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.

Reminds me of those posters who move next to a farm and then complain about animal smells 😆

I thought a forest school was just that, in forest or woods, or at least that's how they used to be run, also as an alternative to school, so in school hours, my sons would go 2x a week. Things must have changed?

Lots of schools have a forest school provision now. They have some sessions outside alongside their normal school work. One of the teachers usually does a forest school qualification.

Just out of interest why is shrieking and screaming as the OP put it in their post part of the experience of a Forest school?

Isn’t that just kids? I live 100m from the nearest neighbour but when their kids are playing outdoors they seem to ramp up the volume. Visiting kids also seem to speak at the top of their voices. I don’t care, they’re in bed before I am.

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.

I think that would be a perfectly reasonable request to make to the school.

It's similar to the noise in this video, but with alot more children and more shrieking.

https://riverley-gst.org/forest-

I don't have an issue with the concept of Forest School (to re-iterate, it's fab) it's just I'm keen to get others perspective living next to the classes. TY. X

Sorry I meant to post this video. It's difficult typing on phone.

@jumperoozles

When done right being key which it’s so often not done right because of resources and less staff. I’ve seen forest school in inner city states and it doesn’t provide that much joy to be honest. It should, but it doesn’t.

Not everyone chooses to buy a house next to a school. The school could move next to them, instead, or expand beyond past boundaries

It wouldn’t be forest school if it was spread
Out across the field. It needs the forest. That’s the whole point. I suspect there’s not screaming and shouting. It’s probably just lots of excited children making normal noise levels.

As I thought - even with 'more shrieking' (I would say there is none in that video) that is really normal and reasonable noise. There is no point going down the route of trying to get that stopped - if you find it unbearable then (and I do say this with sympathy) it needs to be you that moves.

I think yabu. It's not abnormal for noise from schools to increase as time goes on. Our village primary school has doubled in size/intake over the last few years, not to mention improved so there are even more people coming from different villages. This means noise, traffic level has all increased.

This reminds me of the people who bought a house next to Alton Towers and then complained about the fireworks…..

Sounds like a very badly run forest school. Shouldn’t they be teaching the kids a quiet respect for and observance of wildlife? Can’t do that if you are scaring them all away by shrieking.

Forest schools are not about sitting nicely and watching wildlife. They're far more about helping children to explore the natural environment, challenge themselves physically, free play and bushcraft skills. The wildlife present on school grounds will well be capable of dealing with that.

Quiet respect? Forest school isn't birdwatching! It's using knifes to whittle, building fires and shelters. Team work survival skills. It's not a nature reserve and that's never been the intention, it's to build resilience and skills that are severely lacking in our society / parenting.

I feel like some of the responses here are a little harsh. I think the key thing here is that your way of living has changed. If you’re used to using your garden and now there is noise etc and you appreciate nature and it is being affected then of course that is disappointing or annoying for you. All of that is despite the fact that it is obviously a wonderful initiative for the children, which you openly acknowledge. I used to live next to a village green and it was heavily built up with trees to avoid people coming near peoples fences, but all of a sudden the kids grow up and they are ‘exploring each other’ 🤣 beside the fence and playing loud music etc, it was annoying even though I liked hearing the little ones play! It’s just a fact.

The difficulty here is that you did buy the house when it was built next to a school so a degree of noise is to be expected.

I suggest you speak to the school and even offer to help them expand their garden to other areas so that they have more areas to explore, that might not be directly by your fence, or try and negotiate certain hours per week when it is not used. I suspect this might be fruitless but it is worth a try if it is bothering you, but I would concentrate on being positive and trying to work with them to arrive a solution that you’re both happy with. Good luck.

@Lucyh999 thanks for you kind words and well constructed advice. Thankyou for taking the time to respond, I'm certainly going to contemplate yours, and many others, opinions. X

I'd agree (with many posters!) that noise is certainly expected living next to primary school. And we expected that, and weren't bothered by it for many years.

I suspect if could pick up my house & move it a short distance of a few houses down, Forest School classes wouldn't impact me much at all. In fact, I'd still probably consider living next to a school again!!!!

For context, it was sports-day today (lots of cheering and chanting) and, ironically, it was less noisy -for me- as it wasn't in as close a proximity to my garden.

Like honestally I wouldn’t sell. Who knows what kind of neighbours or car boy racers you would get. Build up some more foliage or a solid fence. You can get sound proofing kinda stuff if your serious at the end of the garden to help dampen the noise. See if they can do some activities a little further away?

you could ask them to let a few metres of the fence be wild flowers or herbs so they don’t come close.

The hedgehogs honestally it prob not a school problem, they ain’t too fussed with noise when hibernating. Just been tough few years for them.

I stayed with my grandad a lot and his garden ended in a school. Lots of yelling and noise but also sports days, quiet weekends, evenings, nights.
I used to plan lunch around the kids noise. My grandad was a governor of the school.

maybe you would feel different if you voulenteered or something? You would get a connection to the kids