AIBU to consider an outdoor primary over our local school?

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DS goes to a forest school at the moment , he’s nursery age. We removed him from a traditional nursery setting as he didn’t settle and was miserable. He’s absolutely thriving in pretty much every area now and most importantly to us, an incredibly happy child.

We’re starting to think about schools and we have the option of an outdoor primary school which isn’t too far from us. A lot further than our local primary but doable.

The main thing that puts me off our local school is the number of children. I know this is typical in every school but 30 kids to 1 teacher just seems crazy to me. There are 2 intakes so would be 60 in his year. He is quite reserved and doesn’t do well in large groups so I feel like he’d struggle to cope being heard with 30 children. Plus the added issues schools are facing, lack of funding, lack of SEND support etc

I also have reservations about the outdoor primary though, we’re quite a ‘normal’ family and I don’t know if it’s just a bit out there for us. I also worry as it’s not mainstream or the norm may struggle in later life, I haven’t really thought as far forward as secondary school. I know this set up is more common in some Scandinavian countries though.

Looking for some advice or opinions that I may not have thought of yet. Trying to rule it in or out as an actual option for us.

I couldn’t imagine anything worse. It’s rained for about 5 months where I am and bloody windy.
People are more outdoorsy than me, even in a warm rain suit. How do you write or draw in the pouring rain? Or stop the paper getting wet or even hold a pen/pencil with thick gloves on?

That's a very interesting post from @tranquillsea which actually shows experience of this.

Those that say – oh but there is shelter, there are classes indoors – well then it’s not school that is always and fully outdoors is it? And in fact if a number of lessons are actually indoors, especially with the older DC, it might not be so very different from a mainstream primary that has an early years focus on outdoor/forest school. There are lots of those – I know bc when I googled this, the first things that came up were lots of primary schools in my area.

The thing that gets me is the inflexibility – if indeed the message is genuinely "all lessons are outdoors". The older I get, the more I realise that being flexible and adaptable and practical is what will get you somewhere.

Collect twigs and learn your number bonds in the sun (or the wind, or the rain)? Great! Sit in a circle outside for storytime? Love it! Have IT lessons or guided reading or a writing task outside in the driving rain? Errrrm…maybe not?

There needs to be flex. There always needs to be flex. I think that's what a lot of PPs here are saying. I would actually be really concerned if a school claimed that all learning right the way up to year 6 took place outside, not in a room or a shelter but outside.

I taught mainstream secondary and even then, on a lovely day, or in certain circumstances, we would have lessons outside. No, not often, but when it was a good idea, when it was a practical solution. We sat in a circle and traded German vocab. I took my small lower-set class out to see the animals by my classroom when we had a tricky last period and we learned the names in French and made up sentences.

My grandson went to a forestry pre school he is so much hardier than his brother who didn’t ( both have cystic fibroses) being outdoors gives them higher D3 levers and strong bone density. They now both go to a small private school 10 to a class. The school does a lot of outdoor activities and they grow veg etc. if there had been an outdoor junior school in my area I would have jumped at the chance to send them there.

This is my second comment. I think in your heart you know this is the best option for your son. I think they are brilliant schools and with the ways schools are being run at the moment it might be your best option. Good luck in whatever you choose but remember the children in Sweden do very well. Ignore the negative Nellie’s.

Read it again.

I would go and have a look at the outdoor school, both for reception/y1 and for older ones. I wouldn’t worry too much about transitioning back into a more conventional school at whatever age you think is appropriate. But I would want to make sure that they are being well cared for, in all weathers, that they are enabling good learning, and that the children are developing into well-rounded, resilient people.

You obviously know nothing about forestry schools. Your comment was so dramatical it made me laugh out loud.

I live in a Scandinavian country and I am familiar with this concept and have seen it in action (without going into too much detail). The kids learn in different ways, a lot more hands on. They aren't doing the same school work that they would do inside the classroom, but sitting in a forest. They also aren't outside 100% of the time, they have classes indoors too and if the weather is too bad to be outside, then they don't go out. But they do have a high tolerance for being outside, I suspect more than some of the posters on MN consider acceptable. On the whole, I have heard very little negative about the schools. The kids seem resourceful, creative and resilient. It is a good option to consider.

Having taught in one of the countries often mentioned on threads like this I've never yet come across one that was entirely outside all day everyday with no indoor classrooms. I have however come across lots of schools where they have a good mix between indoor and outdoor learning like many in the UK both state and private.

This is not what the OP is talking about tho (tho at risk of being a negative Nellie I rather hope it is the reality). OP says all classes, all learning, is outdoors. Plenty of us here are all for outdoor learning, especially in early years. But a lot of us think it is somewhat impractical as your post illustrates.

I wouldn't personally...

I have a bit of experience of these "outdoor nurseries" and "outdoor primaries", and in my experience, there's very valid reasons why the state sector hasn't got on board with them. They often have high staff turnover, and are often owned/run by obsessive control freaks, who drive staff away.

I think these settings are all well and good for nursery and lower primary, but are totally mis-matched for the older children, who simply don't get the curriculum they need, and are hugely under-prepared for secondary school, both academically and in terms of maturity.

You need to shop around for your 4 year old, AND your future 11 year old.