context. Questions are designed to take students on an assessment journey through lower tariff tasks to more extended responses. The specification offers the attraction of two equally-balanced papers, relating reading sources to the topic and theme of writing tasks. The reading sources act as stimulus for writing tasks, providing students with a clear route through each paper. Each paper has a distinct identity to better support high quality provision and engaging teaching and learning. Paper 1, Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing, looks at how writers use narrative and descriptive techniques to engage the interest of readers. Paper 2, Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives, looks at how different writers present a similar topic over time. We also complete the Spoken Language Assessment which covers the Speaking and Listening element of the GCSE.

GCSE English Literature

Students study the AQA 8702 specification and are taught in designated Literature classes. The AQA specification takes a skills-based approach to the study of English Literature that is consistent across the genres. The question papers and mark schemes allow teachers to return to inspirational literature teaching, and allow students of all abilities to achieve their best on every question. The texts we currently study are Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and the AQA Power and Conflict Poetry Cluster. Occasionally, students come to us having studied different texts at their mainstream school. In such instances, teaching is adapted to suit the needs of the student and they can continue to follow these texts.

For further information about GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature, please see the links below:

Reading Approaches CHES

Primary

At Key Stage 1 and 2 we support students by developing their mathematical skills in a way which encourages confidence as well as providing satisfaction and enjoyment. We ensure all students have the opportunity to follow a tailored programme, where we collaborate with the pupils’ mainstream school and deliver the curriculum as prescribed my them, in a manner which is suited to the students’ medical needs. Throughout their learning journey, our skilled teachers will teach lessons addressing misconceptions and knowledge gaps, as well as the school-prescribed curriculum. We ensure that the primary curriculum puts a significant emphasis on mathematical , curriculum content has to be well sequenced in order to promote a depth of understanding.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 we continue to support students to engage with, explore, enjoy and succeed in Maths by teaching the national curriculum based on the White Rose Maths scheme of learning. We ensure all students have the opportunity to follow a tailored programme, where we collaborate with the pupils’ mainstream school and deliver the curriculum as prescribed my them, in a manner which is suited to the students’ medical needs.

At this point, there is a greater emphasis on developing mathematical thinking skills and ensuring students are able to think mathematically, as well as solve problems with confidence. We aim to ensure our students enter Key Stage four having become:

• Confident and able to  and apply mathematical knowledge in different contexts
• Able to explain their methods and thinking processes and apply skills in context
• Fluent in different areas of maths
• Efficient in applying problem-solving and reasoning skills
•  thinkers
• Aware of the Maths/ concepts/ process they are doing

To ensure that our students’ needs are met and their knowledge gaps and misconceptions are addressed, we have adapted and re-ordered the scheme to create a bespoke curriculum for our students at CHES. Their learning is constantly evaluated utilising a range of formative and summative assessment, informing our subsequent planning and delivery of lessons.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 we study the AQA specification. GCSE Mathematics has a Foundation tier (grades 1 – 5) and a Higher tier (grades 4 – 9). Students must take three question papers at the same tier, two using a calculator and one without. All question papers must be taken in the same series, the questions will cover all of the topics of maths including number; algebra; ratio; proportion and rates of change; geometry and measures; probability and statistics. The papers are a mix of question styles which teachers will prepare our students for, from short, single-mark questions to multi-step problems.

For our Year 10 students, we base our delivery on the White Rose scheme, reordered and adapted to meet the needs of our students. At Year 11 we follow the White Rose Express Scheme, which consolidates much of the content of Year 10 and Year 11, this ensures that the knowledge gaps obtained by our students due to their health have been addressed, and as well as their learning moved forward, this ensures confident students with a firm foundation in mathematics.

Science is an integral part of understanding how the world works and how the choices we make influence it in both positive and negative ways. At CHES, our Science curriculum aims to give pupils a better understanding of the world around them, whilst acquiring specific scientific skills and knowledge. Science lessons develop scientific thinking, economic, environmental and social awareness, and allowing students to make informed choices. We strive to develop responsible and informed members of the local and global community. Students will be encouraged to link the science we learn about in lessons to previous learning, other topics, and the real world in order to increase their Science capital, as well as ensuring strong cross curricular learning links to support students with problems solving and connecting knowledge and understanding.

The skills, attitudes and knowledge developed in our curriculum will give students a platform to access a variety of routes into post-16 education including A-levels, vocational courses and STEM apprenticeships. 

Science lessons will develop knowledge and understanding of Biology, Chemistry and Physics topics, as well as developing students’ data handling and investigative skills through safe practical work. We often carry out experiments (in our centre and for online/outreach students), our outreach teachers have Science kits, including microscopes, force meters and molecule building kits.

Primary

Primary pupils at CHES will follow the scheme of learning of the mainstream school, with the support of subject specialists, with the aim to facilitate a smooth transition back to lessons when returning to school. We place a strong emphasis on science foundations and science literacy skills to enable our primary students to gain in confidence and develop their skills. Our specialist teachers ensure that lessons and activities are highly individualised to met the needs of every student.

Key Stage 3

The majority of students at CHES will follow the KS3 Science curriculum as guided by their mainstream school, we liaise closely with each school to mirror what the students’ class are learning, in order to support a smooth transition back into their mainstream school. 

However, some students follow the bespoke CHES KS3 curriculum known as `Lily Pads`,  this is taught in six topic areas across the academic year. The Lily Pad modules incorporate all of the AQA KS3 topics, but, in a combined approach that can accommodate students who have previously missed schooling, allow for mixed aged classes and enable progression for students that have a longer stay with CHES. This allows students to build their understanding incrementally through the sideways curriculum, allowing for review and progression of students term upon term..  

Key Stage 4

At CHES we offer KS4 students GCSE Science (Trilogy), or GCSE Biology, Chemistry or Physics, or Science ELC (Entry Level Certificate).

This is taught through live online classes, classroom-based teaching at Glynn House (Truro) or outreach teaching (visiting pupils at home or in a local school or library).  

Many outreach students follow the GCSE Science Curriculum as guided by their mainstream school, we will liaise closely with the school to mirror what the student's class are learning.

All GCSE students have the opportunity to visit the Science lab of a nearby college to undertake required practical work, enabling students to apply and improve their practical skills.

For further information about each GCSE syllabus please see the links below:

KS3 HUMANITIES

In CHES KS3 Humanities is taught online, through a creative, challenging, critical curriculum, our intent is to inspire our students to become compassionate global citizens, by exploring, making sense of, and being curious about their place in the world, their values and responsibilities, questioning and connecting the past, present and future, towards enjoyment of a more sustainable contribution to the planet.

The Humanities are the subjects that help us understand the world around us, and the experience of being human. CHES students gain a solid foundation, to progress to study the Humanities subjects of Geography and History at KS4 with CHES, or to aid successful re integration back into their mainstream school. Engaging topics, ensure access to as broad a Humanities curriculum as possible across the disciplines during the time that they are with us doing various topics based on;

History – using evidence to investigate different interpretations of the past events that shape our present and future lives.

Geography – understanding the features of the human and physical environments in which we live and the processes that shape them.

Citizenship – understanding the different communities we are part of, and developing the skills required to participate actively in these communities, making positive change.

Religious Studies – learning about, and learning from, different religious beliefs and practices, including non-religious perspectives on some of life’s big questions and moral issues.

The Humanities lesson is 1 hour per week taught online.

KS3 GEOGRAPHY

At Glynn House our students study People, Places, and Processes….... they study life……because they study Geography!

Is Geography in the news? Quite frankly, Geography IS the news!

Our KS3 students explore a wide range of topics aligned with the National Curriculum, to help stimulate awe and wonder in the world around them, and as a stepping stone for deeper study at GCSE level, or to help easy re integration back to mainstream.

There are a range of learning approaches and strategies used, through individual, paired and group collaboration tasks and activities, to investigate different areas of physical, human, and environmental geography, and the connections between all three.

At CHES our students are able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and memory in a range of ways whilst exploring how today’s world was shaped and understand the challenges we face in the future.

The geography lesson is 1 hour per week, taught at Glynn House.

GCSE GEOGRAPHY

Study People, Places, and Processes…....study life……study Geography!

Is Geography in the news?......Geography IS the news!

Our students study the AQA 8035 specification in geography. They sit 3 externally assessed exam papers; Unit 1- Living with the physical environment, Unit 2- Challenges in the human environment, and Unit 3- Geographical applications (Issue Evaluation, and fieldwork).

This exciting course is based on a balanced framework of physical and human geography. It allows our students to investigate the link between the two themes, and approach and examine the interactions between the man-made and natural worlds, as well as increasing their employability through the wide range of qualities they will have developed. Students learn through a wide range of approaches, strategies and activities, and also complete local fieldwork to develop further knowledge and skills, with both human, and physical geographical elements.

The world is your oyster! Develop a sense of awe and wonder about your world.

Explore it and learn how today’s world was shaped and understand the challenges we face in the future.

CHES GEOGRAPHERS GROW: Making concise reports, handling data, asking questions and finding the answers, making decisions about issues, analysing material, managing themselves, and as increasingly independent thinkers.

Statistics show that compared to other subjects Geography graduates are right up amongst the most employable. They possess the skills that employers look for.

CHES GEOGRAPHERS GROW AS: Good communicators, spatially aware, socially and environmentally aware, problem solvers, good team players, computer literate, well rounded, flexible thinkers. Subjects can’t be any more valuable than that!

Our students can study AQA GCSE Geography within our online curriculum provision, and also at Glynn House. The lessons take place for 2 hours per week.

GCSE HISTORY

History is so important – we know that from examining and interpreting past events, we can make progress in our futures. But more than that – history is fascinating and absorbing!

Our goal in History is to develop an inquisitive, questioning mind in our students. We aim to ensure that our students develop the tools to evaluate information critically and research effectively, to combat misinformation and to make informed decisions about a variety of issues.

At Key Stage 4 we follow the Edexcel History 1-9 specification. In order to cover a breadth of study and to provide the opportunity to develop the full range of skills we cover the following units:

• Medicine in Britain 1250-present
• Early Elizabethan England
• The US West
• Weimar and Nazi Germany

Through discussion and a range of learning activities, skills are developed and assessed. In History, students develop key transferable skills including evaluation, analysis, problem solving and critical thinking. As students may join mid-way through the course, our history programme has been designed to enable students to address gaps in learning.

History is taught online in one 2 hour lesson per week.

KS3 ART

Our CHES KS3 art curriculum supports our students in learning the fundamental elements of art and design through various themes and topics, and standalone sessions. We recognise that some students may have had limited access, or confidence in art, and so we strive to make the art room an enjoyable, safe, calming and welcoming environment. There is an emphasis on the freedom to express ideas, embrace the unknown, be comfortable with the resilience to review, renew and refine, experiment and play with different media whilst exploring artists, movements, cultures, themes, skills, art terminology and vocabulary.

Studying art at CHES helps students develop a sense of their own identity and value, alongside cultural learning, which encourages awareness, empathy and appreciation of difference and diversity and the views of others. This in turn develops personal responsibility within school and the wider community. Our students also have the opportunity to complete the Bronze Arts Award working alongside the St Ives School of Painting. KS3 art lessons take place at Glynn House for an hour a week.

KS4 ART

CHES students follow the AQA GCSE Art and Design Specification. We encourage self-expression and creativity, hoping to build confidence, as well as a sense of individual identity. The art room is a space to experiment and explore. A space where students have the freedom to express their ideas and thoughts and work creatively. Through a range of potential themes, art movements, artists, mediums, and techniques, we open a world of options, suggestions, opinions, possibilities, and ‘I wonder ifs’, interacting with our students to bounce ideas, rather than telling students what to do. GCSE art at CHES, aims to help with developing skills and ways of working that will benefit our students in the future in whatever career they choose. Thinking creatively and innovatively, are skills employers value. GCSE art at CHES helps the development of these skills. We encourage studying both independently and collaboratively. We explore the visual language and spoken language of art, learning how to control and manipulate materials, techniques and processes and develop a specialist vocabulary in order to analyse, explain and reflect on their own work and the work of other artists. Students have continuous verbal feedback to promote reflection, and to feedforward into refinement, improvements and progression of ideas and outcomes.

Students complete a portfolio for Component 1, as 60% of the GCSE, to evidence the four assessment objectives, through a sustained project, evidencing their ‘journey’, and also complete an externally set assignment paper worth 40%, having selected one theme from 7 set starting points titles. A preparation period again evidences all four assessment objectives, followed by (up to), 10 hours of supervised time to produce a final outcome.

GCSE Art and Design is taught currently only at Glynn House for 2 hours a week, although students are able to complete it in conjunction with their mainstream school with discussion and support.

PSHCE

PSHE and personal development are integral to all students’ individual curriculums at CHES,  individual timetables are planned in agreement with medical professions.  The PSHE/PD curriculum is delivered discretely in weekly lessons, tutorial and wellbeing activities.  In addition, PSHE and PD are integral cross curricular in all subjects and enrichment activities..  We have a calendar of visiting speakers and experiences to ensure that our students access a rich and varied curriculum of opportunities. 

All PSHCE teaching takes place take place in a safe learning environment and is underpinned by our school’s ethos and values, which are to: be positive, have empathy, show respect, work as one team and be inclusive.

PSHCE is engaging and fun! The lessons allow students to explore important and complex issues and discuss these in a safe space. We love our ‘lightbulb moments’ where our learning helps things to ‘click’!

PSHCE Curriculum

At CHES, we provide an inclusive, highly individualised PSHCE curriculum to ensure equality of opportunity in preparing all our students for their next steps in life. Our PSHCE curriculum is proactive, and aims to enable our students to understand risk, and where they can get support if they need it, as part of equipping them to make complex decisions, positive choices and stay safe.

Our PSHCE curriculum is divided into three broad aims:

1. Health - developing understanding and strategies for physical and mental health and wellbeing to support confidence and resilience.
2. Relationships – to recognise healthy relationships and strategies to develop and maintain these. To develop peer respect and support in school, ensuring CHES is a safe, supportive and inspiring place to learn. To understand and respect diversity and difference within relationships and wider society
3. The wider world – to support our students to become responsible citizens, making positive choices about their futures and the wider world. To enable independence, understand democracy and rule of law.

At CHES, students and parents feedback about our PSHCE programme is essential in developing our provision. Both parents and students are very positive about PSHCE:

‘The PSHCE session with YZUP was brilliant for M, he came home with lots of information and enabled us to have a really grown up discussion yesterday evening.’ (Parent, Yr 10)

‘Learning about negative thinking patterns has really helped me identify when I am using these, and what I can do to make myself feel better.’ (Student, Year 11)

From September 2020 (Children and Social Work Act 2017) the delivery of PSHCE education became statutory for all pupils, the content dependent upon their Key Stage:

• Relationship Education and Health Education for Key Stages 1 and 2;
• Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education for Key Stages 3 and 4

Sex education is statutory for Key Stages 3 and 4 as identified in the DfE’s Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance. Parents/carers may exercise their right to withdraw their child from this aspect of RSE. Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their child from sex education (but not relationships education) up until 3 terms before the pupil’s 16th birthday, whereupon pupils can choose to opt in. This does not include the sex education element which sits in the National Curriculum as part of Science.

Please find a link to a copy of our Relationship and Sex Education policy  here

Health & Wellbeing

Our Health and Wellbeing sessions are designed to support students to develop their self-esteem through self –care and mindfulness.  Staff guide students through a range of resources to develop awareness, knowledge and skills to improve general health and wellbeing, and more specifically following simple courses and exercises based on yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and breathing practices, as well doing a range of familiar, (and some less familiar) activities to help manage stress and build even better self-care.

The sessions are a chance to spend some dedicated time to trial and practise a wide range of techniques and spend some dedicated quality time for checking in, reflection and growth.

At Glynn House, as part of these sessions, our Key Stage 3 students spend some time gardening.  They are currently developing a fruit and vegetable garden, and plan to use these in their cookery classes.  Our students love these session which support them to

• a positive attitude to healthy food choices
• development of physical skills
• development of a sense of responsibility
• increased confidence, resilience and self-esteem
• improvements in emotional well-being

SMSC

At CHES, SMSC and British Values underpin all aspects of our provision, whether curriculum, pastoral, enrichment . . . in fact – without these we wouldn’t be CHES! These values are about who we are, who we want to be, how we can flourish and how we can support others on our journey.

We learn through curiosity at CHES, exploring our own and others’ beliefs and values, and ensuring an ethos of diversity, equality and respect. Our incredible teachers and students use creativity to learn in a huge range of ways – pathways to achievement at CHES are hugely imaginative!

As part of their personal development throughout their time at CHES, students explore central values in Britain, and develop skills to support them to discuss and discover in a supportive and respectful atmosphere. Our behaviour policy is restorative, and students are encouraged to give their view in termly student voice surveys.
Communication skills are very important at CHES, and we aim to develop this in all interactions. We develop communication strategies for students, in conjunction with outside agencies, and ensure these are personalised to support students individually. We aim to ensure individuals are supported in developing their communication skills to enable them to participate fully and positively in the wider world.

Enrichment at CHES

At CHES, we support our students to access a range of activities beyond the classroom to enhance their learning experiences. We aim to support our students to develop character and improve confidence, motivation and resilience.

These include:

Eco Council

At CHES, we have achieved Eco-School status, and received a merit award. We have promised to improve the biodiversity around us and reduce the amount of energy we use. As part of this we have transformed the garden at Glynn House into a biodiversity hub.

Through our Eco Council we aim to raise our pupils’ awareness of current environmental issues and concerns to improve their knowledge and understanding of how to live sustainably and become responsible global citizens in the wider world. We want to challenge our pupils’ thinking on important environmental topics and to teach them how the choices people make locally and globally impact on our planet.

Cooking

At Glynn House, we explore a wide range of global and cultural cuisines in our cookery classes in a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment. We support students to explore new foods, and develop their understanding of health and nutrition. Often, students will cook for others at Glynn House, developing social skills as well as culinary skills that support health, well-being and independent living. These skills are transferrable to career opportunities locally, regionally and on the global stage.

Culture Camp

We are thrilled to offer our students the opportunity to take part in Culture Camp. Culture Camp is offered to students in Ks3 and Year 10, and is specially tailored for our students, and is a project developed between CHES and the St Ives School of Painting, one of the centres of the art world

All students engage in the following activities

• Visit and learning experience at the Tate St Ives
• Visit and workshop at the Leach Pottery
• Painting workshop and meet the artist at the St Ives School of Painting

On completion of these activities and workshops, students achieve their Bronze Arts Award

St Ives Society of Artists: CHES Invited Show

In July, work of our amazing CHES artists will be on display at the Crypt Gallery in the iconic St Ives Society of Artists. Our students have prepared work for this show throughout the year. Opportunities like this enable students to realise their potential, develop self esteem and self worth, and value their abilities.

Projects

We love welcoming visitors to CHES, and we support our students to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, recently these have included:

Arts Lab – The ‘Poetry Postie’ Project

The students worked with artist Sally Crabtree to create a postbag full of poetic deliveries - including poetry postcards, edible poems and story parcels. These were delivered to those in our communities who need them most and/or who have been feeling isolated as a result of the pandemic

In addition, Sally is creating a poetry cultural exchange with Mexico at present and showcased the CHES poetry project by taking it to Mexico to create links between Cornwall and communities Hidalgo region (home to Cornish miners who emigrated)

The Mitber Photography Project

Mitber are a creative arts charity who work to promote wellbeing through the creative arts. Students worked with artists from Falmouth School to create images and stories, supporting their wellbeing and enabling them to experiment with different activities.

Trips and Visits

We offer our students the opportunity to access a range of trips and visits. We love sharing these experiences with our students, and supporting them to try out new things. Educational trips and visits increase our students’ independence and confidence in accessing learning beyond the classroom.

We believe learning outside the classroom is really beneficial in broadening our students’ cultural capital, enable them to make connections between their own experiences and the wider world. These experiences ignite a lifelong love of learning. Some of our trips and visits recently have included:

• Christmas at Eden
• Summer Activities Day
• Royal Cornwall Show

Curriculum trips including Geography field trips, theatre trips, careers trips eg local colleges and employers.

Torlands Tasters from our Devon Medical Academy, Torlands

All pupils are given opportunities to learn about the world around them, past and present, through our Torlands Tasters. They are encouraged to observe, investigate and analyse the world from a wide range of cultural perspectives, to understand how the past continues to influence our world today.

Having an understanding of ‘general knowledge’ and ‘current affairs’ can be useful on both a personal, as well as academic level and can help with challenges such as job or college interviews. A basic understanding across a range of interests, such as Science, History, Geography, Religion, Economics, Politics, sports, technology, current affairs etc., supports an informed perspective about the world and the people who live in it. Some knowledge of different cultures and societies can play an important role in a day and age where most cities are thriving multicultural hubs.

Careers at CHES

Please follow this link for WAVE CEIAG and policies: Careers Advice - ÌìÃÀapp

At CHES, Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is essential in every students’ personal development. CEIAG is highly individualised, supporting every student to access high quality provision and ensuring equity and equality of opportunity.

Our goal is to ensure students have a broad and rich careers experience, including discrete careers lessons, subject specific careers activities in lessons, employer experiences, experience of work and 1:1 independent careers advice. These support our students in making positive and aspirational choices about their future, giving them skills to achieve their potential and develop knowledge of different careers pathways. CHES works with outside providers including local employers, colleges and universities to support our students in their next steps. CEIAG is ongoing throughout the year to ensure that all students at CHES are able to access advice and guidance.

We use the eight Gatsby benchmarks to plan, deliver and review our provision at CHES:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

At CHES we aim to ensure that every student is inspired by personalised, rich and varied CEIAG. Our aim is to support our students to develop high aspirations, and to flourish in their chosen career path.

Forest School at CHES

Forest School Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, which offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term programme that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting. Originating in Scandinavia in the 1950s as a way of learning about the natural world, by the 1980’s Forest School had become an integral part of the Danish education program. Introduced into the UK in early 1990’s, it has grown from strength to strength since then. Our aim is to provide a nurturing space that supports our student’s wellbeing by providing and implementing positive outdoor, student-led experiences in a natural setting, the impact of which will help foster traits such as resilience, confidence and independence and develop motivation, cooperation, decision-making and social skills.

The aims of the programme can be summarised as:

• Building self-esteem and confidence
• Building resilience, determination and independent learners
• Encouraging personal, social and emotional development.
• Encouraging and offering opportunities for creativity
• Encouraging collaboration and teamwork
• Developing and building the ideas of risk management and risk benefit • Encouraging a respect for the natural environment

The Forest School approach helps and facilitates more than just knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.

As young people grow in confidence in their abilities in the outdoor environment, they will begin to understand, assess and manage their own risk and safety. This supports the development of independence and demonstrates that life comes with not only risk, but also rewards. It also highlights what their own limits are and that they can push through them.

They will see that sometimes we do not always get the desired result the first time but that does not make us a failure, it helps us to grow, forcing us to try again in a different way. It encourages problem solving, logical thinking, self-reflection and evaluation but most of all helps us to see that mistakes are not failures; they are a part of learning, that they are, ultimately, human.

Recognition of the benefits gained from being in an outdoor environment is on the rise in the United Kingdom, with a positive impact on emotional wellbeing of great significance for our pupils. Forest bathing or ‘shinrin-yoku’ was first developed in Japan in the 1980s, following scientific studies conducted by the government.

It is proven to reduce stress hormone production, improve feelings of happiness and free up creativity, as well as lower heart rates and blood pressure, boost the immune system and accelerate recovery from illness.

At CHES Academy we currently run weekly sessions for the KS3 students at our base at Glynn House in Truro, using the rear garden, as well as the local area for activities. We also run sessions for students from KS2-3 at Bedalder Woods, which is a beautiful mature woodland site, owned by WAVE Academy, and situated between Bodmin and Liskeard. This site provides a wonderful riverside venue for regular sessions where pupils can foster an understanding and respect for the environment and develop their resilience, confidence and independence.

The Forest School movement is supported by the Forest School Association, which is the professional body and UK wide voice for Forest School,promoting and supporting best practice, cohesion and ‘quality Forest School for All. Quality Forest School is delivery which holds to all six key principles that shape and govern the Forest School ethos. There are many forms of outdoor education and all have enormous value, however, Forest School is unique in its reach, delivery and effect. Further information on Forest School can be found at: