Where the Wild Things Grow: Rewilding a Primary School in Birkenhead for Community, Compassion, Communication & Curriculum

This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.

Charles Hewitt, Headteacher, Fender Primary School

Overview

Born from a desire to radically change our approach to curriculum and pedagogy, and rethink what schools can and should be, we transformed an unused, boggy two-acre playing field into a vast Forest School. Over the last six months, we have planted 3,500 trees, dug a pond, and planted huge wildflower meadow. This space has become integral to both our curriculum and our approach to teaching and learning, as well as a crucial space to support the mental health and wellbeing of our children.

Context, rationale & pedagogical approaches

Fender Primary School is located in the very middle of the Woodchurch Estate, a large estate in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Deprivation indicators suggest we are an area of high deprivation (decile one for almost all indicators) (MHCLG, 2019). Over 65 per cent of our children receive pupil premiumAdditional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities funding, with many families facing the daily realities of economic hardship. This situation is compounded by years of government cuts to youth services and the loss of our local library.

Local media would have you believe the estate is an unpleasant place to live; violent crime and county lines are very much a constant presence on the estate. However, this deficit model of thinking around ‘disadvantage’ very much skews the joyous reality of this community. The estate is made up of hard- working and dedicated families there is a palpable sense of community, something often lost in many leafier areas today.

Why did we decide to invest so much time and energy in our outdoors provision? Post-pandemic life, along with the terrifying age of unregulated screentime has led to a crisis in youth mental health (Haidt, 2024), something keenly felt by many other school leaders I speak to. To add to this, a significant number of children at our school have lived through adverse childhood experiences and it is no surprise that many are experiencing emotional distress, with rising incidents of anxiety, low mood, low self-esteem and dysregulated behaviour. Again, we are not alone as a school in facing these issues.

Against this backdrop, and as a new senior leadership team, we identified the need to radically rethink the curriculum – our content, pedagogical approach, and delivery – to ensure it was more inclusive, responsive, and emotionally attuned to our children. A large part of this was writing our own bespoke curriculum that answers the question: what does it mean to be a young person living on the Woodchurch Estate in 2025?

One major facet of this vision was to increase access to nature by turning an unused, boggy two-acre playing field into a fully formed Forest School. The research around the benefits of outdoor learning and the Forest School approach is extensive and compelling. There is strong evidence for the positive impact it has on cognitive development, motivation, attitude, and achievement, particularly when it is well-planned and integrated into wider curriculum life (Rickinson et al., 2004). It is also reported to foster emotional resilience, engagement, especially for boys and those with SEND, whilst also enhancing critical-thinking and collaborative modes of working (Mannion, Fenwick & Lynch, 2013). Outdoor learning can also contribute to an increased level of student exploration, risk-taking and autonomy, as well as enhancing communication skills and language development (Waite, 2011). There is also evidence that it can improve social skills and pupil behaviour (Natural Connections Demonstration Project, 2016). Furthermore, outdoor learning can have significant mental health benefits, reducing anxiety, stress and depression, whilst also supporting metacognition (The Blagrave Trust & Forest School Association, 2019).

From a curriculum perspective, we are also deeply committed to oracy being a thread that runs through absolutely everything we do. Alexander’s (2010) vision of a dialogic, expansive primary curriculum that values collaboration, dialogic oracy, and open enquiry has always resonated with me. The traditional subject-based, classroom-bound curriculum can often feel abstract for our children, many of whom struggle with emotional regulation, language development or sensory processing needs. Our Forest School offers an integrated, embodied learning experience where the curriculum emerges through discovery, collaboration and authentic interaction with the natural world. Whilst our outdoor learning approach is only one small part of our oracy offer, it feels like a significant means of bolstering and promoting authentic and confident communication.

The implications for Fender were clear: this new approach would complement academic learning by increasing motivation, resilience, metacognition, and executive function, using approaches which provide critical pastoral benefits, especially for children affected by adversity, trauma or poor mental health. It could also be implemented in a sustainable, relatively low-cost and impactful way. Our rationale was underpinned by the belief that nature-based pedagogy is not an add-on, but a core entitlement, especially for our most vulnerable learners.

Implementation, challenges, limitations and joys

Within a few months, with the help and generosity of Mersey Forest, Tree Council and Woodland Trust, we had planted 3,500 native trees, dug a pond and planted a vast wildflower meadow. All our trees were either donated or grant-funded, which gave the project legs to get moving quickly.

One of our major challenges was getting so many trees into the ground so quickly during one of the hottest springs on record. Thankfully, we had no end of volunteers – every child planted their own tree, we had parents spend days supporting our efforts, alongside volunteers from the local community and friends and family of staff members. It took a lot of time and energy, but seeing the results of things growing around us galvanized everyone and the Forest School has become a source of local pride in the community.

We have had to continually refine the space, ensuring equity and access for all, regardless of needs. We have worked closely with families, therapists, and specialist staff to make adaptations where necessary. For example, we have made sure that the space is wheelchair accessible and worked with a child development consultant to identify possible sensory issues.

Another limitation we hope to overcome is the lack of knowledge and confidence to deliver outdoor-based education. Whilst our Outdoor Learning Lead is Forest School trained, our goal is to have all teachers and teaching assistants trained to this level over the next five years. In the meantime, we are using pupil premium funding to employ a Forest School expert one day a week, who is collaborating with teachers to begin building confidence, whilst ensuring there are high-quality outdoor learning opportunities for our children.

Curriculum integration is another ongoing challenge. Our ambitious plan for staff development will ensure Forest School is not seen as an added extra, but as an integral part of our bespoke curriculum. Within this, we have mapped-out opportunities for using the outdoors across all subjects, alongside distinct sessions focused on developing Forest School skills.

A final challenge has been the decision making around how (and if) we assess the impact of this new space. For me, the only measure that really matters is joy and engagement and this is readily apparent on any visit to the Forest School – to measure anything with metrics seems antithetical to the ethos and values of such an important space. However, from September, we will be undertaking case studies with a wide variety of our children to get a real sense of its impact, as well as undertaking a range of research projects with universities and charities interested in the project.

Looking ahead

Our Forest School, and resulting adaptive pedagogical approach, is just getting started. However, it already represents more than just a physical space – it represents how we are always striving to better understand learning, relationships, disadvantage and equity.

We are eagerly awaiting the results of our second biodiversity study, which we know will be dramatically different to our baseline study. The space is now home to foxes (who seem to enjoy destroying whatever we have worked on each week), a plethora of birds, insects, butterflies, pond life and even a rumoured grass snake! We are also pleased to have become a Beacon school for the Tree Council and have received the Eco-Schools Gold Award.

At its heart, the initiative reflects our belief that education should be joyous and liberatory—not simply preparing children for tests, but for life. A real hero and friend of mine, Khawla Badwan, describes education as, “a practice of hope” (2024) and that line always circles around my head when I walk through the Forest School. In places where the world feels small, unkind, and powerless, the Forest School has helped it feel wide open again. For Fender, it has offered a unique space to promote holistic development and redefine inclusionAn approach where a school aims to ensure that all children are educated together, with support for those who require it to access the full curriculum and contribute to and participate in all aspects of school life as equitable participation in joyful, meaningful learning and togetherness.

References

• Alexander, R (2010). Children, their World, their Education: Final Report and Recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. Routledge.
• Badwan, K (2024). Oracy for voice, identity and wellbeing: how can oracy contribute to personal development and communal connection at school and beyond?
• Forest School Association and The Blagrave Trust (2019) Forest School Research Summary. Available at: https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/research (Accessed: 29 July 2025).
• Haidt, J. (2024) The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. London: Allen Lane.
• Natural England (2016) A Review of Nature-Based Interventions for Mental Health Care. Available at: https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/4513819616346112(Accessed: 20/07/25).
• Natural England (2016) Natural Connections Demonstration Project, 2012–2016: Final Report. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-connections-demonstration-project-final-report (Accessed: 29 July 2025).
• National Literacy Trust (2024) Creating Confident Communicators: Supporting Children’s Spoken Language Development from Birth to 19. London: National Literacy Trust.
• Mannion, G, Fenwick, A and Lynch, J (2013) Learning to Learn in Nature: Developing a Pedagogy of Outdoor Learning. Stirling: University of Stirling and Scottish Natural Heritage.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) English indices of deprivation 2019. Available at: https://imd-by-postcode.org/imd/2019 (Accessed: 29 July 2025).
• O’Brien, L, & Murray, R (2007) Forest School and its Impacts on Young Children: Case Studies in Britain. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.
• O’Brien, L and Murray, R (2008) A Marvellous Opportunity for Children to Learn: A Participatory Evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales. Forest Research. Available at: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk (Accessed: 29 July 2025).
• Public Health England. (2014). Mental health and wellbeing of children in England.
• Rickinson, M, Dillon, J, Teamey, K., Morris, M, Choi, M Y, Sanders, D & Benefield, P (2004) A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning. Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
• Waite, S (2011) Teaching and Learning Outside the Classroom: Personal Values, Alternative Pedagogies and Standards. Education 3–13, 39(1), pp.65–82. doi:10.1080/03004270903206141.