Guest Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 I have decided to incorporate a Forest school approach into our daily sessions at my setting....I have informed parents and staff and we have had chats about training to get things done correctly.....however we started this week and like most approaches and great ideas we are tweaking the concept slightly to suit us until we get some training...we are still calling it Forest school and the children have, so far loved this....we have had three brilliant days splitting the groups and walking around the local woods to find a suitable plot. ..tonight I had a committee meeting and one (theirs always one) non-parent member was furious that I had started this and said that I should bring this up at a committee meeting prior to starting this sort of thing....."the implications on insurance, safety etc are huge and we should be involved in deciding whether you can do this or not" Excuse me, but I thought as a manager I can make these decisions? The chair agreed with me - quietly when she had left - but I felt so embarassed we had three new members tonight and i think they will have been scared off with her manner....ooooooooh! its the same committee member who questions everything...not even a parent, a very close friend of the previous manager - aarrggghh I would like to gather opinions on this - the bit about insurance etc...(to be honest we wont be lighting fires, just making dens and walks and generally enjoying nature - we go for walks normally anyway?)...but alsO I think I may be just ranting....sorry..finished now...
HappyMaz Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 but alsO I think I may be just ranting....sorry..finished now... What does your job description say shirel? Is there a statement in there somewhere about the scope of your job compared to the role and responsibilities of the committee? If your insurance covers you for outings anyway, and you've done risk assessments etc then I can't see what the problem would be. As you know I'm a private group, but I have to say that if the Manager has to run every decision and new initiative past the committee then really that's an untenable position to be in and making improvements or raising standards would be very difficult to achieve in that atmosphere. The committee are paying you to do this job, and they should trust you and your professionalism to get on with it. That said, perhaps there is a discussion to be had here about where your role and responsibilities end and where the committee's begin. Otherwise you will find that your every decision might be scrutinised by the committee in general, or rather by individual committee members in particular. Feel free to rant - that's what we're here for. I'm off to do my homework for tomorrow - all about getting the balance right between managing and leading... Chin up lovey - you're doing a fabulous job! Maz
Guest Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 The only other thing I would say would be maybe to call the sessions something different. When I went on Forest school training they said you are not really supposed to call it 'forest school' unless it is being led by someone with a level 3 Forest school qualification. You could call it 'Forest fun' or 'Forest time'. You are right not to attempt fires unless someone has the level 3 training. Ostensibly it sounds to me like you are doing a series of trips with no cost so I don't think you should have to consult the committee. If you are out for a long period of time you would need to think about an outdoor toilet for children and adults to use (digging a drench and erecting a screen) and they cover that sort of stuff on the training. I can't see that a 'walk in the woods' would require any different insurance. Aren't these flies in the ointment annoying???!!
Guest Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 We just started using a wooded area on site, once a week during each nursery session..... we call ours the secret garden! I am not in a committee run setting but even so I would not be happy if my boss questioned my every decision....... surely a big part of my job and yours is to provide the children with an exciting and challenging environment!! I also agree I am sorry to say with the post that says you are not allowed to call it forest school unless someone has done the training!!
Guest Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 (edited) Thank you everyone...I will ask the children to decide on a name I think.... Hey a quickie ....wrong thread and all but....do you have to use anti-bac on the tables prior to lunch/snack or can you use kitchen cleaner......cant seem to get a definitive answer - we have lots of kitchen cleaner that is sat in the cupboard...but I am unsure if it has to be ANTI BACTERIAL.......? Edited November 4, 2010 by Guest
Deb Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 Hi Shirel We use anti-bac but its one of those things we've always done and cannot think where it originated from, I suspect though that it was health and safety otherwise we would not have thought to do it. Regarding your other question, no I don't think you need to ask committee members to rubber stamp this sort of decision, what is effectively going out for a walk. However, when I did Forest School level 1 I do remember the trainer saying that we should send out a letter to the parents to get them onside, explain exactly what you would be doing, what the child should wear, even draw a diagram ie long sleeved t-shirts, and long trousers etc suitable for the activities, explaining that you have carried out a risk assessment etc, especially if you will be using real tools, such as a potato peeler to peel the bark from a twig or a bow saw. Mind you one of our children cut themselves today peeling a potato with a pototo peeler, first time that has happened to me. Boy did I feel bad!
Inge Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 Thank you everyone...I will ask the children to decide on a name I think.... Hey a quickie ....wrong thread and all but....do you have to use anti-bac on the tables prior to lunch/snack or can you use kitchen cleaner......cant seem to get a definitive answer - we have lots of kitchen cleaner that is sat in the cupboard...but I am unsure if it has to be ANTI BACTERIAL.......? I remember reading that Anti bac only does anything if left on the surface for 5 mins or longer to spray on and wipe off does little more than any cleaner does... we used soap and hot water... no one ever said it was wrong, and so long as the table was clean that is all we worried about.. our children had plates anyway so they did not eat off the table. I do worry about overuse of anti bac anyway.. all the usual worries about immune bugs etc.. As to the decisions.. seems she still has an issue with you taking over... with risk assessments and insurance which covers outings there should be no reason not to go out... I used to do visits to the beach as we were close, and no forest near us! This did mean we had toilets and water for hand washing though.. Inge
Guest Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 we were part of a buddy project in kent and part of this was to go to the forest, we too called it forest school although it wasnt , it was very much child led but we did do fires, cooking, whittling and sawing and no we do not hold a level3 in forest school training we did have use of KCC forest ranger, we implement what we learnt in the forest back in our setting we risk assess and and our assessment enable children to have a go You cannot calll your self a 'forest school' without holding the level 3 cert but it does not stop you going to forest, or having an outside ethos
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