ISL is uniquely located in an urban environment, neighbouring over 200 acres of Gunnersbury Park’s splendid flora and fauna.
Our location allows a connection with nature and a hands-on experience. This enables students to use the space, learn about environmental factors affecting the world and take advantage of learning outdoors.
The concept of formalized outdoor schooling is relatively new despite its simplicity. Learning within nature has been around since the beginning of time, but the concept of the forest school originated in Scandinavia in the 1950s. Forest School was introduced to the UK in 1993 by a group of nursery nurses from Bridgewater College, Somerset. They had visited a Danish Forest School and were so impressed with the ethos and approach that they were keen to develop their own programme. Forest School has been rapidly developing since.
Our Forest School programme helps students foster a relationship with nature by enabling each student to develop, grow, explore and to take chances in the outdoors whilst keeping them safe. This allows them to follow their interests and ideas using a holistic approach.
Through Forest School, our students experience what it is like to successfully overcome challenges in a safe and supportive environment. We recognise that no child learns in the same way or at the same pace.
Through Forest school, students take ownership of their own learning, boosting their self-confidence and giving them the platform to be risk takers and to master new skills.
