Mud, Maps and Momentum: The History of Forest Schools in the UK

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Scandinavian Roots and the First British Steps

Forest school is often described as outdoor learning, but its history is more specific than simply taking children outside. The approach grew from Scandinavian outdoor traditions, where friluftsliv — a way of life connected to fresh air and nature — shaped how many families and early years settings viewed childhood. In Sweden and Denmark, children were regularly outdoors in woods, fields and open spaces, learning through seasonal routines, practical tasks and child-led play. The woodland was not a treat for special occasions; it was part of everyday experience. This mattered to early years practice because it placed holistic development, independence and real-world risk at the centre of learning, rather than treating the outdoors as a backdrop for adult-led activities.

The first British experiments with forest school are usually traced to the early 1990s, when a group of early years practitioners from Somerset visited Denmark to observe how young children learned in woodland settings. What they saw was not a formal curriculum delivered under trees, but a consistent ethos: small groups, regular visits, familiar routines, practical skills and a deep respect for children’s own interests. On returning to the UK, the practitioners adapted these ideas to British conditions. They began running woodland sessions for young children and shared their findings through early years networks. The emphasis was on process rather than performance — children learning to dress for weather, negotiate space, use tools safely, notice change and build confidence over time.

These early British steps were modest and local. Forest school did not arrive as national policy or a packaged programme. It spread through practice, observation and conversation among early years educators, community woodland groups and local authority staff. The first settings were often small and improvised, using borrowed land, donated waterproofs and the enthusiasm of practitioners who could see the benefits. This grassroots beginning helps explain why forest school in the UK has always had a flexible character. It is a learner-centred, long-term approach rather than a one-off outing, and its Scandinavian roots remain visible in the value placed on repeated visits, seasonal change and the relationship between child, adult and place.

From Margins to Mainstream: Growth and Adaptation in the UK

During the 1990s and 2000s, forest school moved from scattered experiments into a wider movement. Early years settings, primary schools, charities and community woodland projects began to adapt the approach. Some ran sessions in ancient woodland; others used copses, school grounds, parks or allotments. This adaptation was essential because the UK does not have the same access to wild woodland as parts of Scandinavia, and the weather is famously changeable. Rather than weakening the approach, this encouraged practitioners to think carefully about clothing, shelter, risk-benefit assessment and all-weather routines. Forest school in Britain became known for its practical realism: children learning to manage mud, rain, cold and wind, not just sunshine and leaves.

As interest grew, training routes and professional networks developed. Practitioners shared principles such as regular and repeated sessions, small group sizes, holistic development, and a focus on children’s own curiosity. Risk-benefit assessment became a familiar term, helping adults distinguish between hazards that should be managed and challenges that help children learn. Safeguarding, first aid, tool use and site checks were woven into practice. At the same time, forest school remained deliberately non-prescriptive. A session in a North London park might look different from one in a rural woodland, but the underlying ethos could still be recognised through child-led play, seasonal observation and a strong relationship between the group and its outdoor space.

The growth of forest school also coincided with changing expectations in early years education. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) emphasised learning through play, communication and physical development, and forest school offered a powerful way to support those areas. Practitioners found that woodland sessions encouraged conversation, problem-solving, cooperation and persistence — the very behaviours that sit within the characteristics of effective learning. Forest school was not seen as a replacement for indoor provision, but as a complement to it. This blending of outdoor ethos with the EYFS helped the approach become more familiar to parents and carers, who began to recognise phrases such as child-led learning, outdoor play and risky play as part of a broader conversation about early childhood.

What This History Means for Families in Enfield and North London

For families in Enfield and North London, the history of forest schools is not just a rural story. It is a reminder that outdoor early years education can be adapted to towns and cities, using parks, fields, community spaces and nursery grounds. Many parents and carers are now looking for settings that offer more than a daily walk around the block. They want children to experience all-weather outdoor learning, seasonal change, planting, digging, den-building and mini-beast hunts as part of a thoughtful early years curriculum. The forest school legacy supports that search, because it values repeated time outdoors rather than occasional special events.

In Enfield, this history is being carried into a new chapter by settings such as nursery Enfield EN2, where Montessori-inspired practice and forest-school habits are blended with the EYFS. Rather than treating the outdoors as a reward for sunny weather, this approach treats it as a prepared environment where children can practise independence, communication and care for living things. The Montessori influence adds another layer: child-sized tools, accessible resources, practical life activities and respect for a child’s own pace. Together, these traditions help explain why outdoor early years provision can feel calm, purposeful and deeply practical for children aged one to five.

When parents and carers explore forest-school and outdoor nurseries, it helps to ask practical questions. How often will my child be outdoors? What clothing and footwear will they need? How are risks assessed and explained? How does the setting connect outdoor learning to the EYFS and to a key person relationship? How are parents kept informed about muddy clothes, changing seasons and small achievements? These questions are part of the living history of forest schools in the UK. They show how a Scandinavian idea became a distinctly British early years approach — one that continues to adapt as families in Enfield, North London and beyond look for warm, grounded and nature-rich experiences for their youngest children.