The Forest Edge Curriculum

'Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.' 

- William Butler Yeats

Our Vision

Our children will be globally-aware, confident, successful learners who, within our ambitious and forward-thinking environments, will develop a secure sense of self-worth. 

At the Forest Edge Learning Federation, we aim to instil a love of learning in every child by creating learning opportunities that are meaningful, relevant and inspire. Through our broad and rich curriculum, we aim to enable every child to develop excellent knowledge and skills across a range of subjects, as well as supporting them to become active members of society with a secure sense of self-worth. 

"Our social action projects were my highlight of the year. We got to choose who we wanted to help and what we wanted to do, it wasn't set by the teachers. It felt like we were making an impact on our community and making a real difference."

Year 6 Child

Our Approach:

Our Forest Edge curriculum is divided into three focus terms: Discover, with a history and art focus; Explore, with a science and geography focus; STEM, with a computing, D&T and science focus. All classes engage in three concept-driven enquiries each year, which are carried over a full term to enable children to explore their project questions in depth and make connections. We believe that all children should have opportunities to produce beautiful, high-quality work for a real purpose and audience, and therefore host a variety of outcome events which share our successes with the school and wider community. These events include KS1 showcasing their artwork at Fordingbridge library, LKS2 collaborating with a local charity to hold a fashion show with their clothing displayed in shop windows and UKS2 presenting their ideas for new exhibitions at Winchester Science Centre. 

“I haven't been here for long, but I like the big projects we do. I never did that at my old school. We get independence and can use our own ideas more.”

Year 6 child

"I love the STEM term - I love that kind of stuff. Making a ride is the best we’ve done!"

Year 5 child

"I liked the speeches event and am so proud of myself for speaking in front of that many people!"

Year 5 child

"What a fabulous exhibition! Thank you for letting us celebrate the children's work. It was certainly a captivating topic and you can see that in their efforts."

"The standard of the art on display is spectacular. I particularly enjoyed the fusion of traditional Christian and Islamic designs in the stained glass windows."

"So impressed by the quality of the work. I can see the children will have learnt so much from this. Well done to all involved."

"Just a quick note to say a big thank to you and the staff that put in so much time and effort to produce the event tonight - these events really are "above and beyond" and I wanted you to know, as a parent and a governor, that the work was hugely appreciated."

Parent and community feedback from outcome events

All of our projects are carefully planned and underpinned by clear progressions of knowledge and skills, which aim to enable all children, including those with SEND, to make progress across all curriculum subjects. Core knowledge is regularly reviewed through retrieval practice to support retention between projects and across year groups. 

"I liked learning about Florence Nightingale because I like learning about history and things from a long time ago."

Year 2 child

We enhance learning within the classroom through a range of enrichment activities such as school trips and visits, forest school sessions, musical performances and concerts, sports festivals and competitions. 

"When we went to Marwell Zoo, I saw the animals - they were so cool!"

"I loved seeing the birds and wildlife at Hengistbury Head"

Year 2 child

FELF Fifty Things Promise

At Forest Edge, we compiled a list of 50 things that we would like all of our children to experience by the time they leave us in Year 6. These experiences are embedded into our curriculum planning and enrichment. 

If you would like to know more about our curriculum or approach, please contact our curriculum lead, Meg Coombes.

megan.coombes@forestedge.org.uk