The Snowy Day At Forest School

This piece was written for the blog by one of the tribe; Katherine. My tribe of parents are who I have been called to serve. At Eco Ed Forest School they have a huge voice and are invited to share their experiences, expertise and enlightening moments for publication. You’re Just One Session Away — Mark

December should be a fun time of year, looking forward to Christmas.

Instead, last December my disabled son with an EHCP received a fixed
term exclusion from his primary school.

It didn’t come as a complete surprise…

The school had been failing him for a long time and his mental
health had been slowly deteriorating.

However, when I put down the phone to the Head teacher I can tell you, I felt waves of shame, despair, isolation and sheer hopelessness.

I was at work and I was summoned to pick him up straight away.

I drove to the school shaking and picked up my distraught, tearful little boy.

I was handed an official looking envelope and given several cold looks from members of staff.

I held my son’s hand, brought him home and hugged him close.

The next morning was a cold day and I brought my son to a Forest School
session, it was snowing and the bleak weather pretty much reflected my
mood.

When we arrived at Forest School there was no judgement or questions about the exclusion.

Instead, my son got a welcoming smile, acceptance and kindness.

I came back slightly early to pick him up and watched him
sledging down hills with a group of children, shrieking with delight.

He came out with a red face, bright eyes and his whole body relaxed.

He told me excitedly that he had had the best morning.

That morning the weight was lifted from both our shoulders…

I was, in a strange way, grateful for that exclusion.

It meant that he could play in the snow in a truly magical forest environment and feel alive.

In contrast, he could have been shut away in a warm stifling classroom, watching the snow fall onto a barren concrete playground that he couldn’t play on because of health and safety reasons.

I think he was right, it really was the best morning.