Forest School.....omg the noise!

[SenseCheckMe]

We live next to primary school, never been a issue. But in recent years they have set up a Forest School which encourages nature learning and outdoor activities, all great stuff.

However, the Forest School is located (on the school field, in a small group of trees) directly behind our garden's rear fence.

The noise!!!! Classes seem to be held several times a day, and there's much shreiking and screaming going on.

Roughly 30 or so kids at a time, several groups a day, every school day, for 5-6 hours with few quiet breaks.

It's now impossible to enjoy garden when there's equivalent of a large children's party going on.

It's not just me that is effected, ironically it's the wildlife too. The birds are frequently scared off, and quite upsettingly, is the hedgehogs which (yearly visitors, hibinating close to trees) are rapidly dwindling each spring.

I did call the school twice, to advise of the hibernating hedgehogs and also concerns of noise. But, nothing has changed.

So....what should i do? I'm strongly considering selling.

I'd make a noise complaint to the council

Thanks for replying....I'm after all the ideas i can muster. I did call the council last year, but was advised because it's a school they are effectively exempt.

This does seems to match what I've read online too.

Sell, you won't get anywhere with noise complaints- that is the joy of living next door to a school!

Oo, that’s tricky. At least you have the holidays and weekend quiet. I’m just about to go and have a word with noisy neighbours.
Definitely persist with the school- I’d emphasise the impact on wildlife. Can you download a bird listening app? Showing that there are x number of birds at the weekend and none or much fewer in the school week might impress. Making a racket is completely against the vibe of being outside/ communing with nature.

Either just put up with it or, if the noise of children having fun is really so disruptive to you, move. School isn't open that many days a year or that many hours a day - no weekends or early mornings or late afternoons/evenings/nights - and I think it's wonderful the children are getting proper outside time to burn off some energy.

Honestly, so many of us live with traffic, under flight paths, near noisy neighbours or people coming and going to shops, clubs etc. If the sound of 30 kids playing on weekdays between 9-3pm is your biggest noise problem then I'd say you are amazingly fortunate!

Burn weed in your garden.

It’s, annoying, I get that - but I bought a house where our short garden backed on to a school playground - and I did that with the full knowledge that it would be loud, and the parking would be wild - and it was, but only between 9 and 3 on the whole (except clubs/ parties), pretty quite on the weekends and summer holidays. My current neighbours are at home at weekends and in the summer - honestly, that’s worse. On my working from home days I used the school bell to keep my day on track, I quite liked it! The school had chickens and a forest school area, a water feature, a MUGA, basketball courts v near my garden (balls came over!). I think YABU - don’t buy a house near a school if you don’t like the sound of children playing and learning…

If your garden backs on to a wooded area owned by the school off the back of their field then yabvvvu. It is their field of course forest school will be all the time. Even if they just have 1 class a year usually it's half the class at a time once a week for a term or maybe all year.
Anyone who buys a house next to a primary school field or not should be aware of noise. If they want to build classrooms right on the boundary they can.
Also it's only between 9 and 3 so should you not be at work anyway?

Might be worth asking for advice here.
https://forestschoolassociation.org/

Is it just school hours? Probably wouldn't bother me tbh

I think you need to move if the noise bothers you. You won’t get anywhere with this.

Sell. I understand why it's annoying but I doubt there's much to be done.

What did you expect when your house backs onto a school?! Leave the kids be, it’s good for them!

Sorry but I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with complaints.

Play uncensored Eminem albums loudly by the fence. Joking obviously!
I'd make one more plea to the school and if nothing happened I'd sell up. There's no need for kids to be screaming at Forest School -I helped at one for years at primary age and it was never like that. Interested chatter yes, but the point was to observe wildlife and do art and outdoor cookery etc. all of which would have been really hard with shouting and screaming.

I may consider contacting the school, but worried about declaring if decided to sell (been there before with bad neighbours).

When we brought the house, I was anticipated parking issues and school playground noise. Not an issue for me.

However, now I can't sit in my garden during the week at all, I wouldn't now book leave and stay at home.

Evenings, weekends and school breaks are all fine, with regular neighbourhood noise.

Thanks all the responses, I'm slow at typing but will read all. Really good to see lots of diverse opinions, makes me think if we did sell if might not be such and issue if people expect this type of thing. X

. I run the forest school and there is no way I would be depriving children of the experience because a neighbour wasn't happy with school noise, its school grounds and they are free to use it. Unfortunately it is a school and they can use their grounds freely.

Our local forest school had a tiny catchment and a high premium on nearby properties as a result. If you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it easily.

We can hear a nursery and the Forest school outside in summer months, but I actually like it. Much more than I like road noise, loud people shouting, loud music and other potential noise irritations at a property. Which might not bother you, we're all different. So move, you'll be fine.

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, just that unfortunately that's the nature of living next to the school, if you can't live with it I think you'd need to move.

Bonfire , with wet leaves.

You bought a house next to a school and now you’re annoyed by the sound of children ??

bahahahahahahahhahahaha pls just sell your house and don’t even bother complaining (also don’t buy a house next to a shop and complain about customers or next to a bus stop and complain about buses or near a hospital and complain about ambulances or near a river and
complain about the noise of running water)

Outdoor education is far better for kids than being indoors, so it should be encouraged.

I think that perhaps living next to a primary school is not for you, and if it bothers you that much you should move.

You're suggesting depriving kids of quality outdoor learning experiences just so you can sit in your garden in silence?

Put some noise cancelling earphones on perhaps, or sit out after 3pm when the kids have gone home.

I can't believe anybody would knowingly buy a house next to a primary school and then complain about the sound of children.

As someone who has for the last 20yrs lived by primary schools, no, this level of noise is certainly not normal for living next to a school. You hear the playing in the breaktimes and lunchtime and occasionally when they play sports, but what this OP has explained is that this is constant for 5-6 hours per day, 5 days per week. This absolutely is not normal for living next to a school and I think the OP should be getting environmental health out to monitor the noise.

And why should she be at work between 9 and 3? Is there some sort of law that I'm unaware of that everyone must work between 9 and 3? Perhaps she is a SAHM, perhaps she is retired, perhaps she works nightshifts. I really detest these people who assume everyone works and that everyone works during Monday-Friday office hours.

I love the concept of Forest School (tbh, wish I'd had the experience as a child!)

I just think, in this case, it's been quite ill-thought out by school as no consideration has been given to residents or the wildlife itself.

I've actually got lots going on myself in the garden, bird feeding stations, hedgehog boxes, wildlife hotel, bird baths and wild areas.

It would be better imho, if it was just spread out a little more and slighly dispersed across the field (possibly more areas set up). Rather than all being concentrated behind my fence.

Plenty of worst problems out there, I know, but it is effecting me enough to make me want to leave my home.