Our beautiful, expansive countryside setting is at the heart of learning at Tunstall — it gives us space, variety and freedom to deliver an outstanding outdoor curriculum that most schools can only imagine.
We believe the outdoors is a classroom in its own right: regular, planned outdoor learning develops confidence, curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, resilience and leadership. These experiences are not optional extras but a core part of our Discovery Curriculum, used to teach reading, writing, maths, science and personal development through hands-on, memorable tasks that deepen vocabulary and cultural knowledge.
We provide rich, year-round outdoor opportunities: class lessons taken outside, a covered outdoor classroom, raised ponds, wildflower meadows, growing beds and polytunnel, wildlife habitats, mud kitchen and obstacle areas, and school chickens. Our facilities — including two covered Forest School areas and outdoor resources for tool work and den building — mean we can deliver Forest School to every age group safely and at high quality.
Forest School at Tunstall is progressive, inclusive and skills-driven. Across the year, children learn to respect and read the natural world, use tools safely, build shelters, light and manage small fires where appropriate, cook outdoors and apply practical problem-solving. Sessions are carefully scaffolded to suit age and need, promote risk-awareness and agency, and use storytelling, song and sensory play to make learning joyful and memorable. The result is children who are calmer, more resilient, more independent and better prepared for life beyond primary school — academically, socially and emotionally.