The aim of this presentation is to explore how Forest School (FS), as experienced by the staff of one Irish primary school, offers a pedagogical path to move from policy framework to pedagogical practice, towards flourishing for all. Irish education policy (Department of Education, 2023) sets out a vision of flourishing school communities, predicated upon progressive pedagogy and democratic, inclusive, playful classrooms. This vision is embedded within our Education for Sustainable development strategy (ESD to 2030) (Government of Ireland, 2022), the goal of which is to build a more just and sustainable world through five priority actions across the education system. However, enacting this vision in our classrooms remains a challenge. In Ireland, nature as a learning environment remains peripheral and undervalued (Kilkelly et al., 2016), despite compelling international evidence of the benefits of spending time with(in) nature as part of formal education (Kuo et al., 2019; UNESCO, 2015) and the knowledge that human flourishing is inextricably linked with the Earth’s living systems (The Care Collective, 2020; UNESCO, 2015). Successful implementation of the policy framework requires a review the primacy of the indoor classroom, as the normative site of learning in our schools (Waite, 2013) towards a view local nature as an equally valued learning environment and co-teaching partner (Blenkinsop & Beeman, 2010; Jickling et al., 2018). FS, a progressive nature-based pedagogy premised on the idea that flourishing must comprise mutually reciprocal benefit for all sentient beings offers possibilities toward meeting this challenge, based on the findings of a study of seven staff who participated in FS in one Dublin school. FS is about a group of learners and teachers spending one day a week across the seasons in a local woodland or park, during formal schooling. Learning is integrated with curriculum requirements and protocols to ensure safe experiential learning with(in) nature are provided. (IFSA, n.d.; Harding, 2021). Data comprised focus groups, staff review meetings, and reflection sheets, collected over 22 FS sessions during 2019-2020. Inductive thematic analysis sets out how FS promoted connection to nature; offered a distinctive space for social and emotional development, employed novel pedagogical routines and enabled a broader expression of teacher identity. These findings were facilitated by being with(in) nature and a collaborative culture that included the FSL. FS offers a novel and accessible pedagogy which enables public policy to be enacted, towards flourishing in our schools.

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